Runners by Phil Oakley on LSLL Book Campaign

 

RUNNERS

BOOK TWO IN THE OAKLEY SERIES

By Phil Oakley

Historical Fiction / Depression Era / Family Saga

Publisher: Stoney Creek Publishing

Pages: 206

Publication Date: March 31, 2025

SYNOPSIS

From the author of Little Hatchet, this gripping historical saga continues—a powerful story of resilience, family, and the price of ambition. Perfect for fans of epic generational tales and action-packed historical fiction.

Walter Oakley and his wife, Ada, used the westward expansion of America to establish themselves as model citizens in the town of Telegraph, Texas. Now, they watch in despair as their children lurch from one crisis to another — rum running, train-hopping outlaws, shattered dreams. With one child dead and another on the wrong side of the law, Walter and Ada struggle to keep their younger children on the straight and narrow. But trouble and temptation beckon as Prohibition and the Great Depression give way to the horrors of World War II. Will hope survive the chaos?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Phil Oakley is a novelist and veteran journalist with experience in the motion picture industry. He is a retired regional executive with The Walt Disney Company (ABC News), a former director of the Louisiana Film Commission, and a retired editor with the Dallas Morning News. He covered presidents and presidential campaigns beginning with Lyndon Johnson and ending with George W. Bush. He was a television and radio anchor and reporter with national awards from Columbia University, the Radio-Television News Directors Association, and a National Headliner Award. He began work on his first novel in 1964 while a student at the University of Texas at Austin. He has written nine novels.

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REVIEW

Phil Oakley’s Runners is a story imbued with a sense of nostalgia for a time when life was slower and the world was a smaller, friendlier place—for some. The tale of the Oakley family in Telegraph, Texas, during the 1930s focuses on four of the eight children and the choices they make early in their lives.

The book portrays the Oakley children in uncomplimentary ways, with a judgmental tone. Even the “good” son causes his parents grief and anxiety, and the children who admittedly make a mess of their lives are deemed selfish and capricious.

The disapproving tone is set by the Oakley parents, whose feelings and social standing are elevated over the children’s desires and even needs. It seems that the less the children met their expectations, the unhappier and more displeased the parents became.

Historically, the Oakleys’ parenting style aligns with the times—the goal being to bring honor and respect to the family name. Using shame as a motivator and deterrent, with little to no communication about feelings, was prevalent.

Given that the author shares a last name with the family—and after a bit of Googling, I discovered that the series is “loosely based on the author’s kin”—that tracks for me, especially since many of the scenes brought to mind times when I would sit around a large table, listening to my grandparents, along with aunts, uncles, and cousins. We all hung on every word as they relived their childhood adventures. Reading Runners felt much the same.

I was particularly fascinated to get a glimpse of Depression-era Texas, thanks to Ray’s observations from freight-hopping:

“Not every farm was abandoned. Perhaps one in three showed signs of life—animals in the barnyard, wash on the line turning red from the blowing dust, small vegetable plots.”

Oakley paints a bleak picture, and I easily visualized the familiar places around Texas during that era.

When I reached the end of the book, I was happy to remember that Runners is book two of a series, because it ended abruptly. I look forward to learning what happened to the family during the 1940s, which is where I hope Oakley takes us next.

If you liked this book, you might enjoy: A River Runs Through It, Of Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath

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