Thursday, May 15th6:30pm-8:15pm
@ the Providence Public Library
Author James W. Graham will appear at the Providence Public Library to hold a discussion of his book Victura: The Kennedy’s, a Sailboat, and the Sea. The discussion will be followed by a book signing.
Victura is the story of how one sailboat taught the Kennedy’s about life, family, leadership, and winning. To truly understand the Kennedy family, one must understand their passion for sailing and the sea. Many families sail together, but the Kennedy’s experience with their boat, stands out. Throughout their brief lives, Joe Jr., Jack, and Bobby Kennedy spent many hours racing Victura. Joe Jr. and Jack were among the best collegiate sailors in New England, and Eunice emerged as a sailor, equally as gifted and competitive as her brothers.
The Kennedy family firmly believed that Jack’s sailing experience helped him survive the sinking of his PT boat during WWII, and in the 1950s, LIFE magazine of Jack and Jackie on the bow of Victura helped to define the winning Kennedy brand. The love of sailing was so important to Jack, that it has been noted that he occasionally doodled pictures of Victura on documents in the Oval Office.
In his book, James W. Graham charts the progress of America’s signature 20th century family dynasty in a narrative that is both stunningly critical and deeply gripping. This true tale of one small sailboat is an invaluable contribution to our understanding of the great story of the Kennedy’s.
