Journalist and Lambda award winning author, Chike Frankie Edozien, offers an intimate portrait of his life in his memoir, Lives of Great Men: Living and Loving as an African Gay Man. We begin the discussion with Edozien’s reaction to the attention the memoir has garnered (including winning the 2018 Lambda literary award), after which we reflect on the importance of being reviewed critically by astute readers, coming of age as same gender loving young man in Nigeria, the criminalisation of homosexuality in West Africa, and the circumstances that compelled Edozien to pursue a career in journalism. The playlist of the songs referenced in this episode is available on Spotify and YouTube.   Lives of Great Men is published by: Team Angelica (UK), Ouida Books (Nigeria), Jacana Media (South Africa).   Songs referenced this episode: (listen to the playlist on Spotify and YouTube.):   Taxi Driver (I Don’t Care) - Bobby Benson Taxi Driver (I Don’t Care) - Mandy Brown Ojugbana Proud - Heather Small Work - Masters at Work Reviews of Lives of Great Men referenced in the discussion: Lives of Great Men by Chike Frankie Edozien – An African exodus – Diana Evans Diriye Osman Reviews Chike Frankie Edozien’s Triumphant Memoir   Books referenced in this episode: (Available for purchase online and in bookshops) Sista! An Anthology of Writing by and about Same Gender Loving Women of African/Caribbean descent with a UK connection - Edited by Rikki Beadle-Blair, John R Gordon, Phyll Opoku-Gyimah. Return to Love: Reflections on the principles of a “Course in Miracles" - Marianne Williamson. Follow @BooksAndRhymes on Instagram and Twitter, Share your thoughts on this episode using #Booksandrhymes Subscribe to the mailing list at Booksandrhymes.com Send your questions and requests to: [email protected] For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy