Leaving Isn't the Hardest Thing

Lauren Hough’s extraordinary essay collection Leaving Isn’t the Hardest Thing is as powerful as it is poignant. So many moments in this exceptionally crafted essays brought me to tears and before long I would find myself laughing as Hough wielded her razor sharp wit. This is one of those rare books that will instantly become part of the literary canon and the world of letters will be better for it. * Roxane Gay, author of Difficult Women *Lauren Hough’s Leaving Isn’t the Hardest Thing is so brilliant, so humane and pissed off and hysterically funny and thought-provoking, and so beautifully written it’s hard to describe except to say that it’s a book that is going to mean a lot to a lot of people, and it might cause some fights, and you better read it so you can have the pleasure of reading it and the pleasure of talking about it with everyone. * Elizabeth McCracken, author of Bowlaway *Lauren Hough is the best new voice I’ve read in years: fiercely honest, funny, brazen, and unrepentant. * Heather Havrilesky, Ask Polly columnist and author of What If This Were Enough? *Hough’s direct, no bullshit manner will have you laughing and nodding your head in agreement. If you are a fan of memoir and books about moving through life overcoming any obstacle in your way or, if, like me, you love reading about strong queer people - then this book is for you! * Christina Pascucci-Ciampa, Boston Magazine *[Leaving Isn’t the Hardest Thing] is a killer debut, as riveting for its content as it is for its captivating style. * BookPage, ‘2021 preview: Most anticipated nonfiction’ *These essays mine [Hough’s] eclectic, fascinating life and her efforts to create her own identity. Plus, she’s a fabulous writer. * Deborah Dundas, The Toronto Star *An edgy and unapologetic memoir in essays. * Kirkus Reviews *This moving account of resilience and hard-earned agency brims with a fresh originality. * Publishers Weekly *Each one told with the wit of David Sedaris, and the insight of Joan Didion * Telegraph *Hough’s conversational prose reads like the voice of a blues singer, taking breaks between songs to narrate her heartbreak in verse, cajoling her audience to laugh to keep from crying * The New York Times *

LAUREN HOUGH was born in Germany and raised in seven countries and West Texas. She’s been an airman in the U.S. Air Force, a green-aproned barista, a bartender, a livery driver, and, for a time, a cable guy. Her work has appeared in Granta, The Wrath-Bearing Tree, The Guardian, and HuffPost. She lives in Austin.