Think from KERA

George Saunders received critical acclaim – and a Man Booker Prize – for his 2017 novel “Lincoln in the Bardo.” He joins us to talk about his latest work, “Fox 8” (Random House), a darkly comedic short story of a fox who learns to speak.

Most Americans have at least a passing familiarity with George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and their contemporaries. UT-Austin historian H.W. Brands joins us to talk about the men who took the baton from the Founding Fathers and put their ideas to work. Brands is the author of “Heirs of the Founders: The Epic Rivalry of Henry Clay, John Calhoun and Daniel Webster, the Second Generation of American Giants” (Doubleday).

A visit to a museum can provoke a long list of questions: How does this piece make me feel? Is what I’m looking at any good? And who gets to decide what makes something a work of art? Ellen Winner, director of the Arts and Mind Lab at Boston College, joins us to walk through these questions and many others, which she tackles in “How Art Works: A Psychological Exploration” (Oxford).

Colombia and Mexico regularly see their share of violent activity – even though they aren’t engaged in a formal war. Rachel Kleinfeld of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace joins us to talk about how corruption, political conflict and state brutality combine to create unsafe places around the globe, which she writes about in “A Savage Order: How the World’s Deadliest Countries Can Forge a Path to Security” (Pantheon).

When that jerk at work spills coffee all over his shirt, we laugh, right? Turns out that’s a natural – and common – response. Tiffany Watt Smith joins us to talk about why we find perverse pleasure in the pain of others. Her new book is called “Schadenfreude: The Joy Of Another’s Misfortune” (Little, Brown Spark)

In the battle against the Taliban, women serving in the armed forces have played a key role in circumventing a patriarchal society to gather information from Afghan women. Eileen Rivers of USA Today – and a veteran of Operation Desert Storm – joins us to introduce us to a trio of military women who served in what are known as Female Engagement Teams. Her new book is called “Beyond the Call: Three Women on the Front Lines in Afghanistan” (Da Capo).

Cephalopods are amazing creatures – capable of complex learning, chameleon-like fluidity and lighting quick dexterity. Mike Vecchione, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries National Systematics Laboratory, joins us to talk about these wonders of the sea, which he writes about in “Octopus, Squid & Cuttlefish: A Visual, Scientific Guide to the Oceans’ Most Advanced Invertebrates” (University of Chicago Press).

Amy Sedaris began making us laugh with her television series “Strangers with Candy” and is still cracking us up with her role on “BoJack Horseman.” She joins us to talk about her career in the funny business. Sedaris is the recipient of this year’s Ernie Kovacs award from Dallas VideoFest.

A snappy comeback, delivered with just the right amount of zing, can make you the life of the party or the hero of the office. James Geary joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the importance of wit in everyday life, and to make the case that puns – yes puns! – may be the highest form of wit. His new book is called “Wit’s End: What Wit Is, How It Works, and Why We Need It” (W.W. Norton & Co.).

Thomas Jefferson said that the American experiment depended on three truths. Harvard historian Jill Lepore joins host Krys Boyd to talk about political equality, natural rights and the sovereignty of the people through a 21stCentury lens. Her new book is called “These Truths: A History of the United States” (W.W. Norton and Co).