Belonging

A doctor’s inspiring personal journey across three continents of overcoming trauma as he seeks healing, self-discovery, and a sense of home. Olajide Williams grew up in the seat of privilege in post-colonial Lagos, a descendent of Nigerian royalty whose powerful parents occupied influential positions in the nation’s health and police affairs. Sheltered from the chaos and poverty outside the walls of the family compound, he was surrounded by opportunity, tradition, and expectation, but beneath that outward privilege simmered loneliness, displacement, and questions about where he truly belonged, which intensified after he was sent to boarding school in England. There, Jide survived ruthless bullying by his classmates and focused on assimilating to English customs, eventually becoming Vice Head of the School. Still, his sense of disorientation never fully left, and after returning to Lagos for medical school, he slipped into addiction to alleviate his growing pain. Yet as he worked to heal others, first in Lagos and later in New York City, Jide gradually found healing himself. His journey led him to become the senior vice chair of neurology and vice dean of community health at Columbia University, as well as a prominent leader in public health advocacy for underserved communities. A moving and hopeful memoir of resilience, courage, and compassion, Belonging is the intimate and expansive odyssey of a man emerging from darkness in search of true connection. As he finds purpose in his work, reconciles the contradictions of his upbringing, and learns how to value the gift of his own life, Jide comes to understand that the belonging he seeks lies not in a singular location or identity, but in a sense of purpose and in our profound connections to one another.