Can a city really be lost? In this book, Annalee Newitz writes about four ancient cities: "the doorway" Catalhouk, "the street" Pompeii, "the reservoir" Angkor and "the plaza" Cahokia. Newitz takes readers on what at times feels like an archeological dig through history. In the book, she argues that cities can't really be abandoned and takes a clearer look at the real story of these famous ancient places. 

In this episode, Kara discusses Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age and why readers should pick up this book to use the past to learn more about ourselves today.