Dr. Christopher Ryan is a big personality with even bigger ideas. I first met Dr. Ryan when he came to speak at my college as a part of our speaker series, The Mouths of Others in 2013. I, like the rest of the world, was intrigued by the premise of his New York Times bestselling book Sex at Dawn. For the three of you who haven’t read it (spoiler alert), the book brilliantly examines the archaeological, anthropological and evolutionary evidence regarding the origins and functions of human sexuality. It also challenges some long-held beliefs about the supposed “natural” supremacy of life-long monogamy in our species. Dan Savage called it “the most important book on human sexuality since the Kinsey Report.” Chris is one of the leaders of a movement of folks who are trying desperately to lead us back to ourselves. Going forward by looking back. Way back. To a time before the zero-sum game of infinite progress and profit-driven hysteria had chiseled us into the civilized monsters we have become. His new book, Civilized to Death, promises to cement his position in the world of celebrity academics (such as Oliver Sacks, Michael Pollan and Malcolm Gladwell) as a person who has the ability to see far and wide into the fog of human behavior. His work sheds some needed light into the dark corners of our collective experience. Chris is someone who many of you know to be brilliant, irreverent and worldly. What some of you might not know is that he is also one of the kindest and most compassionate people you will ever meet. In fact, On the Block Radio wouldn’t exist without the love and support of Dr. Ryan and his generous audience. We are so pleased to have him as a special guest this week.