I love the idea that this book spans 4 years of interviews with people. I really liked the ability to see the change over time, but also see that we are not that far apart than we think. This book is a good reminder of the full human experience.

This is a really insightful book that should be read by all voting Americans. We don’t all agree on everything, but the point of this book is that we agree on more than we think, and the divisiveness that we feel is not healthy nor pleasant.

I love that the author highlights the nuances that are where we find common ground. If only people would stop to listen to each other more, listen to the media (and social media) less, we could get so much more accomplished.

Some of the tips at the end about “Listen Hard” are truly valuable regardless of whether you’re trying to bridge political differences or trying to bridge gaps in any other aspect of your life.

I have recommended this book to several colleagues and family members.

Thanks to #NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the free Copy of this book. My opinions In this review are purely my own.

#OurCommonGround

If you want to understand American voters, you won’t go far wrong reading “Our Common Ground”by Diane Hessan. Based on a massive longitudinal study of 500 American voters since 2016, Hessan breaks down the insights learnt and the power of listening as the path forward.

The book covers recent US politics in great detail and the identification of voters inability to hear each other. Hessan proposes that voters have more common ground than they think.

Diane Hessan is an entrepreneur and US columnist, CEO of SALIENT VENTURES, LLC and spent over 20 years with C Space.