The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman

I enjoyed the hell out of this. Smart and juicy and compulsively readable, The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman is the novel everyone is going to be talking about. It’s everything I want in a book. * Jasmine Guillory, New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding Date and The Proposal *I read the first three pages and that was all it took–I was hooked. Pure audacious joy! Sign me up for the Deesha Philyaw fan club! * Bonnie Garmus, author of Lessons in Chemistry *Being set in the exclusive world of the wealthy, Black mega-church elite would be reason enough to gobble this novel down, but Schar’s transformation from disempowered try-hard, chasing after the approval of the other First Ladies, to utterly authentic badass is so well earned and so heartfelt — I laughed, I cried, I got turned on! Philyaw has created a heroine you can’t help but root for, and a book you can’t help but love. * Rufi Thorpe, author of Margo’s Got Money Troubles *This novel is so alive! Philyaw manages the tension between faith and desire with an expert hand. * Raven Leilani, author of Luster *I love mess, nothing in the world is better than scandalous church mess, and The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman is funny and juicy and sexy and a delicious peek behind the pulpit of a Black megachurch. Deesha Philyaw is so good at writing complex characters who feel full and alive — I wanted to live inside this book, volunteer for the usher board for this book, tithe my ten percent to this book. As a matter of fact, that’s me in the front pew, waving my MLK fan, shouting ‘Amen’ and ‘Hallelujah!’ What a good-ass book! * Samantha Irby, author of We Are Never Meeting in Real Life and Wow, No Thank You *Fasten your seatbelt, a megachurch pastor’s wife is about to take you on a funny yet sobering literary exploration of aspiration, double-standards, shame, heartbreak and healing. Deesha Philyaw has a way with dialogue and desire on the page and her talents are on full display here as she mines the often murky territory between public image and private accountability. * Charmaine Wilkerson, author of Good Dirt *Propelled by a ferocious love for others, The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman heals as much as it humors, inspires as much as it scandalizes, and may just turn you on as much as it forces you to turn inward. Irresistibly catty, twisty, and packed with secrets. * Mateo Askaripour, author of Black Buck and This Great Hemisphere *This book is so damn good. Sexy, messy, funny AF, with a message tucked tight in the satire. It slaps with a perfectly manicured open hand. * Nikesha Elise Williams, author of The Seven Daughters of Dupree *Deesha Philyaw has already established herself as one of the greatest short story writers, but in The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman she cements herself as the most soulfully entertaining writer of her era. Philyaw loves these characters and place as much as characters and place can be fictively loved, but it is her care for, and ability to thwart, readerly expectations that feel wholly innovative… This one is special. Like, forever special. * Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy and Long Division *The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman is sexy, shocking and funny as hell. It’s a wonderfully operatic tale of intrigue and betrayal… Deesha Philyaw has written a love letter to the women in this world, and this novel practically glows with her affection. * Victor LaValle, author of Lone Women *Messy, bodied, simply goddamn alive! Another standout from Deesha Philyaw, one of our brightest and most gorgeously talented writers. It should be a crime to be so funny while simultaneously yanking your heart out of your chest. What a novel! A blessing just to read it. * Kristen Arnett, author of Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One *The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman is a rollicking peek into the life of a megachurch pastor’s wife — who’s keeping a messy secret sure to shock her hypocritical church community. Witty, raunchy, and funny as hell, Deesha Philyaw brilliantly exposes the minefield of seeking self-acceptance in a world consumed with performing ‘holiness.’ So propulsive, I inhaled it all in one sitting. Delicious! * Tia Williams, New York Times bestselling author of The Missed Connection *Simmering just below the surface of the scandal, sexiness, and laugh-out-loud hilarity that is Deesha Philyaw’s unputdownable debut novel is a fearless indictment of the corporate Black megachurch complex… You’ll be thinking about The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman long after you’ve read the final page. * John Vercher, author of Devil is Fine *

Deesha Philyaw is the author of the highly anticipated debut novel, The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman. Her acclaimed short story collection, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, won the 2021 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the 2020⁄2021 Story Prize, and the 2020 LA Times Book Prize—The Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction. It was also a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award for Fiction.

Philyaw is a Kimbilio Fiction Fellow, a Baldwin for the Arts Fellow, and a United States Artists Fellow. She is also the co-host of two podcasts, Ursa Short Fiction and Reckon True Stories.

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