Finding Common Ground

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 much: 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 after: 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.

Finding Common Ground is available in paperback and ebook (Kindle) formats and will soon be available as an audiobook on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes.

Jodie Stevens

Award-Winning Radio Personality & Podcaster

Finding Common Ground is a must read for anyone heartbroken over the current climate in our nation. Healing our country starts by reading this book. You will be inspired and encouraged. Most importantly, you will see why we are not as divided as some would have us think. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and narrating it. I know you will love it, too.

Francine Rivers

Multi-Award-Winning, NYT Best-Selling Author

Finding Common Ground is a wonderful book. There is so much wisdom in it, along with encouragement, practical suggestions, and an end that lifted my spirit.
All the way through, I was dreaming of taking such a road trip…

Wendi Lou Lee

Author, Speaker, Actress (Little House on The Prairie)

Finding Common Ground is a fresh perspective on a tough topic—bringing our country back together again. Easier said than done, but this eighty-year-old woman was determined to find the answer. Siden’s remarkable adventure to find common ground started with listening, listening to ordinary folks. Imagine that! Go get this book, you’ll be delighted by the stories and inspired to take action.

Marilyn Siden is blessed with a wonderful family—four grown children, twelve beautiful, talented, Godly grandchildren, and an amazing husband.

Marilyn is a University of California Berkeley graduate with graduate units related to social work, social justice, and work with vulnerable children.

She taught elementary school for seven years, outdoor education for five years, and for thirty-seven years served vulnerable children in a camping ministry as Executive Director of Today’s Youth Matter in California and Program Director and Executive Director of Wilderness Trails in Oregon.

She has taught classes and seminars throughout the US and has spoken on radio, television and in churches of all denominations about kids who are struggling because of abuse and neglect.

She has a deep love of music, little plants that bloom in impossible places, anything in the out-of-doors, occasional backpacking, swimming, reading, and pelicans.

Robynne Elizabeth Miller is wife to an amazing Brit and mother to a glorious brood of adopted and biological kids. Her adventures have led her to over twenty-five countries, from Malta to Russia, and she’s lived about a quarter of her life in the English countryside. She currently makes her home in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, spending much of her time telling locals they don’t need to apologize for the rain.

With dozens of articles, essays, and blog posts to her credit, as well as eight books and collaborations on several more, she’s put her B.A. from Westmont College and her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction & Fiction from Ashland University to good use She’s an experienced speaker, editor, and writing coach, and teaches regularly at conferences and writer’s workshops. She currently serves as President and Director of Leadership of Inspire Christian Writers and hosts The Art of Semi-Fiction podcast, where she explores every corner of the written word.

On quieter days, Robynne can be found meandering back roads with her family, cooking up some grand adventure with her friends, singing at the top of her lungs, or making bacon from scratch.

One Octogenarian's Quest to Help our Nation Heal