Before I begin this review I must admit a strong bias. I am not a fan of mega church pastors who maintain a movie star or influencer lifestyle at the expense of their congregations. I am also not a fan of the religious holier than thous who condemn and scorn those who do not share their beliefs and lifestyles. Both figure prominently in Deesha Philyaw's The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman.
My bias, however, did not stand in the way of the way of my thoroughly enjoying and highly recommending the book.
"Some folks who care more about tradition than the truth tried to get me to sign an NDA. But to hell with them, and that. None of the names have been changed. The people, institutions, and events that follow are as real as my regrets. Forget the gossip and lies you heard about about my alleged failures as a wife and what I did behind closed doors. This is my story, the story of Scharisse Carmen (nee Baxter) Freeman. And I'm telling it just like it happened, protecting no one, least of all my damn self."
Have you ever heard the theme song for the old time TV show, The Jeffersons? Coming on up...We've finally got a piece of the pie? Well Scharisse has herself a big old slice. Hers is a rags to riches or rather thrift shop finds to designer attire story. Growing up poor, she went on to marry David, a filthy rich megachurch pastor (in my opinion, a real piece of work. I spent most of the book wishing for her to kick his sorry ass to the curb) and attain everything money can buy.
Which does not include the First Ladies friendship or even acceptance. They're a clique of filthy rich wives of megachurch pastor's wives. Think mean girls aged, but not matured. They take great delight in excluding her from their activities, something that should have peaked at say age thirteen.
For some reason I totally fail to understand she's yearning for their acceptance. And she has a plan. Every year there's this First Lady USA pageant. After years of yearning she finally has the chance to compete. She believes that if she wins she'll win the adult mean girls over.
But a major crisis occurs en route to the pageant. Jeddah, who is the megachurch pastor married to Daphne, the most virulent hater in the first ladies clique, meets with Scharisse covertly to reveal a secret that he insists she tell no one.
When a picture of their covert meeting is publicized the pastors are concerned not with justice, but keeping a child molester's and his church's reputation unblemished. Can you say Pulpitgate?
Scharisse is a beautifully uncensored woman who tells it as she sees it. If you want an authentic narrator who is capable of learning and growing through a series of unfortunate events and a plot that doesn't tiptoe around the evils perpetrated by some religious leaders you can't do better than The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman.
On a purrrsonal note, we set the clocks back Sunday, ushering in my least favorite time of year. It gets dark too damn early which is a problem for bus commuters with long walks from the stops. It gets too cold with the constant prospect of blizzards and loss of electricity. Now that the kids are grown and gone it's drudgery rather than adventure. And there's these four months with seasonal celebrations when I can't get away from so many delicious foods that I can no longer enjoy thanks to the diet from Hell. Talk about paradise lost.
A great big shout out goes out to all who face seasonal challenges this time of year.
Jules Hathaway
Sent from my Galaxy
