BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – — Author Phil Oakley has released “Austin Sunrise,” the third and final book in The Oakleys Series, a historical fiction saga that follows the Oakley family through major events in Texas history.
The novel spans the early 20th century through World War II and the postwar era, centering on brothers Brooks and Ray Oakley as they navigate military service, the oil fields, and Austin’s booming postwar restaurant scene.
“Austin Sunrise” concludes a multi-generational story that began with “Little Hatchet” and continued with “Runners.” The series traces the Oakley family’s journey from New Mexico to Texas.
Oakley said the book is rooted in the challenges people have faced throughout history.
“Austin Sunrise is people dealing with major problems,” Oakley said. “We think this is the worst life has ever been. But let me assure you that World War Two wasn’t easy either.”
The novel begins at the end of World War II and covers the growth of Texas cities during and after the war. Oakley said the story draws from his own family history.
“All of these things happen to members of my family,” he said. “And this is an effort to show how they dealt with their adversity and triumphed and failed.”
Oakley said the immediate postwar era is among the most important periods he wanted to capture in the series.
“We had to reinvent the world,” he said. “Austin and Houston and Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Bryan College Station — all had to expand exponentially, first to fight the war, and then to take care of all those who did.”
Oakley said “Austin Sunrise” works as a standalone read for those who have not read the earlier books in the series.
“This one is very easy as a standalone book,” he said. “And if you want to learn what your grandparents went through, if you want to understand that the problems you’re facing with your family and with all the myriad strange things that are occurring in our lifetime right now — this is an excellent way to get some perspective.”
About the author
Phil Oakley is a writer, educator, filmmaker, journalist, and executive. He is the author of eight novels. He began working on his first novel in the spring of 1964 as a freshman at The University of Texas at Austin. That book reached publication 50 years later, in 2014.
Learn more and purchase “Austin Sunrise” here.
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