This is Books and Notchos, a podcast for those of us who find excitement in the pages of a good book.

Fiction and nonfiction, graphic novels, and more.

We are here to help you find something great to read.

John Rambo.

I say that name, and to anyone alive during the 80s, I'm sure a single vision came to mind.

Sylvester Stallone, his long curly hair matted with sweat, his red headband drawn tight,

his squint as he aimed some weapon, perhaps an

exploding arrow at his enemy. Rambo was an icon of the Reagan era 80s. With the sequel First Blood

Part 2, he became the epitome of the American action hero, a war hero returning to win the Vietnam

war once and for all. President Reagan even referenced Rambo as a role model for how America

should deal with terrorists.

There have been Rambo action figures, lunchboxes, video games, and the R-rated movie series was

even adapted into a G.I. Joe-like kids cartoon, Rambo and the forces of freedom. Rambo, embodied

by Sylvester Stallone, is an iconic figure, but with all the imagery that comes to mind with Rambo, it's shockingly easy to forget that the original Rambo embodied by Sylvester Stallone is an iconic figure. But with all the imagery that comes to mind with Rambo, it's shockingly easy to forget that the original Rambo movie doesn't have the character's name in the title. It is titled First Blood. And it's even easier to forget that the title is because the movie is based on a novel by that name, written by David Morel, published in 1972.

Thank you for downloading books and nachos.

I'm Arnie.

One of my other podcasts now playing is currently reviewing all the movies in the Rambo series,

and I thought it would be interesting to first go back and read the original novel

and see how the character was originally envisioned by his creator long before Slice Stallone became

involved. As such, I picked up Morel's novel, First Blood. Now, to clarify any bias I may have

from the films, I have seen the film version of First Blood a small handful of times, and as a kid,

I remember liking it for its action, and when I saw it as an adult, I was struck by how

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