Common Ground: How the Crisis of the Earth is Saving Us from Our Illusion of Separation

by Eileen Flanagan

Genres: Nature

336 pages, Paperback

Published August 26, 2025

About the author

Eileen Flanagan is a Quaker writer, speaker, and activist. Her new book, Renewable: One Woman’s Search for Simplicity, Faithfulness, and Hope, tells the story of her midlife realization that she was not living up to her potential or her youthful ideals, and the engaging journey that led her to handcuff herself to the White House fence. Her previous book, The Wisdom to Know the Difference, was endorsed by the Dalai Lama, and her articles have a appeared in a wide range of national publications. A graduate of Duke and Yale, Eileen leads the board of Earth Quaker Action Team, which uses nonviolent direct action to work for a just and sustainable economy.

Reviews

[Jo Hana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an informative and inspiring read. At its core, I found it incredibly hopeful, and I loved reading the many stories from the frontlines of the climate justice movement. I’m so grateful for the framing of the climate crisis as “saving us from the illusion of separation” and have been using those words a lot since reading the book and noticing the illusion of separation everywhere. It’s so helpful to have it framed as illusion and not as reality. We are one! And an injury to one is an injury to all!

[Christine Eberle · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Common Ground, Eileen Flanagan weaves compelling storytelling with abundant data. The result is a rich tapestry of a book, taking readers on a journey to places where environmental disasters are being exacerbated by corporate interests and dishonesty. Yet this is not a “doom and gloom” book; Eileen interviews climate activists, spiritual leaders, and ordinary, warm-hearted citizens, all working together to banish our “illusion of separation” from one another and from the earth that gives us life. Whether you need to be more alarmed about the crisis facing our planet, more equipped to talk about it, or more inspired to join the struggle for our common home, this book is for you!

[Deborah Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eileen Flanagan approaches the Earth crisis with sincerity, passion, and lots of experience. She was inspired when the title phrase of this book “came to her” as a vision of why we can learn to work together across differences and potential barriers. For her, a “spiritual source is the root of our interconnection.” There are a lot of threads woven together in this book, not just about issues but leaning into the wisdom so needed in these perilous times, including of Martin Luther King, indigenous people, and other grassroots activists. Her training as a teacher shows when she begins the book with a unifying overview, concludes each chapter with lessons learned, and ends the book with Reflection Questions and Playlist. This would certainly be a good book to study with others concerned about or engaged in environmental justice work and for anyone concerned about the Earth crisis, which should be all of us.