Think from KERA

Alia Malek traces her roots to Syria – specifically to an apartment owned by her grandmother in Damascus. In her new book, “The Home That Was Our Country: A Memoir of Syria” (Hachette), she tells the story of how dictatorship has affected the lives of the everyday Syrians who lived in the building. She joins us to talk about the book – and about the current climate in the country following the recent chemical weapon attacks and U.S. response. She speaks to the World Affairs Council of Dallas-Fort Worth on April 18.

If you’ve ever visited the gardens of the Nasher Sculpture Center, you’re familiar with the work of landscape architect Peter Walker. He joins us to talk about creating outdoor public spaces that are both functional and beautiful.

With the ubiquity of the internet, memorizing facts and figures is less important for 21st Century students. As part of KERA’s American Graduate series, Ulrich Boser joins us to talk about new research into the science of learning, which he writes about in “Learn Better: Mastering the Skills for Success in Life, Business, and School, or, How to Become an Expert in Just About Anything” (Rodale).

Fifteen million people lost their lives during the First World War. Stephen Ives joins us to talk about how the conflict vaulted the U.S. into a world power – and about the individual soldiers, nurses, aviators and others who paved the way to victory. He’s a producer of “The Great War,” an American Experience documentary airing tonight on PBS stations.

In 2005, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became the first democratically elected female president in African history. Helene Cooper joins us to talk about the extraordinary life of the woman who’s led Liberia ever since, who she writes about in “Madame President: The Extraordinary Journey of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf” (Simon & Schuster). She speaks tonight at 6:30 to the World Affairs Council of Dallas-Fort Worth.

Bassem Youssef has been called “The Jon Stewart of the Arabic World,” a distinction that landed him several appearances on “The Daily Show.” He joins us this hour to talk about taking a satirical approach to the very serious situation in the Middle East, which he writes about in “Revolution for Dummies: Laughing Through the Arab Spring” (Dey St.).

Humans are the products of millions of years of evolution. And now we must face the question of how we handle our continued growth now that we’re smart enough to play a hand in it. DT Max joins us this hour to talk about where we go from here, which he writes about in the April issue of National Geographic magazine.

As the leader of a polygamist cult, Ervil LeBaron had 13 wives and more than 50 children. One of his daughters, Anna LeBaron, joins us to talk about how she felt alone even while surrounded by so many siblings – and about living in constant fear as her dad was wanted for murder. Her new memoir is called “The Polygamist’s Daughter” (Tyndale).

Later this year, the Trump administration will unveil a $1 trillion infrastructure plan to address the nation’s aging highways, bridges, airports and electrical grid. University of Southern California economics professor Matthew Kahn joins us to talk about how replacing these items can also help fight climate change. His paper “Protecting Urban Places and Populations from Rising Climate Risk” was recently published by the Brookings Institution.

From the dawn of time, men and women have engaged in a struggle over how to peacefully coexist. Stephen Marche joins us to talk about the many places that members of the opposite sex interact – from the office to the dinner table to the bedroom – and how those interactions have evolved in the age of feminism. His new book is called “The Unmade Bed: The Messy Truth About Men and Women in the 21st Century” (Simon & Schuster).