03/28/2022
Activist Okporo debuts with a deeply affecting account of the trials he endured as a Black gay man seeking asylum in the United States. Alienated as a child in the 1990s by the theater of bravado and masculinity in his southern Nigerian hometown, Okporo joined the priesthood at age 18, hoping to find delivery “from any evil spirit that had possessed me with my attraction for other men.” Instead, he spent the next two years “hooking up with straight-passing men who carried big Bibles.” After leaving the church in his 20s to live openly as a queer man in Abuja, he quickly found work as an AIDS activist, but, eventually, his public efforts to destigmatize homosexuality made it dangerous for him to remain in Nigeria, even leading to an assault by a mob. From here, his story takes a swift turn as he recounts his path to find refuge in the United States. In clear-eyed prose, Okporo illustrates how, after being detained in New Jersey for six months without legal counsel, he navigated a turbulent road pocked with hypocrisy and cruelty until finally being granted asylum. Shirking a tidy story of hope, Okporo offers instead a resonant critique of what it means to be “free” in America, a place, where, he writes, “to succeed... to adopt whiteness in all its form.” Readers will be galvanized by this resounding call for equality. (June)
Powerful, honest, and deeply moving, Edafe Okporo’s Asylum is a must-read. From dealing with unimaginable persecution to transforming the lives and hearts of countless people, Edafe lets us in, offering us an intimate look into his journey and the realities of so many.”—Elliot Page, actor
“Both memoir and a call to action, Edafe Okporo’s book is a powerful, eye-opening story of his escape from persecution as a gay man, a heartbreaking yet hopeful illustration of the unique challenges faced by queer refugees around the world.”—DR. ERIC CERVINI , New York Times bestselling author of The Deviant’s War
“Through the fires of persecution and exile, Edafe Okporo found liberation. Written with urgency and insight, Asylum is a moving and dramatic account of a gay Nigerian’s search for his place in the world, a book that reminds us that so many queer folks around the world have yet to achieve their freedoms.”—DAVID EBERSHOFF, New York Times bestselling author of The Danish Girl and The 19th Wife
"A deeply affecting account...readers will be galvanized by this resounding call for equality."—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"A moving story from an inspiring activist for social justice"—KIRKUS REVIEWS
“A riveting contribution expanding the literature of U.S. immigration to include the experience of a gay Nigerian man. Okporo’s story clarifies the necessary role that community-based LGBT and refugee support groups play in supplementing the bureaucratic brutality facing America’s new arrivals. Vulnerable, informative, and compelling, this book will appeal to professionals, scholars, and general readers open to the stories of our times.”—SARAH SCHULMAN, author of Let the Record Show
“All of us who are LGBTQ find ourselves on a journey to understand our identities and our place in the world. For Edafe Okporo, as he so movingly shares in Asylum, that journey was a perilous odyssey that almost cost him his life in his home country of Nigeria and landed him behind bars when he fled to the U.S. A role model of big-hearted resilience and determination for us all.”—ERIC MARCUS, founder and host, Making Gay History podcast
“Edafe Okporo provides a gripping account of his persecution in Nigeria for being a gay man and six months of immigration detention in the U.S. Eventually winning asylum, he goes on to lead an organization that provides shelter to refugees. Okporo’s narrative is beautifully told, a story of perseverance, faith, and grace.”—ALEX ALEINIKOFF, director of the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility
"A riveting memoir and an essential immigrant and a gay story. Edafe's story is not just a longing for a better life only, it is also an effort to break free from a society that sees him unfit. Yet his struggle to fit in continues as he settles into his new permanent home in the U.S. Absolutely remarkable and engaging."—ABDI NOR IFTIN, author of Call Me American
"In an evocative, heart-wrenching book, Okporo deftly blends his personal story with a searing critique of the asylum process in the U.S. At every turn, Okporo's story reveals the injustices and inhumanities asylum-seekers face just by showing what he endured. The result is a highly readable, thoughtful book that questions whether the U.S. asylum process is guided by morals or money, and convincingly argues that the people most affected by immigration policies must be heard. This compelling book will stay with me."—JESSICA GOUDEAU, author of After the Last Border: Two Families
"Asylum offers a gripping, necessary, and tender portrait of growing up gay in Nigeria. From the trials of violence, humiliation, and living in hiding, to the Kafka-esque detention system for refugees seeking asylum in the US, Edafe Okporo exposes what is lost and what is gained on the road to community, love, and radical self acceptance. I couldn't put it down."—JENN SHAPLAND, National Book Award finalist for My Autobiography of Carson McCullers
12/01/2022
Okporo's eye-opening debut memoir reveals the author's life as a young gay man in Nigeria and follows his journey through the American asylum process. In Nigeria, he joins a church and focuses on religion. But that church does not welcome gay people, and he knows that being a fervent Christian won't change his sexual orientation. When he is discovered and threatened, he flees to New York City, only to discover that African immigrants aren't all that welcome in the United States. He spends six months in an immigration detention center dealing with a draconian system to plead his case to stay. As a narrator, Prentice Onayemi is stunning, bringing all the fear, frustration, and triumphs to the forefront, as he expertly navigates between the story and the structure of the system. Okporo's life in the U.S. continues to present challenges. The Nigerian expat community isn't welcoming to a gay man, and the gay community doesn't immediately accept an African immigrant. Happily, Okporo eventually finds his place and is now focused on improving the system. VERDICT This staggeringly powerful and sensitively-narrated memoir has a place in all public libraries.—Christa Van Herreweghe
05/01/2022
In this moving and thought-provoking memoir, Okporo details his inspiring journey from a troubled childhood in Nigeria to his current role as a global gay rights activist in New York City. Okporo was an outsider in his community, cruelly shunned by his peers and his relatives for being too feminine and too different from the idealized version of a Nigerian man. After an unsuccessful stint as a minister and the tragic deaths of several close friends, he discovers his life's work in advocating for gay men's access to health care. When his success and visibility in his community puts his life in danger, Okporo flees to the U.S., where he is immediately handcuffed and sent to a New Jersey detention center. After months in a cell, he is released—homeless, friendless and penniless—into an unwelcoming country. Eventually, Okporo finds acceptance in a Unitarian church, successfully expands New York's only shelter for homeless refugees, and embarks on a loving, healthy relationship. VERDICT Okporo's personal journey is touching, and his skillful explanation of the corrupt immigration processes and policies that continue to reject and exclude the very people they are meant to aid is a timely plea for reform and empathy.—Lisa Henry
2022-02-01
Okporo chronicles his experience seeking asylum in the U.S. after being persecuted in his home country of Nigeria for being gay.
The author first realized he was gay in boarding school, when he had a sexual encounter with a fellow male student. Unfortunately, that student later used this moment of intimacy to out Okporo to his school and strictly traditional Christian family. “If everyone found out I was gay,” he writes, “I would be completely ex-communicated, not only from my peers at the school but also from my church.” Okporo also understood that living as an openly gay activist in Nigeria was untenable and even dangerous, a truth he experienced firsthand when he was beaten by a mob. “I was flogged with sticks, cutlasses, and anything they could find,” he writes, “beating me unconscious while children sang and cheered and clapped behind us. Gay! Gay! Gay!” Fearing for his life, Okporo fled to the U.S. with only $126. When he arrived, he was placed in the Elizabeth Detention Center in New Jersey, where he waited for his asylum hearing. After his claim was granted, Okporo became an immigrants rights activist determined to help other refugees and asylees. As the author poignantly notes in conclusion, “Home is not just where you feel safe and welcome. It is also about how you can make it feel safe and welcoming for others.” Okporo’s voice vibrates with passion and hope, and his detailed descriptions of his experiences are the most riveting parts of the book. He expertly interweaves his story with statistical and historical details about the perils of the U.S. immigration system. At times, the writing jumps between timelines and arguments, rendering certain sections less cohesive than others. Nonetheless, the author has a remarkable story, and his humane message shines through.
A moving story from an inspiring activist for social justice.
