Think from KERA

In her previous books, Anne Lamott has taught readers about grace (“Small Victories”) and about a simple approach to prayer (“Help, Thanks, Wow”). She joins us to talk about how taking a merciful approach to our relationships can help us to make honest connections with others, which she writes about in her latest book, “Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy” (Riverhead Books).

Simon Wiesenthal was known as the “Jewish James Bond” – a nickname he earned by bringing more than a thousand Nazi war criminals to justice. His story is captured in the one-man show “Wiesenthal,” written by Tom Dugan, who plays the title character in a performance Wednesday night at the Hockaday School. He joins us to talk about his protagonist’s extraordinary life.

In 2012, 20 elementary school students and six educators were gunned down in Connecticut. Kim Snyder joins us to talk about the aftermath of the shooting and how it changed the lives of the parents, siblings and teachers of the people who were killed. Her documentary “Newtown” airs tonight on PBS stations as part of Independent Lens.

The U.S. is already one of the most diverse nations in the world – and that diversity is increasing. One thing that’s staying the same, though, is the lack of wealth in non-white populations. Brandeis University law professor Thomas Shapiro joins us to talk about the connection between economic opportunity and race, which he writes about in “Toxic Inequality: How America’s Wealth Gap Destroys Mobility, Deepens the Racial Divide and Threatens Our Future” (Basic Books).

As a member of President Obama’s advance team, Alyssa Mastromonaco was responsible for making meetings with royals and heads of state go off without a hitch. She joins us to talk about the inevitable behind-the-scenes predicaments that arise when powerful people meet – and how time and again she managed to save the day. She writes about her experiences in “Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House” (Twelve).

Sixty percent of families with young children require childcare so that one or both parents can work. That care costs on average $10,000 per year – per child – or more. Grover Whitehurst joins us to talk about the idea of federally subsidized childcare, the subject of a recent paper he wrote for The Brookings Institution.

Lindy West is a large woman with even larger opinions. The humorist and feminist joins us to talk about how she ultimately learned to navigate a world that doesn’t value all body types the same, which she writes about in her memoir, “Shrill” (Hachette).

For many people suffering from mental health problems, the biggest obstacle to recovery is simply access to a mental health professional. Dr. Vikram Patel joins us to talk about how we can expand access to mental health services by empowering non-specialized healthcare workers to deliver them. He’s the recipient this year of Austin College’s Posey Leadership Award.

If breaking bad habits was easy, none of us would have them. As an associate professor in medicine and psychiatry at UMass Medical School, Dr. Judson Brewer has spent more than 20 years researching addiction. He joins us to talk about how we can regain control of our impulses, which he writes about in “The Craving Mind: From Cigarettes to Smartphones to Love – Why We Get Hooked and How We Can Break Bad Habits” (Yale University Press).

Prosecuting world leaders for war crimes and genocides requires coordination across borders. We’ll talk about how these legal investigations work – and about how some of the most notorious war criminals of the last century were eventually brought to justice. We’ll be joined by Allan Ryan, producer of the documentary “Dead Reckoning: War, Crime, and Justice from WW2 to the War on Terror,” which airs tonight on PBS stations.