The Kennedy Connection in Coming-of-Age Novel Set in Dallas

SHELTER FROM THE TEXAS HEAT by Bobbi Kornblit lends a fresh voice to the conversation about JFK.
 
 
Bobbi Kornblit, author of  SHELTER FROM THE TEXAS HEAT
Bobbi Kornblit, author of SHELTER FROM THE TEXAS HEAT
DALLAS - Oct. 29, 2013 - PRLog -- The fiftieth anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy marks a return to thoughts about the tragedy on November 22, 1963. Award-winning author Bobbi Kornblit weaves an intriguing tale set in Dallas and Austin in the “Kennedy Camelot years” to contemporary times in her debut novel, Shelter from the Texas Heat.

Kornblit stated, “I did what Pat Conroy often suggests: to write about what you know. I grew up in Dallas and lived in many of the places where my fictional main character, Rachel Frank, exists—but this is her story about keeping secrets and the power of friendship.” The author noted an exception: the chapter about Rachel on the elementary school playground when she heard the news about JFK—exactly what Kornblit experienced on the fateful day in November 1963.

The work of fiction blends the tales of three generations of women, like a tangy, hot and subtly sweet barbecue sauce. Kornblit tackles some tough subjects—racial and religious prejudice and difficult family relationships—tempered with plenty of humor.

Protagonist Rachel and her best friend P.J. Rutherford, the daughter of a Texas tycoon, share their adventures from childhood to adulthood. Rachel seems to have it all: a happy marriage, a house in a prestigious neighborhood, and a daughter who is a coed at UT Austin. Then suddenly, Rachel’s world turns upside down, and that’s when the heat in the novel cranks up.

Rachel’s mother, Rosy Rosenshein Miller, tries to overcome the nightmare of her own past. She has loads of spunk and a little too much red lipstick and is always ready to offer advice.

From funny, turned disastrous moments at a glamorous birthday party at Neiman Marcus, to the painful memories of a Holocaust survivor, Shelter from the Texas Heat, takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster ride that even includes a stop at the State Fair of Texas.

The novel has been chosen as a Recommended Selection of the national book club network, Kathy L. Patrick’s Pulpwood Queen’s Book Club, with over 500 chapters. A popular book club selection, discussion questions are included. One question asks: “Several characters in the novel were deeply affected by the assassination of JFK . . . . Where were you when it happened or what have you read about it?” Readers often share their experiences about a day they will never forget.

Compared in reviews to The Help and Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Shelter from the Texas Heat has garnered awards, including the 2013 Multicultural-Fiction category of the National Indie Excellence Awards and the Best Book/Women’s Fiction for the 2012 NABE Pinnacle Achievement Award.

Author Cara Wilson-Granat commented: “Shelter from the Texas Heat brings us up close to a time and place starting in the late fifties and sixties, written in finite detail about clothes, music, lifestyle, of an era long gone—like the last echo of President Kennedy’s moment of glory. The ending is as surprising as is the totally unique ride.

Kornblit currently instructs advanced grammar at Emory's Professional Learning Programs in Atlanta, Georgia. For over a decade, she covered the arts for newspapers. She graduated from The University of Texas at Austin and holds a Master of Arts in Professional Writing degree from Kennesaw State University.

Bobbi Kornblit will appear at the Dallas Public Library Preston Royal Branch on Thursday, November 21, 2013, at 2:00 p.m., 5626 Royal Lane, Dallas, Texas 75229. Book talk: “The Kennedy Connection in Shelter from the Texas Heat

http://dallaslibrary.evanced.info/eventcalendar.asp?df=li...

Visit www.shelterfromthetexasheat.com

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