Winston Groom, author of “Forrest Gump,” will be featured guest at Vive le Livre, Huntsville Library Foundation’s annual gala, at The Jackson Center on Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. (CONTRIBUTED)

HUNTSVILLE – Vive le Livre, Huntsville Library Foundation’s annual gala fundraiser, will feature “Forrest Gump” author Winston Groom.

The Jackson Center at 6001 Moquin Drive in Cummings Research Park will host Vive le Livre (‘Long Live the Book’) on Nov. 19. The evening will begin with an author reception at 6 p.m., followed by a seated dinner at 7 p.m. Groom will speak at 8 p.m.

Groom’s new book, “The Generals,” should be a great fit for Huntsville, communications director Ann Marie Martin said. “He profiles generals Douglas MacArthur, George Patton and George C. Marshall. The book comes out on Nov. 10, so we’re getting Winston Groom at a good time.”

“Winston Groom turns military history into books you can’t put down — from the Vietnam War in his novel ‘Forrest Gump’ to the Civil War in his nonfiction ‘Shiloh, 1862,'” Martin said.

For almost 30 years, Huntsville Library Foundation has raised money and awareness to benefit the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library system. Foundation efforts have gathered more than $1.4 million for the library, including, in 2014 alone, $107,960 for program-based grants.

In past years, Vive le Livre has featured such literary celebrities as Dave Barry, Garrison Keillor, Ann Patchett, Rick Bragg and Joshilyn Jackson.

Born in 1943, Groom grew up in Mobile, where he attended University Military School and then the University of Alabama. After serving in the U.S. Army in Vietnam, Groom became a reporter for “The Washington Star.”

After living in New York, he moved back to Mobile in 1985 and began writing what would become his most famous work, “Forrest Gump.” The 1994 Academy Award-winning film starring Tom Hanks made the novel a huge bestseller.

Deadline for make reservations is Nov. 9. Tickets start at $100 each for dinner and speaker. The $125 ticket level also includes the author reception. To buy tickets, visit store.hmcpl.org.

For general information about the library, visit hmcpl.org.