With “The Da Vinci Code,” Dan Brown entered the rarified air of J.K. Rowling, Stephen King and John Grisham – authors whose newest books are guaranteed bestsellers. He joins us to talk about his latest, “Origin,” the fifth in his Robert Langdon series. He speaks tonight as part of Arts and Letter Live! at McFarlin Auditorium.

As commander of the International Space Station, Terry Virts spent more than 200 days floating above and below Earth. And during that time, he took more than 300,000 photos. He joins us to talk about looking at the world from this unique vantage – and about everyday life in orbit. His new book is called “View From Above: An Astronaut Photographs the World” (National Geographic).

At 24, David Litt became one of the youngest White House speechwriters in history when he joined the Obama administration. He joins us to talk about the delicate process of writing jokes for the president – and about how Obama used humor to communicate with the American people. Litt writes about his experiences in “Thanks, Obama: My Hopey, Changey White House Years” (Ecco).

Jon Kerstetter has witnessed war in Rwanda, Kosovo, Bosnia and, ultimately, Iraq as a soldier in the U.S. Army. And while those around him were focused on killing, he was there to heal the wounded. He joins us to talk about saving lives in the world’s deadliest places, which he writes about in “Crossings: A Doctor-Soldier’s Story” (Crown).

In the 1940s, Hedy Lamarr built a career in Hollywood after immigrating from Europe. Her lasting contribution to her adopted country, though, is a technological innovation that each of us still uses on a daily basis. Alexandra Dean joins us to tell Lamarr’s remarkable story, which she documents in her new film “Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story.” It screens Friday as part of Dallas VideoFest’s DocuFest.

Bankruptcy is designed to help people begin to re-establish firm financial footing. Yet a new investigation shows that black debtors benefit far less from the system than their white counterparts.  Paul Kiel joins us to talk about why Southern bankruptcy lawyers are in large part to blame. His story “How the Bankruptcy System Is Failing Black Americans” was written for ProPublica.

The ultrawealthy who flaunt their riches are a staple of reality shows and the tabloids. Existing alongside them, though, are equally well-off Americans who really struggle with the moral questions that come with great wealth. Sociologist Rachel Sherman spoke to 50 members of the 1 percent, and she joins us to talk about how they see themselves, which she writes about in “Uneasy Street: The Anxieties of Affluence” (Princeton University Press).

Anyone who’s visited Dachau or Auschwitz may be surprised to learn that concentration camps still exist around the world. Andrea Pitzer joins us to talk about how these facilities developed and how nations have justified their use. Her new book is called “One Long Night: A Global History of Concentration Camps” (Little, Brown and Co.). She’ll talk about it tonight at an event sponsored by the World Affairs Council of Dallas-Fort Worth.

The advent of drone strikes is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to advanced technologies’ impact on battle. Retired U.S. Air Force Major General Robert Latiff joins us to talk about what war will look like going forward – and whether or not we’re ready for what’s to come. His new book is called “Future War: Preparing for the New Global Battlefield” (Knopf).

When Zack McDermott was 26, he woke up believing he was the star of a reality show dedicated to him. That was the first of many adventures his bipolar disorder would take him on. He joins us to talk about how he ultimately got his life back on track with the help of his mother, which he writes about in “Gorilla and the Bird: A Memoir of Madness and a Mother’s Love” (Little Brown and Co.).