Reckoning with Jason Herbert
Reckoning with Jason Herbert is a long-form conversation podcast about history, the outdoors, and the stories that shape who we are.
Each episode features historians, writers, scientists, and thinkers in wide-ranging conversations about wild places, forgotten pasts, cultural memory, and the forces—human and natural—that continue to shape our lives.
This isn’t a news cycle show or a debate podcast. It’s a space for reflection, curiosity, and serious conversation—meant to be listened to slowly.
If you’re interested in history beyond textbooks, the outdoors beyond recreation, and stories that linger long after they’re told, this show is for you.
Episodes
234 episodes
Episode 191: Rewriting the West: Megan Kate Nelson and the Myths We Still Believe
In this episode of Reckoning with Jason Herbert, I’m joined by historian Megan Kate Nelson to talk about her new book The Westerners: Mythmaking and Belonging on the American Frontier—and why the frontier myth refuses to die.<...
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1:16:32
Episode 190: Timecop with John Wyatt Greenlee and Robert Greene II
What if time travel wasn’t about discovery—but control?In this episode of Reckoning with Jason Herbert, we dive into the 1994 sci-fi action film Timecop—a quintessential 90s blockbuster sta...
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1:19:56
Episode 189: Breaking Away with James Longhurst
In this episode, I sit down with historian James Longhurst, author of Bike Battles, to break down the 1979 film Breaking Away and what it reveals about cycling and American life. We talk about why this coming-of-age sports mov...
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1:39:56
Episode 188: Kelly Ramsey--Life on the Fireline in the Burning American West
Wildfires are no longer rare disasters in the American West—they are a defining feature of the landscape. But very few people have seen them up close.In this episode, Jason Herbert speaks with Kelly Ramsey, author of
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1:35:56
Episode 187: Who Built American Barbecue? with Adrian Miller
Barbecue is American history — but not the version most of us were taught.In this episode, I talk with James Beard Award–winning historian Adrian Miller about the untold story behind his book Black Smoke: African Americans and the United...
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1:17:35
Episode 186: Clue: Laughter, Paranoia, and the Politics of the 1980s with Julio Capó, Jr.
What if Clue isn’t just a cult comedy — but a sharp satire of the Cold War?In this episode of Reckoning with Jason Herbert, historian Julio Capó Jr. joins me to unpack the surprisingly profound history lesson hidde...
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Episode 186
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1:11:17
Episode 185: Creating The Gray House with Lori McCreary, Leslie Greif, and Roland Joffe
Today on the podcast, we’re stepping inside The Gray House—not just the story you see on screen, but the one behind it. This episode is a behind-the-scenes look at how this series came to life: how it was conceived, how it was built, a...
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Episode 185
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1:14:57
Episode 184: Purple Rain and Prince’s Minneapolis with Rashad Shabazz
In this episode, I sit down with cultural geographer Rashad Shabazz to dissect the 1984 classic starring Prince — and ask the uncomfortable questions.Is The Kid a tortured genius… or a young man replaying generational trauma?Is the f...
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1:43:13
Episode 183: Heather Cox Richardson on Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
In Episode 183 of Reckoning with Jason Herbert, historian Heather Cox Richardson joins the show for a lively and surprisingly sharp conversation about the film Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter—and what it reveals about Ameri...
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Episode 183
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1:45:36
Episode 182: Contagion of Liberty: Smallpox, Freedom, and America's First Culture War with Andrew Wehrman
In this episode of Reckoning, historian Andrew Wehrman, author of Contagion of Liberty, explores how smallpox and inoculation shaped the American founding—and ignited some of the earliest debates over liberty, risk, and public...
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1:11:23
Episode 181: Jack El-Hai on Nuremberg, “The Nazi and the Psychiatrist,” and the Limits of Understanding
In this episode of Reckoning, we speak with author and journalist Jack El-Hai about the new film Nuremberg and the deeper questions it raises about justice, memory, and moral responsibility.Drawing on his book The Nazi and the Psychi...
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Episode 181
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58:35
Episode 180: Julie Reed on Cherokee Land, Language, and the Power of Women
In this episode, I’m joined by Cherokee scholar and author Julie Reed to talk about her powerful book Land, Language, and Women: A Cherokee and American Educational History.We explore how Cherokee women have...
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1:27:11
Episode 179: Coyote America with Dan Flores
There is probably no historian working today more influential in shaping how we think about the way in which humans and animals engage with each other and the environment than Dan Flores. Today, Dan joins in to talk about his epic work, Coyote ...
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Episode 179
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1:22:46
Episode 178: The Great Math War: When Math became a Battlefield
This week Jason Socrates Bardi joins in to talk about about the rivalry between three mathematicians that defined the fifty years surrounding World War I.About our guest:Jason Socrates Bardi is an award-winning journalist i...
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1:17:15
Episode 177: The Quiet Crisis in America's Creeks
This week Dr. Zackary Graham drops in to talk about one of America's most important environmental stewards--the crawfish--and why their disappearance should worry us all.About our guest:Zack is an evolutionary and behavioral ecolo...
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53:40
Episode 176: Multipass to the Past: The Wild Origins of The Fifth Element
Egyptologists Dr. Julia Troche and Matt Szafran join in this week to talk about the history behind The Fifth Element and how the anxieties of the 90s are reflected in Luc Besson's campy space opera.About our guests:Dr. Julia Troch...
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1:21:38
Episode 175: When Harry Met Sally
This week Kate Sheppard and Thomas Lecaque drop in to talk about the greatest romcom of all time.About our guests:Dr. Kathleen Sheppard earned her PhD in History of Science from the University of Oklahoma in 2010. After a p...
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1:32:47
Episode 174: How the Outdoor Industry Sold Nature to America
This week Dr. Rachel Gross drops in to explain the rise of outdoor goods manufacturers and how they sold us on going outside.About our guest:Rachel Gross is an environmental, cultural, and public historian specializing in the hist...
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1:05:10
Episode 173: Is Hamburger Hill the greatest war film we ever forgot?
This week historians John McManus and Waitman Beorn drop in to talk about the history behind Hamburger Hill, arguably the greatest war film we ever forgot.About our guests:John C. McManus is Curators’ Distinguished Professo...
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1:39:02
Episode 172: The Making, Meaning, and Myths of Mount Rushmore
This week author Matthew Davis drops in to talk about the complex history and significance of Mount Rushmore, including its ties to the Lakota people, the role of Gutzon Borglum, and the evolving meaning of the monument in contemporary society....
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1:05:14
Episode 171: Sahara: The Franchise That Wasn’t
Sahara had everything going for it: a big cast led by ultra hot actors Matthew McConaughey and Penelope Cruz, a devoted fan base of author Clive Cussler’s novels, and a big budget courtesy of Disney. And then it came out and flopped. But that d...
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Episode 171
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1:14:30
Episode 170: The Founder of the American West You've Never Heard Of
This week Max Perry Mueller drops in to talk about Wakara, a Ute man who shaped the modern American West. We also talk about the complexities of Native American identity, the impact of Manifest Destiny, and the ethical considerations in writing...
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1:29:04
Episode 169: Is Pompeii the best bad movie/good history ever made?
2014's Pompeii is all over the place. Designed to be a Roman apocalypse story with a star making turn by Game of Thrones' Kit Harrington, Pompeii fizzled at the box office. But strangely, it's a phenomenal film to talk about the Roman ...
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Episode 169
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1:39:43
Episode 168: How Colorado Springs became the epicenter of evangelical capitalism with Will Schultz
How did a small town south of Denver emerge as the center of evangelical capitalism after World War II? Historian Dr. William Schultz explains how evangelicals' faith intertwined with a specific interpretation of Americanism, especially during ...
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1:30:13
Episode 167: Ken Burns' The American Revolution (Historians' Commentary)
It's a special podcast here at Reckoning. Early American historians Dr. Liz Covart, Dr. Michael Hattem, and Dr. Craig Bruce Smith joined me to live stream Ken Burns' new series The American Revolution and answer questions from people around the...
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2:12:56
