Think from KERA

In the last decade, millions of women in the Muslim world have joined the workforce. And with pay comes power. Economist Saadia Zahidi joins us  to talk about how these working women are reshaping cultural norms. Her book is called

As the author of “Food Rules,” “In Defense of Food,” and “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” Michael Pollan is one of America’s preeminent food writers. He joins us to talk about how we think about food from a cultural, environmental and historical perspective. And we’ll talk about the focus of his upcoming book: psychedelic drugs. He speaks Tuesday night at the University of Texas at Arlington as part of the Mavericks Speaker Series.

Poverty, stress, neglect and other childhood traumas can affect a person’s mental health into adulthood. Dr. Nadine Burke Harris joins us to talk about research that shows these traumas can also affect physical health. Her new book is called “The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).

We all hope to die peacefully at home at a ripe old age. And while many of us are living longer, the end of life has gotten increasingly complicated. Dr. Samuel Harrington joins us to talk about how to have tough conversations about our end-of-life wishes – and about how we can avoid medical intervention when there’s little left to save. His new book is called “At Peace: Choosing a Good Death After a Long Life” (Grand Central).

In December, a Dallas man named Rakem Balogun was arrested for unlawful possession of a firearm and remains in federal custody. Balogun has been a vocal critic of law enforcement, which has his friends and family wondering if he was targeted by the FBI for his beliefs. Martin de Bourmont joins us to talk about what could be the first case prosecuting what the FBI calls a “black identity extremist.” He writes about the topic for Foreign Policy magazine.

The first of America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities opened its doors before the end of slavery. Stanley Nelson joins us to talk about the important ways that HBCUs have contributed to American life. His new Independent Lens documentary “Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities.”

From a young age, we’re taught that working hard is a virtue. University of California, Berkeley management professor Morten T. Hansen joins us to talk about how we can ease off the gas by learning to work smarter. His new book is called “Great at Work: How Top Performers Do Less, Work Better, and Achieve More” (Simon & Schuster).

At times it can feel that being successful as an individual requires the defeat of the competition. Shawn Achor joins us to talk about why that falls under what he calls “small potential” thinking – and about why achieving “big” potential requires working with those around us. His new book is called “Big Potential: How Transforming the Pursuit of Success Raises Our Achievement, Happiness, and Well-Being” (Currency). He speaks tonight as part of DMA Arts & Letters Live! at the Dallas Museum of Art.

Parents are generally clued into the idea of limiting the amount of time their kids spend in front of screens. The science is unclear, though, about how much is too much. NPR education reporter Anya Kamenetz joins us to talk about her quest to find the right balance, which she writes about in “The Art of Screen Time: How Your Family Can Balance Digital Media and Real Life” (Hachette).

One of the most difficult questions to answer is “why?” Sociologist Gregory Smithsimon joins us to talk about how often the question actually leads us down the wrong path and encourages us to overlook our own biases. His new book is called “Cause … And How it Doesn’t Always Equal Effect” (Melville House).