{"product_id":"victura-the-kennedys-a-sailboat-and-the-sea","title":"Victura: The Kennedys  a Sailboat  and the Sea","description":"\u003cp\u003eWinner of the Chicago Book Reviews Best Books of the Year (2014)  To truly understand the dynamics and magic of the Kennedy family  one must understand their passion for sailing and the sea. Many families sail together  but the Kennedys relationship with Victura  the 25-foot sloop purchased in 1932  stands apart. Throughout their brief lives  Joe Jr.  Jack  and Bobby spent many hours racing Victura. Lack of effort in a race by one of his sons could infuriate Joseph P. Kennedy  and Joe Jr. and Jack ranked among the best collegiate sailors in New England. Likewise  Eunice emerged as a gifted sailor and fierce competitor  the equal of any of her brothers.  The Kennedys believed that Jacks experience sailing Victura helped him survive the sinking of his PT boat during World War II. In the 1950s  glossy Life magazine photos of Jack and Jackie on Victuras bow helped define the winning Kennedy brand. Jack doodled sketches of Victura during Oval Office meetings  and its probable that his love of seafaring played a role in his 1961 decision to put a man on the moon  an enterprise he referred to as spacefaring.  Ted loved Victura as much as any of his siblings did and  with his own children and the children of his lost brothers as crew  he sailed into his old age: past the shoals of an ebbing career  and into his eventual role as the Lion of the Senate. In Victura  James W. Graham charts the progress of Americas signature twentieth-century family dynasty in a narrative both stunningly original and deeply gripping. This true tale of one small sailboat is an invaluable contribution to our understanding of the great story of the Kennedys.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44974590656565,"sku":"ByrdShop_1611684110","price":60.61,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781611684117.jpg?v=1770665577","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/victura-the-kennedys-a-sailboat-and-the-sea","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}