Finding Common Ground: One Octogenarian’s Quest to Help our Nation Heal

by Marilyn Siden, Robynne Elizabeth Miller

Why would a feisty almost-eighty-year-old grandmother slip into her Birkenstocks, throw a sleeping bag into the back of her Subaru, and set out across America? Because she'd had enough. Enough anger. Enough hatred. Enough division. Marilyn Siden has lived through the aftermath of World War II, Korea, and the horror of Vietnam. She's navigated good political administrations and struggling ones, a thriving economy and want. Her eight decades of experience living in the US have shown her the best America has to offer and, unfortunately, the worst. But she never thought America would become a place of vitriol and despair. So, she decided to do something about it. Through a series of epic journeys across America, Marilyn discovered what she was practical advice on how to help our nation heal. But she found something she wasn't expecting . . . something far more powerful. Marilyn found our common ground.

271 pages, Paperback

Published April 2, 2021

Reviews

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an encouraging memoir of meeting people from all walks of life and in many parts of the U.S. There were so many kind people willing to help. There were people who believed there is much more binding us together than tearing us apart. There were young people with wisdom beyond their years and old people who spoke from experience.

People seemed to think the answer lies with us, not the powers that be. It's what we individuals can do. We can listen to each other, leave the judging to God, don't be disrespectful, be kind, practice acceptance, be willing to compromise, and laugh more. My favorite was fact-checking a post before passing it on. And those are just a few of the ideas Siden received. But they all had to do with us, not the grand leaders of the country.

I was encouraged by reading this memoir. I was reminded that there are so many wonderful people in this country. People willing to be kinder, more loving, nicer. They show the great potential for this country when we individually live the values we know in our hearts. Read this book and be encouraged by the wise words it contains. There is hope for this country when we each do our part.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through Celebrate Lit. My comments are an independent and honest review.

[Deana Dick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been a very inspiring story to read. I’m in awe of this eighty year old woman who decided to do something about the discord in our land instead of complaining about it. I felt like her passenger as she loaded up her car and set out to ask people one very important question. As her journey began, I sat back and prepared myself to pick up nuggets of wisdom from a road trip that opened communication and compassion.

Each chapter introduces us to new places and people from all walks of life. They all had different idea of how to close the gap on discord but one theme seemed to stand out. We need to do it together unified if we want to accomplish our goal. Listening to all the different suggestions gave me hope and saw that there are people who do care, who still watch out for others and do believe that God is in control.

I loved how people talked about forgiving and not judging others. One person said we need to stop thinking of ourselves and start asking what we can do to make this world better. If you are looking for encouragement this book is full of everyday people with wisdom and understanding. I wonder when the last time was that we took time to help someone in need? Can we come together without wanting to be always be the one who is right? What example are we showing our children when they see riots, violence, shouting and danger in their neighborhood? “It boils down to human decency. Respecting others. Standing up for the underdog. Helping our neighbors.”

The more I read the more I wanted to be part of the change. The stories from across the land was overwhelming. There are people out there who do care and want to see our country healed. One thing that really stuck with me was to just start a conversation. Ask friends what we can do to come together and stop the division that has crippled our nation. Let’s be the person who finds solutions for the common good.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

[Connie Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finding Common Ground: One Octogenarian’s Quest to Help Our Nation Heal is a memoir that is written by Robynne Elizabeth Miller & Marilyn Siden. This is a very inspirational book that was easy to read at 271 pages. I love memoirs. I love reading about other people and their life stories. The way that this is written it feels like you are sitting down with a friend listening the their adventures. The writing was warm, flowing and kept my attention the whole book.

Can we be honest that our world is not a good place right now. There is so much going on that hurts my heart. I do not watch the news. To read a story about a 80 year old woman wanting to change thing was refreshing and made me feel hopeful. I love that she just threw her sleeping bag into her vehicle and set out on her adventure.

Each chapter is a new adventure. A new person that she meets at a different walk of life. The chapters are filled with encouragement. Each person that she encounters has a different ideas on how to fix the division. There's a lot wisdom woven into these stories. This will be something that I read again.

I received a copy of this book through the Celebrate Lit blogging program. All thoughts are my own.

[Patti Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recognizing the fact that the United States appears to be broken, Marilyn Siden sets out to explore the United States. She seeks to find ways we can find common ground. I loved reading about the various interactions she experiences in various states with a variety of individuals. I quickly found myself caught up by the wisdom shared by the very young to those with much more life experience behind them.

Kindness, compassion, understanding, along with a willingness to listen, leads the way for us to find common ground. Truly, fixing the broken pieces starts with a willingness to put aside differences for the good of the entire nation. The importance of listening and being willing to work together forms the most important piece of this puzzle. I love the journey the authors took me on in this book. It helped me recognize that embracing our differences rather than allowing them to divide and destroy our nation helps start us on the journey to find common ground.

So if you enjoy reading books that explore our nation along with the ideas geared toward bringing us together rather than dividing and destroying our nation, check out this book for yourself.

I received a complimentary copy of this book, but this in no way influenced my review. All opinions are my own.

[Mary Hake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine traveling around the United States alone at age eighty and talking to a diverse variety of people about what our country needs to improve and how people can help heal the nation by what they do in their daily lives. Marilyn Siden has lived through tumultuous periods in history but has never seen the US so divided. This book shares her insights gleaned from the multitude of people she asked about how to promote positive change in the world, and filtered through her decades of experiences, which gives her plenty of information and memories to connect with. She spoke with people from various religious and geographic backgrounds in her personal research and found much unity, no matter the age or location. Her bravery and honesty in seeking solutions and speaking out for transformation will encourage readers and should be widely promoted to further her efforts. The forty-six short chapters would make good discussion material for a small group. I received a copy from Celebrate Lit. All opinions are my own.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding Common Ground: One Octogenarian’s Quest to Help our Nation Heal is a wonderful book to read. I found it to be full of faith, encouraging, and beautiful. It will be placed on my limited keeper shelf to read again in the future. I absolutely adored reading this book and it is among my favorites of the year.

Finding Common Ground: One Octogenarian’s Quest to Help our Nation Heal is getting a very well deserved five plus stars from me. I highly recommend it for readers who enjoy reading uplifting and inspirational books. I would love to read more like this from Marilyn Siden and Robynne Elizabeth Miller in the future.

I received a paperback copy of Finding Common Ground: One Octogenarian’s Quest to Help our Nation Heal from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.

[Randi Sampson]

I don't know about you, but as I look at the news of the world around me I see a lot of divisiveness. Be it politics or whatever it may be... it seems like there is more fighting than anything. It can be very disheartening to see. As such, this book is a rather refreshing and much needed read... a book showing that not everyone feels the need to be divided and offering ways to find common ground. Who doesn't need a little bit of that in their lives?

While memoirs aren't usually my preferred reading, I feel like the timeliness of this one definitely made it a worthwhile read anyway. It was well written and gave readers a lot to think about. Overall, I found it to be a good read and very uplifting. Fans of inspirational non-fiction reads are sure to want to check this one out.

**I received a complimentary copy of this book for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Finding Common Ground: One Octogenarian’s Quest to Help Our Nation Heal" by Robynne Elizabeth Miller & Marilyn Siden was an interesting book to read! I really thought I wouldn't like this book and was prepared to be reading a long bored and hard to understand novel. But, I am so happy to say that wasn't the case.

This book clearly shows that most American people regardless of age, background, religion and whether fincially wealthy or poor, want the same thing to be respected and heard.

I really liked how the book in divided into different areas and the different examples of her experiences the author shared.

This book shares that food and music and flowers and just being kind goes a long way toward helping our Nation heal.

I was given a complimentary copy by the author and Celebrate Lit and these opinions are my own.

[Ashley Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cool book to read. With all the bad, bad things going on in the world, it’s really nice to read about someone looking to help and doing something good in the world. I liked all the different places and views.

Everyone has their own opinions but it’s amazing how everyone seems to want something similar. I really was expecting just a book of advice and maybe lectures. I was really pleasantly surprised. While there is advice it isn’t a lecture and I think many people would enjoy the book and benefit from reading it.

4/5

Thank you to the author/publisher for the review copy of this book via Celebrate Lit. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

[Amanda H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and the encouragement that it provided! We could use more books like this in our world, since Marilyn sets a great example by going out and doing something about the discord in our world and starts talking to people about what we can do to change it. I appreciated the message of this book, the encouragement to reach out to those around us and start moving together to bring a message of hope and forgiveness to the hurting world around us. This book is a one with a wonderful, encouraging message that will move you to reflect on how you can be part of the change in the world around you.

I received this book from Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review.