The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman: A Novel by Deesha Philyaw (Hardcover) (PREORDER)

Fiction - Literary - Satire - Family Life - Marriage and Divorce - African American and Black - Women - Christian

RELEASE DATE: 9/29/2026 (WILL SHIP DIRECTLY FROM OUR SUPPLIER'S WAREHOUSE)

A Most Anticipated Book of 2026 by PEN America, Lit Hub, BookPage, and Ms. Magazine

The wife of a popular and powerful megachurch pastor upends her charmed “rags-to-Rolex” life when her secret past comes roaring into the spotlight—in this "funny and juicy and sexy and delicious peek behind the pulpit" (Samantha Irby) from the acclaimed and beloved author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies.

From the moment Scharisse Freeman ditched her humble roots and married a megachurch pastor fifteen years her senior, she’s been labeled too brash and too “of the world” by church folks who grudgingly accepted her into their fold, and too holy by her estranged childhood bestie Petra. Schar doesn’t have many allies, but that hasn’t stopped her from building an enviable business empire spanning books to clothing to branded products, and living the comfortable life her husband's power affords her.

On the eve of her 40th birthday, Schar gets the final bit of validation she’s always dreamt of: a coveted invitation to participate in the First Lady USA pageant. This is her chance to be accepted by the other pastors’ wives—First Ladies—who are “like Jesus’ disciples if they had been a group of mean girls.” Finally, blissfully, the ice between Schar and the other First Ladies begins to thaw.

But as the pageant nears, a sensational scandal breaks with Schar at its center, and her carefully curated life implodes. Schar faces down shame and terrible secrets from her childhood and is reminded that in the eyes of the church, optics can matter more than the truth.

Unflinchingly funny, frank, and packed with surprising turns, The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman exults in the luscious, messy pleasure of finally feeling free.

AUTHOR BIO: 

Deesha Philyaw's debut short story collection, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the Story Prize, the LA Times Book Prize: The Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction and was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction. Deesha is a Kimbilio Fiction Fellow, a Baldwin for the Arts Fellow, a United States Artists Fellow, and co-host of two podcasts, Ursa Short Fiction (with Dawnie Walton) and Reckon True Stories (with Kiese Laymon). She is currently at work developing TV shows based on her short fiction.

"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." - Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy and Long Division

"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 Black Cake and Good Dirt

"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

"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

"The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman is sexy, shocking and funny as hell. It's a wonderfully operatic tale of intrigue and betrayal within a Black church. 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