{"product_id":"monster-of-a-land-with-author-lauren-hough","title":"Monster of a Land with Author Lauren Hough","description":"\u003cp\u003eJoin us and As You Are for a discussion with Lauren Hough and Jenn Morson discussing Monster of a Land. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen: Saturday June 27 at 4PM\u003cbr\u003eWhere: As You Are (Upstairs)\u003cbr\u003e500 8th St SE\u003cbr\u003eWashington, DC 20003\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eAccessibility Note: As You Are's upstairs event space requires ascending a full flight of stairs. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eABOUT THE BOOK\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLauren Hough has always been haunted by the road trips she never got to no money, no vacation days, no car capable of making the trip. So, upon finally finding herself in a situation where such a trip might be possible—being a writer may not always pay better than being a bartender or a cable guy, but at least the schedule’s flexible—she leaps at the chance, refurbishing a ramshackle 2001 Dodge van and setting off from Austin, Texas with her Husky mix Woody by her side.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHer influences feel obvious—but a lot has changed about the United States since the 1962 trip John Steinbeck chronicles in \u003ci\u003eTravels with Charley\u003c\/i\u003e. And Lauren Hough isn’t John Steinbeck—unless the Noble Prize-winning author of \u003ci\u003eThe Grapes of Wrath\u003c\/i\u003e had a secret past as a six-foot-tall lesbian and Air Force vet. But even better as a social lubricant than beer, a dog is the ultimate conversation starter. With Woody as wingman, Lauren chats—at gas stations and restaurants and auto shops and bars—with an incredible cross-section of Americans from all walks of life and every possible political perspective. And as she circumnavigates the country, she documents, with all-too-rare empathy, what it means to be poor, to be marginalized, and to be seen as Other in America.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePart travelogue, part social commentary, and 100% Lauren Hough, \u003ci\u003eMonster of a Land\u003c\/i\u003e unites her poignant vulnerability, her hilarious narrative voice, and her razor-sharp insights into a journey that will show us how far we’ve come as a country, and how far we still have to go.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eABOUT THE AUTHOR\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLAUREN HOUGH was born in Germany and raised in seven countries, and West Texas. She’s been an Air Force airman, a bartender, a bouncer, a construction laborer, a driver, a green-aproned barista, and a cable guy. She’s the author of the \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling essay collection, \u003cem\u003eLeaving Isn’t the Hardest Thing\u003c\/em\u003e. Her work has appeared in \u003cem\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eGranta\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eTexas Highways\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eHuffpost\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/em\u003e. She’s a writer at large for Texas Highways. She lives in Austin with a dog named Woody Guthrie.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eABOUT THE CONVERSATION PARTNER\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJenn Morson is a freelance writer with words in The New York Times, The Washington Post, TIME, The Atlantic, and many more national and regional publications. She can be found on her Substack, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/jennmorson.substack.com\/\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/jennmorson.substack.com\u0026amp;source=gmail\u0026amp;ust=1780541393848000\u0026amp;usg=AOvVaw1aWImUw36KQJ4v950L5WfX\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eBeliever\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, and is working her first memoir. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Little District Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47862642016407,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0560\/0349\/4039\/files\/CMM_Event_14.png?v=1780457799","url":"https:\/\/littledistrictbooks.com\/products\/monster-of-a-land-with-author-lauren-hough","provider":"Little District Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}