In the book "Four Lost Cities," acclaimed science journalist Annalee Newitz invites readers on an entertaining and provocative adventure into the deep history of urban life. Exploring the causes of the rise and fall of four ancient cities, Newitz highlights the Neolithic settlement of Çatalhöyük in Central Turkey, the Roman city of Pompeii in southern Italy, the medieval metropolis of Angkor in Cambodia, and the Native American metropolis of Cahokia, located next to the Mississippi River, in the area where the eastern side of St. Louis is today. Newitz travels to these four locations and explores groundbreaking archaeological research, revealing the mix of environmental changes and political upheavals that destroyed these ancient settlements. Tracing the early development of urban planning, she introduces readers to the often anonymous workers—slaves, women, migrants, and laborers—who built these cities and created monuments that endure through centuries. "Four Lost Cities" is a journey into the forgotten past that also values a future in which the majority of people on the planet will live in cities. It may reveal something about our own fate.