KERA's Think

[2013-06-25 13:00:00] How was the real Wyatt Earp different from the legend portrayed in Hollywood? We’ll talk this hour with Temple University historian Andrew Isenberg. His new book is “Wyatt Earp: A Vigilante Life” (Hill and Wang, 2013).

[2013-06-25 12:00:00] What dangers do female migrant farm workers face as they work in fields and packing plants to provide for their families? We’ll talk this hour with Lowell Bergman, producer of the PBS FRONTLINE documentary Rape in the Fields. The film airs tonight on KERA Channel 13 at 9 p.m.

[2013-06-24 13:00:00] What makes a musical truly magical? We’ll go behind the curtain this hour with producer Jeffrey Seller, who won Tony Awards for his work on Rent, Avenue Q and In The Heights. He’ll make his directorial debut at the Dallas Theater Center when Fly opens July 2nd.

[2013-06-24 12:00:00] How did President Obama rise above his critics to win a second term? We’ll talk this hour with Jonathan Alter, who has covered eight presidential elections for outlets like Newsweek and NBC News. His new book is “The Center Holds: Obama and His Enemies” (Simon & Schuster, 2013).

[2013-06-20 13:00:00] How have rising sea levels affected human civilization in the past and how might we deal with the problem in the future? We’ll find out this hour with Brian Fagan, emeritus professor of anthropology at U.C. Santa Barbara. His new book is “The Attacking Ocean: The Past, Present, and Future of Rising Sea Levels” (Bloomsbury Press, 2013).

[2013-06-20 12:00:00] How did World War II shape the journalism career of a young Walter Cronkite? We’ll talk this hour with Maurice Isserman, Publius Virgilius Rogers Professor of American History at Hamilton College. He’s the co-author of the new book “Cronkite’s War: His World War II Letters Home” (National Geographic, 2013).

[2013-06-06 13:00:00] Which summer movies are you most looking forward to? And which of those will actually deliver? We’ll spend this hour with a film critic power team including Stephen Becker of Art&Seek, Chris Vognar of The Dallas Morning News and Christopher Kelly, who writes for Texas Monthly.

[2013-06-06 12:00:00] What can we learn about Afghanistan’s legacy of war by observing the fragile everyday lives of its people? We’ll find out this hour with war correspondent Anna Badkhen. Her new book is “The World is a Carpet: Four Seasons in an Afghan Village” (Riverhead, 2013).

[2013-06-05 13:00:00] What are our rights as travelers? How easy is it for the government to take them away? We’ll talk this hour with Jeffrey Kahn, associate professor of law at SMU Dedman School of Law. His new book is “Mrs. Shipley’s Ghost: The Right to Travel and Terrorist Watchlists” (University of Michigan Press, 2013).

[2013-06-05 12:00:00] How has a consumer focus on fair trade made us more socially aware? We’ll find out this hour with Keith Brown, assistant professor of sociology at Saint Joseph’s University. His new book is “Buying Into Fair Trade: Culture, Morality, and Consumption” (NYU Press, 2013).

[2013-06-04 13:00:00] What will a “man of letters” do when the books are all gone? We talked in March with Romanian-born poet, prolific author, and well-known NPR commentator Andrei Codrescu. His latest book – a memoir of sorts – is called “Bibliodeath: My Archives (With Life in Footnotes)” (ANTIBOOKCLUB, 2012).

[2013-06-04 12:00:00] How do you see Dallas and Fort Worth? We’ll revisit our February discussion about the similarities, identities, and insecurities of the two distinctly different cities with Bud Kennedy of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Sarah Hepola of Salon.com, and Tim Rogers of D Magazine. They’ve all contributed to the current 40th Anniversary Special Edition of Texas Monthly Magazine.

[2013-06-03 13:00:00] If employing every anti-aging product and practice on the market can’t make us younger, where else is there to look? We’ll talk this hour with Lauren Kessler, who tried everything within reach for her book “Counter Clockwise: My Year of Hypnosis, Hormones, Dark Chocolate, and Other Adventures in the World of Anti-Aging” (Rodale Books, 2013).

[2013-06-03 12:00:00] Did the Civil War emerge from a power struggle that had nothing to do with slavery? We’ll discover the first conflicts between the Northern and Southern United States with historian and novelist Thomas Fleming. His new book is “A Disease in the Public Mind: A New Understanding of Why We Fought the Civil War” (Da Capo Press, 2013).

[2013-05-30 13:00:00] How did the name “Ripley” become associated with unbelievable tales and entertainment? We’ll find out this hour with Neal Thompson, author of “A Curious Man: The Strange And Brilliant Life of Robert ‘Believe It Or Not!’ Ripley” (Random House, 2013).