JFK: Weight Struggles, a Surprising Rejection from a Hollywood Actress and Other Revelations: New Book

More than 5 decades aft JFK’s death, nan 35th president continues to fascinate.

A caller book, Becoming JFK: John F. Kennedy's Early Path to Leadership by Scott Badler, explores nan years earlier Kennedy became a governmental superstar, everything from wellness struggles and inability to support connected weight to his analyzable narration pinch his older brother, Joe Jr. and, says nan author, “how a young, often reckless Jack began to transmission his charm, and intellect into nan qualities that would make him a awesome leader.”

Read beneath for much revelations from nan book.

At 18 years old, JFK was arrested and spent a nighttime successful jailhouse connected Martha's Vineyard

According to Badler, successful July 1935, Jack and his relative Joe Jr. threw a chaotic statement aft nan Edgartown Regatta that spiraled retired of control, complete pinch trashed edifice furnishings and party-crashers. When nan constabulary arrived, they arrested nan brothers for nationalist disturbance and vandalism. The book specifications Jack's daze astatine being handcuffed and spending nan nighttime successful a compartment — pinch a dormant rat successful nan corner.  

According to Badler, "Their father, Joe Sr., could person bailed them retired pinch a azygous telephone call. Instead, he deliberately near his sons successful jailhouse overnight to thatch them a lesson. It was a formative moment. Jack realized he could nary longer trust connected his older, favored brother's judgement and needed to spot his ain instincts — a pivotal measurement successful becoming his ain man." 

His first “paid job” was making bricks successful Arizona successful 1936

"To build musculus for Harvard football, his begetter sent him to a ranch successful Arizona,” says Badler. “It was his first paid job, earning a dollar a time making adobe bricks — mixing soil, water, sand, and conifer needles and baking them successful nan sun. The power was truthful onerous that he often stripped down to his underwear. It was a stark opposition to his privileged upbringing,"

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He was truthful skinny, his sister was worried he was down to 125 lbs

"His full young life was a conflict pinch chronic wellness issues,” says Badler, who notes Jack was 149 lbs and six feet gangly arsenic a assemblage freshman. At Choate (boarding school), he was known for being wiry and frail, Badler noted, “setting nan schoolhouse grounds for nan 'most clip spent” successful nan Infirmary. His wellness problems continued astatine Harvard,. JFK became truthful bladed that erstwhile reporters wanted to photograph him for nan aquatics team, he refused, pulling up his garment to show his 'ribs that were sticking out'. The beingness toll of nan warfare was moreover much severe; successful nan Pacific, his weight became dangerously debased aft he mislaid 25 pounds. Upon his return, his sister Kick Kennedy was truthful shocked by his gaunt quality that she worried he mightiness measurement only 125 lbs. These bouts of unwellness forced him into hours of quiet isolation but besides sharpened his resoluteness and planted a heavy seed of empathy."

JFK yet sends for Charles Atlas spot program

"Afraid of 'getting physically soft' while stuck pinch a table occupation successful Charleston, South Carolina successful 1942, he sent for nan Charles Atlas spot and wellness program,” says Badler. (Atlas, not his existent name, was celebrated for his assemblage building tips for “scrawny weaklings.”) According to Badler, JFK wrote to his adjacent friend Lem Billings, “The exercises are very enjoyable and astir helpful. I only succeeded successful throwing my backmost retired connected workout 1, instruction 4." It’s a humanizing image: a man laid debased by nan aforesaid mail-order musculus people advertised successful nan backmost of comic books.”

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JFK sometimes slept connected plywood plank owed to bad back

"His backmost symptom was truthful chronic that he often recovered it much comfortable to slumber connected a committee than a mattress,” says Badler. When he rented a cottage adjacent Stanford University (where he was attending postgraduate classes successful nan autumn of 1940) Badler says, “he told nan landlord he didn't request a bed, preferring to slumber connected a plywood plank. He did nan aforesaid astatine nan PT vessel training halfway successful Rhode Island, enlisting a friend to thief him find a lumber gait to trim a plank to put nether his mattress. This speaks volumes astir nan severity of his regular symptom and his wont of enduring it without complaint."

JFK Was Rebuffed By Actress Olivia de Haviland

"He was instantly captivated by Olivia de Havilland astatine a statement successful 1945 and asked her to dinner, but she refused, saying she already had plans,” says Badler. “He was bewildered later connected to spot her eating pinch nan middle-aged writer Ludwig Bemelmans. It was an early acquisition successful a world wherever charm wasn't ever enough, and power—whether successful movie aliases politics—was nan eventual currency.”

6.  He was not a earthy leader — astatine first

"He was acold from a natural,” says Badler. The book notes, “He wasn’t nan emblematic back-slapping, baby-kissing mingler that Boston was utilized to.” Says Badler, "His early speeches were often delivered successful a 'high-pitched monotone.' One elector commented that he looked for illustration 'a small boy dressed up successful his father’s clothes'. And erstwhile a female thrust her babe astatine him for a kiss, Jack held it away, "confirming he was conscionable not a baby-kisser.” His early awkwardness was a gift successful disguise he says; ”It forced him to build a governmental personality based connected substance, intelligence and his war-hero position alternatively than quiet glad-handing, which yet made him a much compelling candidate."

Becoming JFK:John F. Kennedy's Early Path to Leadership is now available, wherever books are sold.