Forrest Gump (novel)
First edition
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| Author | Winston Groom |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Bill Creevy |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
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Publication date
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1986 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 228 |
| ISBN | |
| Followed by | Gump and Co. |
Forrest Gump is a 1986 novel by Winston Groom. The title character retells adventures ranging from shrimp boating and ping pong championships, to thinking about his childhood love, as he bumbles his way through American history, with everything from the Vietnam War to college football becoming part of the story.
Throughout his life, Gump views the world simply and truthfully. He really does not know what he wants to do in life. Despite his low IQ, Gump is full of wisdom. According to him, he "can think things pretty good", but when he tries "sayin or writin them, it kinda come out like Jello". His mathematical abilities, as an idiot savant, and feats of strength lead him into all kinds of amazing adventures.
Forrest Gump, named after General Nathan Bedford Forrest, narrates the story of his life. The author uses misspellings and grammatical errors to indicate his Southern accent, education, and cognitive disabilities. While living in Mobile, Alabama, Forrest meets Jenny Curran in first grade and walks her home. They then became the best of friends.
By the time Forrest is sixteen years old, he is 6’ 6” (1.98 m), 242 pounds (110 kg), and plays high school football. Miss Henderson, with whom Forrest is infatuated, gives him reading lessons. He reads Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and two other books that he does not remember. While he enjoys the books, he does not do well on tests.
He gains popularity as a football player, making the All State team. When Forrest is called to the principal's office, he meets Bear Bryant, who asks if he'd considered playing college football. After high school, Forrest takes a test at a local army recruitment center, and is told he is "Temporarily Deferred."
Forrest and Jenny meet again in college. They go to see Bonnie and Clyde, and play together in a folk music band at the Student Union, covering songs by Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, and Peter, Paul and Mary.
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