Think from KERA

You might know John Hodgman from his days as a correspondent on “The Daily Show,” or from years of Apple ads, or from his last book, “Vacationland.” The point is, Hodgman really hopes you know him. The writer, comedian and actor joins host Krys Boyd to talk about his brushes with fame — and what it feels like to be brushed off, which he writes about in “Medallion Status: True Stories from Secret Rooms.”

In May 2003, President George W. Bush announced, “mission accomplished,” marking the end of the military phase of the Iraq War. Four years later, he deployed 30,000 more troops to quell civil war. Jeffrey A. Engel, director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University, and Will Inboden, executive director of the Clements Center for National Security at the University of Texas at Austin, join host Krys Boyd to talk about the behind-the-scenes White House strategy that led to the troop surge. Their book is called “The Last Card: Inside George W. Bush’s Decision to Surge in Iraq.”

The assumption that “people vote with their pocketbooks” dismisses

identity politics; after all, nationalism and populism aren’t rooted

solely in economic theory. Francis Fukuyama, senior fellow at Stanford

University and Mosbacher Director at The Center on Democracy,

Development, and the Rule of Law, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how

culture impacts a democracy. His book “Identity: The Demand for Dignity and The Politics of Resentment” is newly out in paperback.

The war in Afghanistan is now the longest in American history – many new enlistees weren’t even born when it began 18 years ago. Elliot Ackerman served five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan as a Marine, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why, he says, we’re writing blank checks for protracted conflicts with an all-volunteer military. His article “Why Bringing Back the Draft Could Stop America’s Forever Wars” appears in Time magazine.

What’s the use of doom and gloom if an asteroid takes us out anyway? But, really, it might just be gene-editing that get us in the end, if we’re being honest. Journalist Bryan Walsh joins Krys Boyd to talk about the many probabilities of world-ending catastrophic events, reported with humor and backed up by hard science. His book is,“End Times: A Brief Guide to the End of the World. Asteroids, Super volcanoes, Rogue Robots, and More.”

The modern feminist movement, with Gloria Steinem as its face, could be said was focused primarily on white women’s rights. Black feminist author and assistant professor of sociology at Virginia Commonwealth University Tressie McMillan Cottom, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about her exploration of black women’s space in culture, affluence, beauty and power. Her new book is called “Thick: And Other Essays.”

“Alexa, remind me to get milk at the store.” “Alexa, put soccer practice on the calendar.” “Alexa, colonize space.” Staff writer for The Atlantic Franklin Foer joins host Krys Boyd to talk about his research into Amazon and what happens when Big Tech takes on not just the nuts-and-bolts of government but our planet too. His article, “Jeff Bezos’s Master Plan: What the Amazon founder and CEO wants for his empire and himself, and what that means for the rest of us.”

There’s always a wink and nod when a woman says, “it’s that time of the month.” But why do personalities and craving shift so drastically—especially when on the pill? Sarah E. Hill, research psychologist and professor, Department of Psychology, TCU joins host Krys Boyd to talk about a woman’s body and the most current research (or lack of it) that doctors rely on. Her book is,“This Is Your Brain on Birth Control: The Surprising Science of Women, Hormones, and the Law of Unintended Consequences.” 

What we see isn’t necessarily what we experience, and what we feel isn’t necessarily based on what we see. But why? Turns out science isn’t clear on that question–but not for lack of trying. Neuroscientist and psychologist Michael S. A. Graziano joins host Krys Boyd to talk about current research into our deepest selves, which he writes about in “Rethinking Consciousness: A Scientific Theory of Subjective Experience.”

A pile of bones found deep inside a South African cave revealed a spectacular discovery: a new species of human ancestry. Paleoanthropologist Professor Lee Berger and Director of the Center for the Exploration of the Human Journey at the Perot Museum Becca Peixotto joins host Krys Boyd to discuss their 2015 discovery and the new Perot Museum of Nature and Science exhibition that sprang from it,“Origins: Fossils from the Cradle of Humankind Perot Museum of Nature and Science.”