CultureCast

Until recently, James Comey's twitter handle was "Reinhold Niebuhr." Not exactly a household name, but a significant figure in American culture and political thought throughout World War II and the Cold War.

And what Niebuhr had to say gives us insight into Comey's thinking, how he handled Trump and the investigation into Russia's meddling in the 2016 election.

In this week's episode, we explore Comey, Niebuhr, and the FBI's fraught relationship with religion.

'Tis the season for pumpkin pies, and pumpkin spice flavored lattes, cookies, bread... and so many more. We breakdown a dirty little secret about pumpkin pies, and tell you a great way, which you may not have thought of, to make the delicious holiday treat.

We also explore the origins of pumpkin spice mix. And what's in the mix anyway? You'll know the answer after our latest episode.

Plus, we are remembering a true American musical genius, Leonard Bernstein on the anniversary of his death, and the 100-year mark of his birth.

CultureCast book editor Loretta Williams offers a listener challenge with a $25 prize! And we discuss the gripping novel The Association of Small Bombs, as well as a raging online debate over two sci-fi books.

How do you photograph a tragedy like Hurricane Harvey? Our guests offer answers to that difficult question.

(Photo courtesy:Lt. Zachary West , 100th MPAD, Texas Military Department)

The images from Houston have been voluminous. And our guest Matthew Barrett has taken some of the most arresting photos of the disaster and the human tragedy wrought by mega-storm Harvey.

You can see Matthew's images on his Flickr page.

Our second guests Ken Light, talked about some of the iconic images from past disasters: the 9/11 flag photo and the firefighter at the Oklahoma City federal building bombing.

Click on the links above to see those images.

The photo featured on this post is courtesy of Matthew Barrett.

Evidence that the Civil War is more than a fleeting memory in the American psyche is everywhere, such as this small historical monument located at a park in the sleepy Chicago outer-suburb of Saint Charles.

Nestled by the lake and surrounded by leafy streets and well-manicured lawns, this little 1840s cottage is the former law office ofSteven Sandborn Jones, one of the first lawyers to settle in the region and the author of the city's name.

More importantly, the cottage served as a prison for deserters of the Union Army during the Civil War. Inside, you can still find a prisoner's scribblings visible in a portion of exposed wall -- preserved for all time. (photo)

The cottage is located in a city park that used to be the very spot Union Army conscripts trained for war.

Another reminder that the scars of the Civil War are still visible all around us -- often in surprising places.

In our last show we talked about Confederate monuments, their artistic merits and historic significance. Take a listen!

Check out more photos

We consider the history and artistic merit of Confederate monuments. Are they painful symbols of oppression or important cultural relics?

Share your opinions for a future episode by clicking "Contact" on culturecast.org

(Photo courtesy:OZinOHon Flickr)

We discuss some of the best contemporary books out in print right now, especially an award-winner that is a true"masterpiece," according to CultureCasts's book editor Loretta Williams.

CultureCast book editor Loretta Williams discussedseveral books in our latest episode, including the finalists of the prestigious National Book Awards.

Here is a list ofthe finalists, and a bonus book -- hard to find in print -- that Loretta recommends.

"The Underground Railroad" by Colson Whitehead

Loretta considers this book a true literary masterpiece.Loretta says this work of historical fiction looks at history we think we know -- the underground railroad that helped slaves escape the South and head towards freedom in the North -- and show us that we perhaps don't know it at all.

"News of the World" by Paulette Jiles

Loretta saysthe author of this book, a poet by trade, employs beautiful writing and evokes a long ago Texas so vividly that the reader can feel like they experienced the landscape in person. But, Loretta found fault with the book's use of a captivity narrative involving Native Americansthat were referenced repeatedly in the book, but not fleshed out as and fully explored as characters and a culture.

"AndThen We Heard the Thunder" by John Oliver Killens

This is the only book on our list this week that wasn't on the National Book Award finalists list. It is in fact a book written decades and hard to find in print today. But, if you can find it, Loretta says it is a great read that connects thematically to "The Underground Railroad" and explores further the ideas of that previous book. Killens's book explores World War II's African-American soldiers as they return after the war to find that they had more freedom before they returned back home.

"The Throwback Special" by Chris Bachelder

How much do you love NFL football? This novel explores the annual ritual of 22 men who gather to reenact a gory play from 1985 in which an NFL player was badly injured. In the process of telling the tale of that gathering, we get to meet the men of this group and learn about men's lives in our current age.

"The Association of Small Bombs" by Karan Mahajan

The New York Times book review called this book "smart, devastating, unpredictable and enviably adept in its handling of tragedy and its fallout." It is about the inner lives of both the terrorists that are attracted to the violence of terror, and the fallout of that violence for the people they harm.

"Another Brooklyn" by Jacqueline Woodson

A celebrated young adult novelist, this is Woodson's return to the adult novel genre. The book explores the protagonist's return to Brooklyn after her father's death. The Washington Post says the book "mixes wonder and grief so poignantly."

Those who practice theKon Mari method of organization swear by its life-changing power. We take a look at the ideas behind it, Marie Kondo -- the woman who created it, and the people who practice it.

Police officersin Chicago are creating art work to help deal with the incomprehensible tragedies and unique pressures of their daily jobs. We visit an exhibit.

On the show, we'd promised you the full video of Marie Kondo's presentation at the Chicago Humanities Festival. It turns out, it wasn't available. Our mistake! But, we have her presentation at the South By Southwest Festival below: