The memoir "Great and Unfortunate Things," by Jason Arday, was released in the U.S. by publishing giant Simon & Schuster, omitting significant details about the recent scandals that led to his resignation from the University of Cambridge. The book chronicles Arday's ascent to becoming the university's youngest Black professor, highlighting his past struggles with an autism diagnosis, delayed speech development, and learning to read and write later in life.
According to reports, the U.S. release of the book comes days after Arday stepped down from his position at Cambridge amid an investigation into his academic qualifications and appointments. The University of Cambridge had launched an inquiry following revelations that several universities disputed his claimed academic posts.
The memoir's U.S. edition reportedly retains descriptions of Arday as currently holding the Professorial Chair in the Sociology of Education at Cambridge and being the youngest Black academic to hold a professorship there, despite his recent resignation. No author or publisher notes have been added to reflect the ongoing crisis concerning his credibility.
The book does touch upon general controversies in an epilogue, with Arday writing about facing harassment and persecution due to racial animus from those who were "outraged and offended by the idea of a black professor at such an elite institution." However, this section appears to predate the more recent and specific controversies regarding his career.
"Great and Unfortunate Things" had a modest debut in U.S. sales, ranking outside the top 39,000 in the Kindle store's overall chart and 220th in the memoir category.
Previously, it was reported that Simon & Schuster had edited out certain claims about Arday's achievements from the book's final version. An earlier draft, obtained by investigative journalist Benjamin Ryan, showed that references to his supposed multi-million pound fundraising efforts had been removed during the editing process. Arday had previously claimed to be paid £1.4 million for his memoir. He also clarified past claims about fundraising, stating he was part of a larger, unnamed group of fundraisers rather than solely responsible for raising £5.5 million, and that his feat of running 600 miles in six days for charity was completed over 12 days.
Further scrutiny arose when it was revealed Arday had mentioned receiving an MBE in an interview, a claim later removed from the web. Arday's name does not appear on any honors lists for the year he allegedly received it, nor has he mentioned declining such an honor in his memoir or public appearances. Sources indicated Arday requested the removal of a podcast episode citing unspecified "security" concerns.
Critics have also accused Arday of plagiarizing sections of his PhD thesis from another student's research, an allegation to which he has admitted making errors in his work. Initially, Cambridge University suggested Arday was a victim of a campaign against him. However, after new information emerged about his claimed academic positions, the university announced it would investigate the circumstances of his appointment and tenure.
Multiple universities, including Ohio State University, the University of Glasgow, and Nelson Mandela University, denied that Arday held the visiting professor positions listed on his profile at Jesus College, Cambridge. His profile also listed him as an honorary professor at Durham University, though reports indicated he no longer held a formal position there.
In his resignation statement, Arday maintained a defiant stance, refusing to accept wrongdoing and denouncing the "unrelenting level of public scrutiny and personal attack" he faced. He had previously asserted he was not a "liar and fantasist" when questions were raised about his personal achievements.
The University of Cambridge stated that its review of Arday's appointment and tenure would inform a broader assessment of the processes for selecting senior academic roles.