Think from KERA

Young women are taught that they need to be assertive, strong and brave in a world dominated by men. So why doesn’t it work the other way? Sarah Rich joins us to talk about why we should also be teaching boys how to be nurturing, caring and other traits typically associated with femininity. Her story“Today’s Masculinity Is Stifling”appears in The Atlantic.

If you’re someone who would rather die than talk to a stranger, you’re not alone – about 40 percent of us consider ourselves shy. Psychologist Ellen Hendriksen joins us to talk about how we can overcome our fear of interacting with other people. Her new book is called “How to Be Yourself: Quiet Your Inner Critic and Rise Above Social Anxiety”(St. Martin’s Press).

Mexican president-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador won the race in part by vowing to stand up to President Trump. Andrew Selee, president of the Migration Policy Institute, joins us to talk about the strained U.S.-Mexico relationship – and about what it will take for the two countries to find common ground. Selee’s new book is called“Vanishing Frontiers: The Forces Driving Mexico and the United States Together”(PublicAffairs).

As North Texas’ population has boomed, accommodating the ever-increasing traffic has been a challenge. But what if cars took a backseat to actual people? We talk about how we should rethink our most densely-populated urban areas with DART board member Patrick Kennedy and Texas State Rep. Rafael Anchia. They’ll take part in D Magazine’s urbanism symposium onWednesday at the Dallas Museum of Art.

The musical “Hairspray” follows Tracy Turnblad, a Baltimore teen who dreams of dancing on a 1960s TV show. “Hairspray” is being produced by the Dallas Theater Center, and we talk with director Joel Ferrell and Michelle Dowdy – who plays Tracy – about the social themes the show explores that still resonate today. “Hairspray” is onstage at the Winspear Opera House through July 15.

Emily Giffin’s novels, including “Something Borrowed” and “Heart of the Matter,” are mainstays on bestsellers lists. She joins us to talk about her latest effort, “All We Ever Wanted” (Ballentine), which centers on a high school scandal that rocks Nashville’s high society.

What role does honor play in how a society functions? University of Houston philosopher Tamler Sommers joins us to make the case that living a more honorable life is the key to solving many of the nation’s problems. His new book is called “Why Honor Matters” (Basic Books).

The U.S. isn’t involved in armed conflict with Russia, China or Iran.

War is being waged, though, through the use of cyber weapons. New York

Times national security correspondent David Sanger joins us to talk

about how the world’s superpowers are engaging in a new style of warfare

capable of crippling infrastructures, nuclear programs and democracy

itself. His new book is called “The Perfect Weapon: War, Sabotage, and Fear in the Cyber Age” (Crown Publishing).

The United States Supreme Court has ruled recently on everything from

who has to bake a cake to who has to pay union dues to who can travel to

the U.S. And now the search for retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy’s

replacement begins. SMU Constitutional Law expert Lackland Bloom and

UT-Arlington political scientist Rebecca Deen join us to talk about the

thinking behind the court’s recent decisions and the politics of

replacing a justice.

With a senator, attorney general and president among their ranks, the

men of the Kennedy family had an enormous influence on 20th Century

America. Eileen McNamara joins us to make the case that it was actually a

Kennedy woman – Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver – who

had the biggest impact of all. McNamara’s new book is called “Eunice: The Kennedy Who Changed the World” (Simon & Schuster).