![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Tom switched gears for his first solo work, publishing the novel Such Is the Kingdom in 1940. The theory was popular during the early years of the Great Depression, but lapsed as New Deal programs gained traction. The book is a satirical look at the theory of technocracy, defined as “government by technicians who are guided solely by the imperatives of their technology.”( 1) The technocratic movement argued that economic downturns and social ills could be engineered out of existence. Sugrue co-wrote his first book, The Crowning of Technocracy (1933), with John Lardner (1912-1960), a sports writer and later war correspondent for the New York Herald Tribune. Nevertheless, I think it is valuable to look beyond his work about Edgar Cayce to the seven other books he published in his relatively brief yet prolific career. He had his biases, and his work sometimes reflects the prejudices of his time. In his writing he could be acerbic or full of praise empathetic or critical. He made a living by his wit, curiosity, and love of language. Journalism remained a constant source of income, but he also wrote fiction and poetry alongside longer nonfiction works. The New York Herald Tribune hired him as a reporter soon after he graduated from Washington and Lee University in 1930. Thomas Sugrue, recognizable by people familiar with Edgar Cayce as the author of There Is a River, spent his professional life as a writer. ![]()
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