New memoir by Jason Arday published following his death
LONDON — Britons who saw Professor Jason Arday’s life and death dissected by weeks of headlines covering allegations about his academic qualifications and personal accomplishments can now read his version of the story, reports BritPanorama.
Simon & Schuster will on Thursday publish Arday’s memoir “Great and Unfortunate Things,” which tells the story of how an autistic boy who was non-verbal as a child and illiterate until his late teens grew up to be the youngest Black professor in the history of Cambridge University.
The book’s release comes less than two weeks after Arday, 41, was found dead at his apartment in London following relentless media coverage about allegations that his academic work was bolstered by plagiarism and that he exaggerated his athletic and fundraising achievements. The memoir was published earlier this month in the U.S.
Simon & Schuster said it decided to publish the book in accordance with his family’s wishes. The publisher stated it would have no further comment about the book at this time.
“To the very end, Jason was clear that he wanted his memoir to be published, and it is only right that we honor his wishes,” the family said in a statement released by Simon & Schuster.
“There has been so much that has been written and said about our beloved brother, son, father, partner and uncle, mostly by people who don’t know the truth of what he experienced, and we experienced as a family, or what an extraordinary person he was.”
Arday’s death on August 14 has sparked recriminations over who was responsible.
Cambridge has faced criticism for elevating Arday too quickly in a rush to promote diversity, despite red flags about his qualifications. The news media has also been targeted for driving the professor to despair with a barrage of coverage that his supporters say was disproportionate compared to similar cases involving white scholars.
Scrutiny of the memoir increased following the controversy, with British newspapers noting that some of the running and fundraising accomplishments he previously touted had been omitted from the book. For instance, an advance copy of the work does not mention his claim to have run 600 miles in six days to raise money for charity.
In an interview with the Times of London published on July 31, Arday acknowledged his mistakes, attributing them to his autism and a lack of oversight early in his career. However, he rejected accusations of being “a liar and a fantasist and an academic fraud,” asserting that these claims were motivated by “racism and ableism.”
Arday, a sociologist, first gained prominence when Cambridge announced his appointment in 2023, citing him as a “respected scholar” focusing on increasing access to higher education for individuals from minority ethnic backgrounds.
Questions regarding his academic qualifications began to attract public attention in mid-July after British newspapers reported plagiarism allegations published by a white researcher critical of diversity programs.
Initially, Cambridge stood by Arday, claiming the plagiarism allegations had been investigated and deemed unfounded. However, on August 5, the university announced it had opened an investigation into Arday’s appointment after receiving “new information” about his qualifications and honorary appointments.
News coverage of Arday’s story continued until his death nine days later.
“We are happy to allow the book to speak for itself and won’t comment further on its content,” the family stated. “The family is still in shock and we are grieving. We call upon the media to give the family the space it needs to come to terms with this terrible loss.”
