Monster of a Land

MOST ANTICIPATED: THE LOS ANGELES TIMES, THE BOSTON GLOBE, AUTOSTRADDLE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, KIRKUS REVIEWS, AARP, ALTA,

“Lauren Hough writes about America the way it deserves to be written about—honestly, and with a tinge of heartbreak. Monster of a Land is so much more than a road trip book—it’s about the trips we never take, the people we lose before we get the chance, and what happens when you finally get in the goddamn car.”
—Jennette McCurdy, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Half His Age and I’m Glad My Mom Died

“A keenly observed story about America and the complexity of her people. Hough brings genuine empathy and nuance to recognizing that most of what divides us is orchestrated by the obscene wealth disparity shaping our lives. She offers a unique portrait of the forgotten places from one coast of the country to the other, blended with a moving, sometimes haunting, and often hilarious portrait of herself and the dogs she has loved. You will be changed by this remarkable book, and for the better.”
—‎Roxane Gay, author of Difficult Women

“Monster of a Land is a brilliant hand-whittled portrait of America. Full of hardship but also, incredibly, of hope and empathy. And funny as all get-out! It contains such wisdom about our country and about ourselves. Get it into your hands.”
—Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Less

“Monster of a Land is hilarious and sad, beautifully observed, brutal when it needs to be, tender, a love song, a protest song, the most profound kind of American music. There is no writer like Lauren Hough. She’s utterly brilliant.”
—‎Elizabeth McCracken, author of A Long Game

“A wild, funny, heartbreaking joyride through this strange country with one of our best storytellers at the wheel. Lauren Hough is a national treasure and Monster of a Land is not to be missed. Hop in the van. You won’t be disappointed.”
—Greg Marshall, author of Leg

“Lauren Hough’s Monster of a Land . . . looks at the current wealth disparity in America with something rare these days: nuance and compassion.”
—Courtney Maum, theSkimm

“Alternately funny and angry, it’s a travelogue for our times.”
—The Los Angeles Times, “10 Best Books to Read in June”

“Lauren Hough’s Monster of a Land: On the Road in Search of Modern America channels John Steinbeck as she travels the highways and byways of this country with her trusty dog, Woody.”
—Alta

“[A] travelogue meets social commentary meets personal narrative about being a lesbian moving through all different cross-sections of the country.”
—Autostraddle, “Our Most Anticipated Queer Books for June 2026”

“Hough’s encounters on the road—a vivid kaleidoscope of people and places—feel vast against the ‘microcosm’ of her individual identity as writer, daughter, friend, traveler, and observer. . . . With trademark grit, scathing wit, and keen observation, she circles the country in Steinbeck’s tracks. . . . A rollicking adventure filled with living, loving, reflecting, and connecting with fellow Americans of every stripe, means, and lifestyle.”
—Santa Fe New Mexican

“[Hough] is genuinely, helplessly funny. She makes you laugh on one line and guts you on the next. Her observations are razor-edged but never cruel. . . . Monster of a Land is a generous book that never turns naive. It’s a book about looking, really looking, at a country and its people, and refusing to write any of them off.”—Hippocampus Magazine “Hough’s style is captivating. It’s hard to put the book down, and one is glad she takes us on her journey.”—The New York Sun
“Monster of a Land . . . is a fantastic, clear-eyed memoir where Lauren shares the struggles and stories she learned from the ‘have nots’ she met during a cross-country road trip with her dog.”
—Courtney Maum, The Write Question, Montana Public Radio

“A lively, thoughtful memoir of being a stranger in a strange land. . . . [Hough] is an astute observer, commiserating with . . . forgotten and left-behind people. . . . A politically charged meander down highways and byways, and just right for our time.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“[Hough] writes beautifully of loss: loss of friends, family, neighborliness, mutual understanding, and meaning in a world ripped apart by endless consumption, digital dependency, and greed. . . . Heartbreakingly tender. Fans of her first book of essays will be thrilled as Hough once again proves her unique ability to see connections among seemingly disparate people and situations. . . . Hough writes with searing insight into the human condition. This is just as much of a journey inward as it is outward.”
—Lisa Gieskes, Library Journal (starred review)

“[Hough] describes with humor and empathy her encounters along her route.”
—AARP, “Summer Preview: 32 of the Season’s Top New Books”