Ex-cult Member Lauren Hough Reflects On Rebuilding Her Life From Scratch In “Leaving Isn’t The Hardest Thing”

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When Lauren Hough announced on Twitter that her new book of essays, Leaving Isn’t the Hardest Thing, contained 312 “F” words, I knew I wanted to read it. Hough had to build herself from scratch after leaving a cult that, by design, rendered its members incapable of living meaningful lives with normal relationships. Her experiences take readers across the globe, and include a near-slide into homelessness, clashes with the criminal justice system, and a stint as the most amazing bouncer in gay history. You’ll laugh, cry, recoil in horror, and probably gasp, but mostly, you’ll appreciate Hough’s candor as she recounts a colorful past brimming with recreational drugs, Russian mobsters, and glow sticks. –Whitney Dwire

Leaving Isn’t The Hardest Thing
Lauren Hough
(Penguin Randomhouse)

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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