Asylum: A Memoir & Manifesto

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.