Hey, it's Empire's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbong. In the national discourse, there's

a lot of fretting about how divided we are, about how there are two Americas and they can't seem to talk to each other, and so there's a need for common ground.

David Litt's new memoir is titled, It's Only Drowning, a True Story of Learning to Surf and the Search for Common Ground.

Litt is a former speechwriter for President Obama, and the book is about the connection he formed

with the guy who helped teach him to surf, his brother-in-law, Matt.

But what's funny about this interview between Litt and NPR Scott Simon is that it becomes

apparent that common ground isn't what we should be looking for.

Instead, maybe, what might work to bind the two Americas is neutral ground.

That's ahead.

In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.

Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors.

On our new show, Sources and Methods. NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people,

helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.

Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Like a lot of people, David Litt, fell into a funk.

Let's call it to depression.

He certainly does during the pandemic.

But the former speechwriter for President Obama and best-selling author

who describes himself as a frisbee playing, farm-to-table eating,

and his words, NPR listening image of a liberal

did not soothe himself by baking bread or spinning pottery. He learned how to surf,

tutored by his brother-in-law, Matt Kapler, a tattooed electrician who doesn't believe in vaccinations

...