Forrest Gump [Paperback]

Winston Groom (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 15, 2002

Meet Forrest Gump, the lovable, hurculean, and surprisingly savy hero of this remarkable comic odyssey. After accidentally becoming the star of Univerity of Alabama's football team, Forrest goes on to become a Vietnam War hero, a worl-class Ping-Pong player, a villainous wrestler, and a business tycoon -- as he wonders with cildlike wisdome at the insanity all around him. In between misadentures, he manages to compare battle scars with Lyndon Johnson, discover the truth about Richard Nixon, and survive the ups and downs of remaining true to his only love, Jenny, on an extraordinary journey through three decades of the American cultural landscape. Forrest gump has one heck of a story to tell -- and you've got to read it to believe it....

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

There is a joyously madcap feeling to the first half of this unusual novel, but then the absurdity gathers its own speed and begins to run dangerously amok. Groom's picaresque tale is told by an idiot, the Gump of the title, and follows his outrageous life from early stardom for Bear Bryant's Crimson Tide, through a tour in Vietnam and across the broad canvas of America during the '70s and '80s. Like most literary idiots, Forrest Gump is a lot smarter than the people he encounters. He is also no ordinary idiot. Instead, he is a mathematical idiot savant, capable of outperforming NASA's on-board computers, which is why Gump ends up on a space mission with an ape and the first woman astronauta mission that ends in the forests of New Guinea where Gump meets a Yale-tutored cannibal. All this takes place after Gump has met Lyndon Johnson and saved Chairman Mao from drowning, which is to say that this is a very broad satire. While there is much on-target humor here, Groom, author of Better Times Than These, has written better books than this.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Forrest Gump provides social commentary in a light, humorous style. Gump's adventures range from shrimp farming and chess championships to space flight and capture by cannibals. Nixon, the military, Vietnam, college football, and other topics receive blunt and caustic comment from Gump. Throughout his experiences, Gump remains a likable fellow who views the world and notes his observations simply, straightforwardly, and truthfully. Author and narrator Groom uses inflections and intonations that capture Gump's character and personality. The recent feature film starring Academy AwardR winner Tom Hanks should help stir demand. This delightful and easy-to-listen-to audiobook is an appropriate addition to most collections.
Frances Yates, American Cooperative School of Tunis, Tunisia, North Africa
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Washington Square Press (October 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743453255
• ISBN-13: 978-0743453257
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.7 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (170 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #305,703 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 68 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A great novel and far above the movie January 24, 2003

By Eric Perlin

Format:Paperback

Forrest Gump is a superb novel, and it is unfortunate that most people are more familiar with the movie, and think of Forrest Gump mainly as a "movie character." This is very unfortunate, just as if "Tom Sawyer" or "Gulliver's Travels" were widely known as just "good movies" while the original books were confined to obscurity.

The movie was good, and deserving of the awards and accolades it received. However, it is not by any stretch a substitute for the book. Forrest Gump is a somewhat different character in the book than in the movie, and the Forrest Gump of the novel experiences numerous adventures that the movie does not even hint at. To do the book justice, perhaps it should have been adapted into four or five separate movies.

Then again, another way to do the book justice is to just read it.

It's been about a year since I read "Forrest Gump", and about 6 years since I saw the film version. However, here is a list of some of the key differences between the book and the movie:

BOOK ONLY:
* Forrest described as being 6 1/2 feet tall, and extremely strong and muscular
* Forest's experiences attending a school he calls a "nut school"
* Forrest causing calamitous cooking accident in the army
* Explosion of commodes in Viet Nam, causing whole platoon to be covered with feces (Although amusing in the book, it's probably best that this is omitted from the movie.)
* Forest accidentally ripping off Jenny's dress at the movies
* Forrest joining Jenny in a political demonstration and accidentally wounding a government official by throwing one of his army medals
* Forrest getting committed to psychiatric hospital
* Forrest becoming an astronaut
* Forrest living for several years on remote island populated by cannibals
* The character of Sue the orangutan
* Forrest becoming a champion wrestler under the name "The Dunce"
* Forrest playing harmonica in a band called The Cracked Eggs
* Forrest starring in sci fi film with Raquel Welch
* Forrest mastering chess
* Forrest running for senate using "I've got to pee" as campaign slogan
* Forrest retaliates against his mother's boss by throwing him into a washing machine and turning it on

(Unlike the Forrest Gump of the Tom Hanks movie, the Forrest Gump of the novel is pretty aggressive if provoked, although still a basically sweet-natured person.)

MOVIE ONLY:
* Forrest wearing leg braces, and eventually magically breaking out of them
* The phrase, "Life is like a box of chocolates."
* The word "buttocks" (In the book, Forrest uses the word "ass" like anyone else.)
* Forrest inspiring Elvis Presley's dance style
* Forrest meeting John Lennon
* Death of Jenny
* Death of Forrest's mother

There are just a few things I remember being in both the book and the movie:
* Forrest becoming a football player
* Forrest going to Viet Nam and rescuing his friend Dan in combat
* Forrest becoming a world-renowned ping pong champion
* Forrest becoming a successful tycoon in the "srimping" business

Winston Groom's book holds numerous surprises and huge laughs regardless of whether you saw the movie or not. I particularly appreciated the author's lightning-fast pacing. One thing happens after another, and there is not a single wasted word.

When you finish the first book, I suggest getting the sequel, "Gump and Company", which is every bit as good, and covers Forest's odyssey from the early 1970's through the 1990's.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Through The Eyes of a Dummy March 3, 2003

By Matt Pawenski

Format:Paperback

Winston Groom depicts the adventures of a dim-witted country boy in his novel, "Forrest Gump." Groom writes the novel in a first person perspective, as if Forest is reminiscing on his past. He even uses the poor grammar and broken language of such a dense narrator. He recounts all of his life achievements and failures. He describes everything from his fame of being a football and wrestling star, to his struggles with the love of his life, Jenny Curran.
The thing that impressed me the most was the point of view. The entire book is written in the dialect of this easy speaking wholesome character. The language connects you to Forrest and puts you in his shoes. You can see how Forrest experienced these events and the reactions of the people he comes in contact with. He naively explains these reactions and events, which is a subtle way that the author relates to the reader without sacrificing Forrest's stupidity.
The novel is lined up with story after story that all intertwine together. Every amazing adventure is followed by another. And Forrest's genuine and innocent narration of these events never leads the reader to question the character's honesty. As a side note to movie patrons, don't disregard this book because you have seen the movie, there are many differences between the two. And seeing all the events through Forrest's eyes allows an even greater connection to the character. I enjoyed every page of this book and I hope you do too.

32 of 38 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Off the Scale Funny October 19, 2003

By Jennifer B. Barton

Format:Paperback

While I was reading it (I had seen the movie prior), I thought that the movie followed the book about one third or even one half of the way but then the book just took off in a ninety degree turn and it was one incredible adventure after another - and I mean incredible literally. It has to have been one of the funniest things I have ever read. At the time, I thought it was as if the author thought mid-way through the book 'Heck, I'm the author - I can do whatever I want' ... and did. The unbridled imagination is thoroughbred. Best thing to do is get the movie and the book and compare them. The movie is first rate but the book is exquisitely funny - much more than the movie.