Before I Was Born, She Did This cover art

Before I Was Born, She Did This

A True Story, of Survival, Secrets, Lies and Being “At Risk” from Day One

 Preview

Audible Standard 30-day free trial

Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection.
Listen to your selected audiobooks as long as you're a member.
Get unlimited access to bingeable podcasts.
Standard auto renews for £5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Before I Was Born, She Did This

By: Alia Breeze
Narrated by: Gillian Hardie
Try Standard free

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £13.88

Buy Now for £13.88

About this listen

This is not an easy listen. But it’s a story that must be told.

In Before I Was Born, She Did This, Alia lays everything bare. From birth, she lived under a false identity and endured cruelty at the hands of her mother. She was starved, bitten, neglected. Left alone in a freezing room, soaked in urine, with no bedding. She was on the child protection register, but no one came.

At fifteen, she escaped. Loving friends helped her survive. But it was poetry and music that saved her soul. Through words, she found solace. And eventually, her voice.

Her mother barely spoke to her, except to bully and humiliate. Years later, Alia uncovered a truth more terrifying than memory. Her mother had a past conviction. A baby who didn’t survive.

This is not just a memoir of survival. It is a reckoning. From being thrown into a women’s refuge to reclaiming herself through drag, through the spoken word collective Raw, and through this book, Alia pulls the unfiltered truth into the light.

A life that was never meant to be lived, lived fully. Ruthless in truth. Raw in heart. Impossible to ignore. She lived to tell it. And now, she’s telling it all.

©2025 Alia Breeze (P)2025 Alia Breeze Women Survival Heartfelt
All stars
Most relevant
I couldn’t stop listening to this book. God bless poor Alia. Social services and the local police should hang their heads in shame! An eye opener to the incredible failings yet again by the very people who are supposed to be there to protect small, innocent children. It is shocking and unbelievable what this poor little girl has endured her entire childhood!

A must read!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
ALIA YOU ARE SO BRAVE!
I followed you on TikTok, within 2 days i had bought the book. As an adult now dealing with the trauma from childhood, this was a fantastic read. Captured everything so well whilst being able to tell your story accurately

SO BRAVE

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Listener received this title free

Incredible read this.

Shocking life story and even more shocking back story from before the author was born.

What struck me most, once I got over the heartbreak of listening to Alia’s childhood, was her resilience and then the ability to put all of this into words.

I would love to see this investigated further, and for Alia to have recognition for so many of things that seem to have been ignored by the authorities.

How could this have been allowed to happen?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Absolutely harrowing and gripping read, you are an incredible woman, and I will continue to follow your journey and support you via social media, I can’t wait for the day we see you get justice x

I hope you get justice!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A try harrowing account of abuse and neglect, failure of the children’s services but also an incredible story of survival

Incredible

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews