The following letter is what Deesha Philyaw’s literary agent submitted to the publisher.
Dear XXXXX,
I am beyond excited to share with you Deesha Philyaw’s debut novel, THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF FIRST LADY FREEMAN. This novel is a biting satire of the Black church and a deeply provocative story about family, friendship, and getting free. We’re looking forward to having a discussion with you about film representation.
Scharisse Freeman has always been a pariah among the other Black preacher’s wives (aka First Ladies).
From the moment she ditched her humble roots and married a megachurch pastor fifteen years her senior, she’s been labeled too brash by the First Ladies and too holy by her estranged childhood friend, Petra. Schar doesn’t have a lot of allies, but that hasn’t stopped her from building an empire spanning from books to branded products, and living a comfortable life—one her mother would have been proud of.
On the eve of her 40th birthday, Schar gets the validation she’s always dreamed of: a coveted invitation to participate in the Mrs. First Lady USA pageant. Schar is the favorite to win, and the ice between her and the other First Ladies finally begins to thaw.
As the competition nears, a scandal breaks with Schar at its center, and her carefully curated life threatens to implode. When the church organizes a contrition campaign forcing Schar to take the fall for the scandal, she is reminded that in eyes of the church, optics matter more than the truth. Facing down shame and terrible secrets from her childhood, her past and present collide and Schar must choose: follow the edicts—and hypocrisies–of the church, or embrace her authentic self.
Weaving narrative threads from the AIDS crisis of the 1980s to the Obama era of the 2000s, Deesha Philyaw has created a story that is at once an unflinchingly funny and frank examination of sexual agency and the Black church, and also a tender exploration of how the events that have indelibly shaped a person’s past can allow them to stand proudly in the truth of the present.
I’ve attached the first 200 pages of the novel here for your review and consideration.