In the piercingly raw collection "Leaving Isn't the Hardest Thing," Lauren Hough offers a stunning mosaic of her life's journey, marked by an indelible struggle for identity and belonging. Through a series of vividly personal essays, Hough navigates the tumultuous waters of growing up within the confines of The Children of God cult, a childhood that spanned continents yet offered no sense of home or self. This haunting past, however, is just the prelude to a larger exploration of resilience and reinvention. As Hough sheds her imposed identities—one after another, from airman to cable guy, from bouncer at a gay club to a recognized writer—she delves deep into the heart of what it means to truly find oneself amidst the chaos of America's most hidden quarters. Hough's narrative is a masterclass in the art of survival, a testament to the strength required not just to leave, but to transform. With incisive humor and unflinching honesty, she examines the darkest corners of societal underbelly, from cults and homelessness to hunger, while simultaneously illuminating the unexpected sparks of joy and humor found in moments of despair. "Leaving Isn't the Hardest Thing" is more than a memoir; it's a journey through the complexities of queerness, freedom, and the quest for an authentic life. Each essay acts as a beacon, guiding the reader through Hough's tumultuous yet ultimately triumphant expedition to carve out a future that is unequivocally her own, one where the past, with all its shadows, also contains the light of hard-won wisdom.