BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – \u2014 Author Phil Oakley has released \u201cAustin Sunrise,\u201d the third and final book in The Oakleys Series, a historical fiction saga that follows the Oakley family through major events in Texas history.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s booming postwar restaurant scene.<\/p>\n
\u201cAustin Sunrise\u201d concludes a multi-generational story that began with \u201cLittle Hatchet\u201d and continued with \u201cRunners.\u201d The series traces the Oakley family\u2019s journey from New Mexico to Texas.<\/p>\n
Oakley said the book is rooted in the challenges people have faced throughout history.<\/p>\n
\u201cAustin Sunrise is people dealing with major problems,\u201d Oakley said. \u201cWe think this is the worst life has ever been. But let me assure you that World War Two wasn\u2019t easy either.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of these things happen to members of my family,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd this is an effort to show how they dealt with their adversity and triumphed and failed.”<\/p>\n
Oakley said the immediate postwar era is among the most important periods he wanted to capture in the series.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had to reinvent the world,\u201d he said. \u201cAustin and Houston and Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Bryan College Station \u2014 all had to expand exponentially, first to fight the war, and then to take care of all those who did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oakley said \u201cAustin Sunrise\u201d works as a standalone read for those who have not read the earlier books in the series.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis one is very easy as a standalone book,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd if you want to learn what your grandparents went through, if you want to understand that the problems you\u2019re facing with your family and with all the myriad strange things that are occurring in our lifetime right now \u2014 this is an excellent way to get some perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n
About the author<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n