This Thing in My Head: Jessica Aike’s Debut Shatters Generational Silence with a Soul-baring Ode to Self-worth

July 04, 2025 at 11:00 AM EDT

The British-Nigerian writer’s explosive first book (Available Now) confronts cultural trauma, toxic silence, and the cost of people-pleasing through 30 unfiltered essays. Aike’s work isn’t just memoir—it’s a lifeline for women of color reclaiming their voices, one brutal truth at a time.

In a powerful first release, This Thing in My Head, author Jessica Aike opens the door to conversations many have spent their entire lives avoiding. Through deeply personal writing and fearless honesty, Aike takes readers into a world shaped by trauma, culture, silence and the journey to reclaiming self-worth.

Born in Lagos and raised in London, the British-Nigerian writer uses her voice not only to tell her story but to hold space for others still finding theirs. In this collection, she doesn’t ask for permission to feel, she gives it to the reader.

The Cost of Being Quiet in a Loud World

From the very first page, This Thing in My Head challenges the idea that survival means silence. The book reads like a heart that’s been cracked open, not for spectacle, but for healing. Through thirty unfiltered chapters, Jessica explores the painful patterns passed down through culture, family, and community. She confronts the glorification of suffering and the dangerous belief that love must be earned through endurance.

Whether she’s unpacking the shame around childhood trauma, the exhaustion of people-pleasing, or the quiet grief of losing friends to emotional growth, Aike’s message is clear: we can stop apologizing for how we feel.

Writing that Doesn’t Flinch or Pretend

What sets this book apart is its rawness. Jessica Aike doesn’t write to impress; she writes to tell the truth. Her language is conversational but sharp, poetic without being distant. She writes like someone who has lived every word and refuses to dress up pain just to make it more digestible.

The chapters stand alone as reflections, essays, and inner dialogues. But together, they form a deeply personal portrait of a woman coming to terms with her own humanity and asking others to do the same.

A Voice for Those Who Were Taught to Stay Small

For many readers, especially women of color, Aike’s words will feel less like reading and more like remembering. She speaks to the child who was told to sit down and be quiet. To the adult still carrying the weight of other people’s expectations. To anyone who has ever had to choose between peace and pretending.

Jessica explores themes like identity, grief, religion, boundaries, love, and emotional intelligence. But what ties them together is her insistence that vulnerability is not weakness. It is strength in its truest form.

Why this Book Matters Right Now

As more people begin to examine the ways culture and upbringing have shaped their mental health, This Thing in My Head arrives at the perfect time. It offers more than stories, it offers language for the experiences many have never put into words.

This book does not aim to fix the reader. It simply allows them to feel without judgment. And that, in today’s world, is a radical act.

Who Should Read It

This Thing in My Head is for those who are tired of pretending to be okay. It’s for readers who want honesty without performance, growth without guilt, and healing without shame.

Whether you’ve faced abuse, been silenced by family, or just want to reconnect with yourself after years of self-abandonment, this book meets you where you are.

Real Reflections from a Life Lived Out Loud

Aike doesn’t present herself as a guru or a guide. She’s not interested in surface-level healing or buzzword-heavy advice. Instead, she offers her lived experiences with tenderness and clarity. Her work is grounded in reflection, not perfection.

She invites readers to ask hard questions: – What does love feel like when you’re not proving your worth? – Who are you when you stop chasing validation? – What if strength means resting, not pushing through?

The answers aren’t simple but this book doesn’t pretend they are.

About the Author

Jessica Aike is a British-Nigerian writer and advocate whose work focuses on emotional honesty, identity, and cultural accountability. Born in Nigeria and raised in the UK, she has spent over a decade using her voice to challenge the silence surrounding abuse, especially within Black and African communities.

Her writing has been featured in Afritondo, The Eyes of African Women, Fiction on the Web, Book of Matches, and others. In 2020, she appeared on the podcast A Deep Look into the Issue of Rape, sharing her insight on abuse, emotional intelligence, and healing.

This is her debut book but it reads like the work of someone who has carried these stories for years.

A Powerful Addition to the Shelf of Every Woman Ready to Heal

This Thing in My Head is more than a memoir. It’s a reminder that our experiences, especially the painful, confusing, and unspoken ones deserve space on the page.

It will resonate with readers who are seeking something real. Something that doesn’t shy away from the mess. Aike’s voice offers reassurance that even when life doesn’t make sense, your story still matters.

This book isn’t about fixing anyone. It’s about understanding yourself deeply enough to stop waiting for permission to grow.

Now Available

This Thing in My Head is now available on Amazon and other major online bookstores.

Media Contact
Company Name: The Empire Publishers UK
Contact Person: Jessica Aike
Email: Send Email
Country: United Kingdom
Website: https://www.theempirepublishers.co.uk/

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This Thing in My Head: Jessica Aike’s Debut Shatters Generational Silence with a Soul-baring Ode to Self-worth

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