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SUMMARY:Second Chances: Deesha Philyaw & Rainbow Rowell
DESCRIPTION:Deesha Philyaw (The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman) joins Rainbow Rowell (Cherry Baby) for a discussion on the perils of perception and the allure of a second chance. Both authors deliver humorous and rich stories of women faced with crumbling reputations and the opportunity to find freedom in the truth. Moderated by author Kristen Arnett (Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One)\, this conversation promises a rumination on identity\, truth\, and the desire to be known. \nAbout The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman:\n\nThe 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. \nFrom 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. \nOn 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. \nBut 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. \nUnflinchingly funny\, frank\, and splendidly unruly\, The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman exults in the luscious\, messy pleasure of finally feeling free. \n“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 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAbout Cherry Baby:\n#1 New York Times bestselling author Rainbow Rowell returns with a breathtakingly honest novel about a woman who lost everything — and isn’t sure she wants it back. \nEverybody knows that Cherry’s husband\, Tom\, is in Hollywood making a movie . . . \nAlmost nobody knows that he isn’t coming home. \nTom is the creator of Thursday—a semi-autobiographical webcomic that’s become an international phenomenon. \nSemi-autobiographical. That means there’s a character in this movie based on Cherry . . . “Baby.” \nWide-hipped\, heavy-chested\, double-chinned Baby. \nCherry never wanted this. No fat girl wants to see herself caricatured on the page—let alone on the big screen. But there’s no getting away from it. Baby looks so much like Cherry that strangers recognize her at the grocery store. \nWhile her soon-to-be ex-husband is in Los Angeles getting rich and famous and being the internet’s latest boyfriend\, Cherry is stuck in Omaha taking care of the dog he always wanted and the house they were going to raise a family in . . . and wondering who she’s supposed to be without him. \nCherry had promised to love Tom through thick and thin. \nShe’d meant it. \nOne night\, Cherry decides to leave all her problems\, including Tom’s overgrown puppy\, at home. She ventures out to see her favorite band play her favorite album . . . and someone recognizes her from across the room. \nRuss Sutton knew Cherry when she was a young art student with a fondness for pin-up dresses and patent leather heels. Before Tom. \nRuss knows Cherry. He likes Cherry. \nAnd best of all . . . he’s never heard of Thursday. \nTender\, funny\, and utterly human\, Cherry Baby is Rainbow Rowell’s richest\, most surprising—sexiest—novel yet.
URL:https://pdxbookfest.org/event/second-chances/
LOCATION:First Congregational United Church of Christ\, 1126 SW Park Ave\, Portland\, OR\, 97205
CATEGORIES:Fiction Events
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