{"product_id":"monster-of-a-land","title":"Monster of a Land: On the Road in Search of Modern America (June 16th, 2026)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ebestselling author of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eLeaving Isn't the Hardest Thing\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003ecomes an update of John Steinbeck's trip in\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eTravels with Charley,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003ea cross-country journey exploring modern America with Lauren Hough's signature observational wit, searing social commentary, and perspective as someone who knows what it's like to truly exist on the margins in this country.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLauren Hough has always been haunted by the road trips she never got to take: 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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHer influences feel obvious--but a lot has changed about the United States since the 1962 trip John Steinbeck chronicles in \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eTravels with Charley\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. And Lauren Hough isn't John Steinbeck--unless the Noble Prize-winning author of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Grapes of Wrath\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePart travelogue, part social commentary, and 100% Lauren Hough, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eMonster of a Land\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\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\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Bookshelf","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51650768339261,"sku":"9780593686621","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0695\/3235\/2829\/files\/MonsterofaLand.jpg?v=1777484477","url":"https:\/\/bookshelfthomasville.com\/products\/monster-of-a-land","provider":" The Bookshelf","version":"1.0","type":"link"}