Memoirist Tommy Garcia Partners with Lisa Pulitzer on Childhood Story of Father Divine’s Peace Mission

Tommy Garcia

Garcia’s recollections shed light on the experience of growing up in a mid-20th century religious community.

ESCONDIO, CA, UNITED STATES, September 26, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Memoirist Tommy Garcia is developing a book proposal with journalist and ghostwriter Lisa Pulitzer. The project recounts Garcia’s childhood beginning in 1962, when at eight years old, he was taken by his mother to Philadelphia and placed under the custody of Reverend Major Jealous Divine, better known as Father Divine.

Father Divine was an African American religious leader whose Peace Mission Movement rose to prominence during the Great Depression, offering food, housing, and community to thousands. Although his name is less recognized today, historians such as Herb Boyd emphasize his impact on social criticism, anti-racism, and community welfare.

For Garcia, however, entry into the Peace Mission was not voluntary. His early manuscript materials describe being driven across the country under the guise of a family trip. In Philadelphia, he was left behind and introduced as “Master Tommy,” presented as an heir to Father Divine’s leadership. The move was intended to strengthen the movement’s succession and resist external pressures, including figures like Jim Jones of the People’s Temple.

Pulitzer, a former New York Times correspondent and coauthor of more than 60 nonfiction books including ten New York Times bestsellers, will help shape Garcia’s recollections into a memoir that blends personal history with broader cultural context. Known for chronicling survivors of high-control groups, prosecutors, and public figures, Pulitzer’s work will place Garcia’s story within the wider history of American religious movements.

The proposal highlights themes of family separation, identity, resilience, and the psychological effects of charismatic leadership, while drawing attention to a largely overlooked chapter of American history.

About Tommy Garcia

Tommy Garcia is a memoirist whose personal history reflects the intersections of family, faith, and identity in mid-20th century America. His forthcoming memoir proposal revisits his childhood within Father Divine’s Peace Mission.

Tommy Garcia
Tommy Garcia
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tommy@tommygarcia.com
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