{"id":5839,"date":"2014-02-19T12:24:53","date_gmt":"2014-02-19T17:24:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sistahsontheshelf.com\/?p=5839"},"modified":"2020-05-03T22:46:09","modified_gmt":"2020-05-04T02:46:09","slug":"who-is-first-lady-wanda-davis-book-1-greater-harvest-saga-by-michael-drain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.sistahsontheshelf.com\/?p=5839","title":{"rendered":"Who is First Lady Wanda Davis? (Book 1: Greater Harvest Saga) by Michael Drain"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>\"\"Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0 CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, Dec. 2013
\nGenre(s):<\/strong>\u00a0 Religious, Romance, Coming Out
\nPages:<\/strong>\u00a0 114
\nWebsite:<\/strong>\u00a0 http:\/\/www.browninkentertainment.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Rating:<\/strong> \"★\"\"★\"\"★\"\"½\"\"☆\" <\/p><\/strong><\/p>\n

Wife. Mentor. Friend. Shopaholic.<\/p>\n

In WHO IS FIRST LADY WANDA DAVIS?<\/em><\/strong>, a story of the perfection it takes to be a pastor\u2019s wife by Michael Drain, we’re introduced to all sides of Wanda, even the ones she tries to keep cleverly concealed.<\/p>\n

Wanda Davis followed her husband, Howard, from their college days to the pulpit. In the years since his installation, she\u2019s been the “perfect” pastor\u2019s wife: steadfastly supportive of Howard\u2019s mission, mindful of her words and actions, and helpful whenever needed. This dedication and her husband\u2019s strong word ascend Greater Harvest Cathedral to megachurch status. Once a rock in the South Bend, Indiana community, the church is now in the wake of a scandal, and Howard thinks Wanda is a catalyst to getting the church back to its roots.<\/p>\n

Yet Wanda is in the midst of her own spiritual storm.<\/p>\n

Being a first lady doesn\u2019t allow much room to be herself. Where she felt other wives in her position wielded their power in a greater capacity, Wanda felt stifled. She can\u2019t speak her mind or tell what’s bothering her, lest she be judged. This pressure builds into an addiction she can\u2019t shake: shopping. Hiding expensive clothes and thousands of dollars in mounting debt, Wanda\u2019s compulsion may stem partly from her first lady pedestal, but it actually masks an even deeper craving: being with a woman.<\/p>\n

As a pastor\u2019s daughter, Wanda couldn\u2019t reconcile her spiritual self with being a lesbian. After breaking it off with a female classmate in college, Howard was the man who accepted her as she was, and she saw him as her rock and deliverance.<\/p>\n

Even when she didn\u2019t see it, Howard has always believed in his wife and their relationship. He places Wanda front and center over the church\u2019s women\u2019s service during revival. Wanda, with her heavy heart, is not so convinced, especially when the occasion pairs her with an alluring event planner. How can she lead the women when she is so conflicted in her own soul?<\/p>\n

The pastor\u2019s wife element in Who is First Lady Wanda Davis?<\/em>, the first in a series, adds something extra to Drain’s story, but I feel Wanda could be any woman confused in her sexuality and her love for God. Her turmoil in living up to the self-imposed standards of a first lady — and the behind-the-scenes church drama — are real to the black church. We do make it hard for our gay brothers and sisters, but what I found moving was how understanding Howard was to Wanda’s transition then and now as she figures out her life. Howard’s a good guy.<\/p>\n

The book’s formatting could use work, and the sermons throughout are slightly repetitive, but Drain engages.<\/p>\n

By the conclusion, I can tell something more sinister is coming in Wicked Harvest<\/em>, Book 2 in The Greater Harvest Saga. I’ll be reading it.<\/p>\n

Reviewed February 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Publisher:\u00a0 CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, Dec. 2013 Genre(s):\u00a0 Religious, Romance, Coming Out Pages:\u00a0 114 Website:\u00a0 http:\/\/www.browninkentertainment.com Wife. Mentor. Friend. Shopaholic. In WHO IS FIRST LADY WANDA DAVIS?, a story of the perfection it takes to be a pastor\u2019s wife by Michael Drain, we’re introduced to all sides of Wanda, even the ones she tries to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"NEW SOTS REVIEW: Who is First Lady Wanda Davis? (Book 1: Greater Harvest Saga) by Michael Drain http:\/\/wp.me\/p3r7qG-1wb"},"categories":[4],"tags":[128,137,277,313,392,401,497],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sistahsontheshelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5839"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sistahsontheshelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sistahsontheshelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sistahsontheshelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sistahsontheshelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5839"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.sistahsontheshelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5839\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7107,"href":"http:\/\/www.sistahsontheshelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5839\/revisions\/7107"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sistahsontheshelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5839"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sistahsontheshelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5839"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sistahsontheshelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5839"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}