Britons can now read the memoir of Professor Jason Arday, whose life and career were the subject of intense media scrutiny in the weeks leading up to his death. The book, titled "Great and Unfortunate Things," was published by Simon & Schuster in the United Kingdom on Thursday.

Arday's memoir details his journey from a non-verbal child with illiteracy until his late teens to becoming the youngest Black professor in Cambridge University's history. The book was released in the U.S. earlier this month.

The publication follows the death of Arday, 41, who was found dead at his London apartment on August 14. His passing came shortly after a period of extensive media coverage addressing allegations of plagiarism in his academic work and exaggerations of his athletic and fundraising achievements.

Simon & Schuster stated that the decision to publish the book was made in accordance with Arday's family's wishes. "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 the publisher. "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 appointment as a professor at Cambridge in 2023, where his work focused on increasing minority ethnic representation in higher education, initially brought him prominence. However, questions about his qualifications began to surface in mid-July after British newspapers reported on plagiarism allegations. Cambridge initially supported Arday, but later opened an investigation into his appointment after receiving new information.

In an interview with The Times of London published on July 31, Arday acknowledged making mistakes, which he attributed to his autism and early career oversights. He denied accusations of being a "liar and a fantasist and an academic fraud," suggesting that such claims were fueled by "racism and ableism."

Following the controversy, scrutiny of the memoir increased, with British newspapers noting discrepancies between Arday's previous public claims and the content of his book. For instance, an advance copy reportedly omitted his claim of running 600 miles in six days for charity.

"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."