Reckoning with Jason Herbert

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.
We dig into the stories of seven people who lived the West in real time—Indigenous women, Black frontiersmen, Chinese migrants, and white settlers—and how their lives complicate the familiar narrative of pioneers and progress.
Along the way, we explore:
 The origins of the frontier myth and why it still shapes American identity 
 Figures like Sacagawea and Jim Beckwourth—and the messy, human realities behind the legends 
 Why cities like Denver were central to the making of the West 
 How race, gender, and power determined who got written into history—and who didn’t 
 What these stories reveal about land, belonging, and conflict in America today 
This is a conversation about myth, memory, and the stories we choose to tell—and the ones we’ve ignored for far too long.
If you think you know the West, this episode might change your mind.

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 starring Jean-Claude Van Damme that blends time travel, political corruption, and high-octane action into something far more revealing than it first appears.
Joining me are Reckoning stalwarts and my great friends, historians Robert Greene II and John Wyatt Greenlee. Together, we explore what Timecop tells us about the 1990s—an era shaped by anxieties over government power, deregulation, and the growing sense that the past itself could be weaponized.
We talk about:
How Timecop reflects 90s fears of political corruption and unchecked authority
The idea of “policing time” and who gets to control history
Where Van Damme fits in the action hero pantheon
Why a film built on spectacle still raises meaningful historical questions
This episode is part of our ongoing Historians At The Movies series, where we use film as a lens to think more deeply about history, culture, and the stories we tell ourselves about both.
🎧 If you enjoy conversations that bring together history, film, and sharp cultural insight, make sure to follow, rate, and review the show on Apple Podcasts—it helps more people find the conversation.

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 movie still resonates, how it captures class and masculinity, and what it says about the 1970s bike boom. Along the way, we dig into the history of bicycling in America, the politics of the road, and how debates over bike infrastructure, cities, and transportation continue today. From Greg LeMond to Lance Armstrong to the rise of e-bikes, this is a conversation about film, history, and who gets to belong on the American road.

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 Wildfire Days: A Woman, a Hotshot Crew, and the Burning American West. Ramsey spent multiple seasons on an elite wildland firefighting crew—known as hotshots—the teams sent to the most dangerous parts of massive fires.
Ramsey was also the only woman on her crew, navigating a demanding and deeply male-dominated culture while battling some of the largest fires in recent Western history.
Together we explore:
What it actually feels like to stand on the fireline
The intense culture and camaraderie of hotshot crews
The growing reality of megafires in the American West
Gender, belonging, and earning trust in one of the toughest jobs in America
What these fires reveal about the future of the Western landscape
Part adventure story, part personal reckoning, Wildfire Days offers a powerful look at life inside the fires that are reshaping the American West.

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 States of Barbecue.
Who built American barbecue? How did enslaved pitmasters shape a national cuisine? Why have Black barbecue traditions been minimized in the stories we tell about Texas brisket, Memphis ribs, and Southern food culture?
We dive into Juneteenth celebrations, church barbecues, political gatherings, regional myths, and the fight over what counts as “authentic” barbecue.
If barbecue is America’s food, this conversation asks a bigger question:
 What happens when we forget who built it?