Forrest Gump is a 1986 novel by Winston Groom in which the title character recounts his unlikely path through American history — from shrimp boating and ping-pong championships to the Vietnam War and college football — filtered through a simple, truthful worldview.
Gump possesses a low IQ but is presented as full of wisdom, explaining that he can “think things pretty good” but when he tries “sayin or writin them, it kinda come out like Jello”. His mathematical savant abilities and remarkable physical strength propel him into a series of improbable adventures. Groom drew inspiration from a 60 Minutes segment on savants and his father’s recollection of a slow-witted childhood neighbour in Alabama, writing the opening chapter quickly before completing the novel in six weeks. The character’s surname came from Gump’s store. The book was adapted into a 1994 Paramount Pictures film starring Tom Hanks, which won six Academy Awards including Best Picture. Groom published a sequel novel, Gump & Co., in 1995.
The novel is mentioned in the episode with James Ketchell, who completed the world’s longest triathlon ending on Everest.
