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Great and Unfortunate Things
With the power of Educated and the emotional sweep of When Breath Becomes Air, Great and Unfortunate Things is the inspiring, underdog story of how an autistic, non-verbal boy who society had all but given up on found his voice, literally and figuratively, became one of the youngest professors in the University of Cambridge’s history and put himself in a position to give back.
Jason Arday was born the second youngest of three boys and grew up in a colorful and lively section of South London. At three years old, he was diagnosed with autism and development delays. Experts told his parents that he would never be able to speak, write, or live independently. An institution would best serve his needs, it was suggested.
His parents would have none of it. Instead, thinking outside the box and drawing on her faith, his extraordinary mother Giff embraced his neurodivergence and fiercely dedicated herself to helping her son realize a potential few others believed was possible. Giff drew on proverbs from her West African culture, popular music by the likes of Enya, and comedic television shows and movies to help Jason make sense of the world.
In Great and Unfortunate Things, we see how Arday went from being nonverbal until he was eleven and illiterate until eighteen to becoming a professor at Cambridge. Without romanticizing the struggle, it’s a story of a son’s determination against insurmountable odds and how his family and a band of ordinary people with extraordinary compassion joined forces to encourage Jason to believe in himself and maximize his capabilities.
This is the story we need right now, and Arday, who believes in paying it forward, is the kind of figure the world can use more of now more than ever.
Jason Arday was born the second youngest of three boys and grew up in a colorful and lively section of South London. At three years old, he was diagnosed with autism and development delays. Experts told his parents that he would never be able to speak, write, or live independently. An institution would best serve his needs, it was suggested.
His parents would have none of it. Instead, thinking outside the box and drawing on her faith, his extraordinary mother Giff embraced his neurodivergence and fiercely dedicated herself to helping her son realize a potential few others believed was possible. Giff drew on proverbs from her West African culture, popular music by the likes of Enya, and comedic television shows and movies to help Jason make sense of the world.
In Great and Unfortunate Things, we see how Arday went from being nonverbal until he was eleven and illiterate until eighteen to becoming a professor at Cambridge. Without romanticizing the struggle, it’s a story of a son’s determination against insurmountable odds and how his family and a band of ordinary people with extraordinary compassion joined forces to encourage Jason to believe in himself and maximize his capabilities.
This is the story we need right now, and Arday, who believes in paying it forward, is the kind of figure the world can use more of now more than ever.
Hardcover
First published August 11, 2026
About the author
Jason Arday
6 books25 followersJason Atta Kwei Arday (1985–2026) was a British academic and author who was a professor of sociology at the University of Cambridge from 2023 to 2026.
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August 7, 2026Fantastic book. He is like an English Forest gump, this is fiction right?
August 23, 2026
Rating: 4* of five
The Publisher Says: With the power of Educated and the emotional sweep of When Breath Becomes Air, Great and Unfortunate Things is the inspiring, underdog story of how an autistic, non-verbal boy who society had all but given up on found his voice, literally and figuratively, became one of the youngest professors in the University of Cambridge’s history and put himself in a position to give back.
Jason Arday was born the second youngest of three boys and grew up in a colorful and lively section of South London. At three years old, he was diagnosed with autism and development delays. Experts told his parents that he would never be able to speak, write, or live independently. An institution would best serve his needs, it was suggested.
His parents would have none of it. Instead, thinking outside the box and drawing on her faith, his extraordinary mother Giff embraced his neurodivergence and fiercely dedicated herself to helping her son realize a potential few others believed was possible. Giff drew on proverbs from her West African culture, popular music by the likes of Enya, and comedic television shows and movies to help Jason make sense of the world.
In Great and Unfortunate Things, we see how Arday went from being nonverbal until he was eleven and illiterate until eighteen to becoming a professor at Cambridge. Without romanticizing the struggle, it’s a story of a son’s determination against insurmountable odds and how his family and a band of ordinary people with extraordinary compassion joined forces to encourage Jason to believe in himself and maximize his capabilities.
This is the story we need right now, and Arday, who believes in paying it forward, is the kind of figure the world can use more of now more than ever.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: I avoided talking about this read after the tragic ending of the online attacks against Author Arday. It needs saying that this horrifying event should ever have happened, that it truly ought to reinforce in we-the-readers' mind that literally every accusation is a confession.
On to the read.
Someone needs to be enormously lucky to find people who offer this much support, this level of kind and sustained attention. Of course it didn't hurt that Author Arday was an attractive young man, and clearly quite charismatic. It was a case of luck coinciding with fertile ground for the luck to take effective root in. A tutor who committed his time and effort to help his fellow student pursue a huge goal, college graduation, after only very recently learning to read and write because a co-worker (later girlfriend, then wife) taught him to do so using readily available phonics courses? Support pouring in for a publicly documented goal of running 30 marathons in 35 days...a goal he achieved as the public record shows? It was an extraordiary life lived in a very public and vocal way. t is aways sad when allegations are assumed to be enough proof to, from the outside, judge a person guilty of misconduct. There is nothing like overachieving to attract scrutiny, but it's not always as dire as sensational headlines make it sound.
Its tragic ending ought to be the impetus for this inspiring, if somewhat gee-whiz in tone, story to climb bestseller lists. It is a sin and a shame the reason it is now likely to be the bestseller it's always, on its merits, deserved to be. A tarnished reputation is not a reason to think less of the real and difficult achievements of an imperfect, ambitious man.
The Publisher Says: With the power of Educated and the emotional sweep of When Breath Becomes Air, Great and Unfortunate Things is the inspiring, underdog story of how an autistic, non-verbal boy who society had all but given up on found his voice, literally and figuratively, became one of the youngest professors in the University of Cambridge’s history and put himself in a position to give back.
Jason Arday was born the second youngest of three boys and grew up in a colorful and lively section of South London. At three years old, he was diagnosed with autism and development delays. Experts told his parents that he would never be able to speak, write, or live independently. An institution would best serve his needs, it was suggested.
His parents would have none of it. Instead, thinking outside the box and drawing on her faith, his extraordinary mother Giff embraced his neurodivergence and fiercely dedicated herself to helping her son realize a potential few others believed was possible. Giff drew on proverbs from her West African culture, popular music by the likes of Enya, and comedic television shows and movies to help Jason make sense of the world.
In Great and Unfortunate Things, we see how Arday went from being nonverbal until he was eleven and illiterate until eighteen to becoming a professor at Cambridge. Without romanticizing the struggle, it’s a story of a son’s determination against insurmountable odds and how his family and a band of ordinary people with extraordinary compassion joined forces to encourage Jason to believe in himself and maximize his capabilities.
This is the story we need right now, and Arday, who believes in paying it forward, is the kind of figure the world can use more of now more than ever.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: I avoided talking about this read after the tragic ending of the online attacks against Author Arday. It needs saying that this horrifying event should ever have happened, that it truly ought to reinforce in we-the-readers' mind that literally every accusation is a confession.
On to the read.
Someone needs to be enormously lucky to find people who offer this much support, this level of kind and sustained attention. Of course it didn't hurt that Author Arday was an attractive young man, and clearly quite charismatic. It was a case of luck coinciding with fertile ground for the luck to take effective root in. A tutor who committed his time and effort to help his fellow student pursue a huge goal, college graduation, after only very recently learning to read and write because a co-worker (later girlfriend, then wife) taught him to do so using readily available phonics courses? Support pouring in for a publicly documented goal of running 30 marathons in 35 days...a goal he achieved as the public record shows? It was an extraordiary life lived in a very public and vocal way. t is aways sad when allegations are assumed to be enough proof to, from the outside, judge a person guilty of misconduct. There is nothing like overachieving to attract scrutiny, but it's not always as dire as sensational headlines make it sound.
Its tragic ending ought to be the impetus for this inspiring, if somewhat gee-whiz in tone, story to climb bestseller lists. It is a sin and a shame the reason it is now likely to be the bestseller it's always, on its merits, deserved to be. A tarnished reputation is not a reason to think less of the real and difficult achievements of an imperfect, ambitious man.
August 14, 2026
I was so curious about this book, given the media circus that accompanied it. But it reads more like a flight of fancy that becomes increasingly desperate as it tries to maintain internal consistency. In places you can see the hand of the ghost-writer (Eve Claxton) trying to keep it on track.
It isn't very interesting material in the end, as insight into the subject's mind; the stories soon stop being believable, and tropes drawn from other media & deus ex machinas get repetitive. Personal anecdotes from early life that might be interesting on their own are less so once it seems clear they were constructed later in life to make a good story.
Taken as a work of fiction, the writing and pacing are poor. Most of the surprises are absurd and unrealistic, there is no believable character development, and the reader is left believing things about psychology and physiology that are false. I stopped reading half way through and skimmed the later half.
It isn't very interesting material in the end, as insight into the subject's mind; the stories soon stop being believable, and tropes drawn from other media & deus ex machinas get repetitive. Personal anecdotes from early life that might be interesting on their own are less so once it seems clear they were constructed later in life to make a good story.
Taken as a work of fiction, the writing and pacing are poor. Most of the surprises are absurd and unrealistic, there is no believable character development, and the reader is left believing things about psychology and physiology that are false. I stopped reading half way through and skimmed the later half.
August 15, 2026
1* Tasteless/insubstantial/bad agenda
To publish this is in the poorest of taste. Simon and Schuster should hold their heads in shame for not fact checking any of this nonsense.
To publish this is in the poorest of taste. Simon and Schuster should hold their heads in shame for not fact checking any of this nonsense.
August 6, 2026
What an incredible journey for one person to take. I had not heard of Jason Arday before seeing this book on NetGalley and was drawn in by the chance to learn more about the challenges facing a neurodivergent person in today’s world.
This is a memoir that provides a clear chronological outline of Jason’s life and challenges from his birth to his appointment as a the youngest black professor at Cambridge. He provides a detailed description of all the significant events in his life that shaped him and lead to his ultimate success.
This is very much a testament to maternal love. Jason’s mother, Giff, is the center of his world for so much of his life and the force that pushed past all of those who challenged Jason’s potential and denied him opportunity and fair treatment in his early years.
This book was very educational about the different aspects of autism. The information and the details of Jason’s life are presented clearly and logically but not in a particularly emotionally engaging way. This doesn’t make the story any less important, valuable or informative. It just sets the tone for the delivery and is the main reason my 3 star rating.
Jason is an endearing and triumphant character who has had an amazing and eventful life so far!
Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and Jason Arday for the opportunity to read this ARC and share my thoughts!
This is a memoir that provides a clear chronological outline of Jason’s life and challenges from his birth to his appointment as a the youngest black professor at Cambridge. He provides a detailed description of all the significant events in his life that shaped him and lead to his ultimate success.
This is very much a testament to maternal love. Jason’s mother, Giff, is the center of his world for so much of his life and the force that pushed past all of those who challenged Jason’s potential and denied him opportunity and fair treatment in his early years.
This book was very educational about the different aspects of autism. The information and the details of Jason’s life are presented clearly and logically but not in a particularly emotionally engaging way. This doesn’t make the story any less important, valuable or informative. It just sets the tone for the delivery and is the main reason my 3 star rating.
Jason is an endearing and triumphant character who has had an amazing and eventful life so far!
Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and Jason Arday for the opportunity to read this ARC and share my thoughts!
August 14, 2026
Since posting my original review, Arday was found dead and this is extremely unfortunate.
August 15, 2026
Listened to the audiobook. Narration was excellent. This story is quite fantastical. Sounds unbelievable and extremely embellished and fabricated. After reading all the controversy about plagiarism and contradictory information about him being nonverbal, and the fact that he ran all these marathons with no training and picked up reading so easily and was neurodivergent and dyslexic and epileptic, and yet so easily without special training or years of therapist magically learn to read and write and run super marathons And after reading the Salt Path book and listening to the podcast called The Walkers and learning how the author lied about everything she wrote, it’s difficult to believe 75% of what’s in this book.
June 19, 2026
Great and Unfortunate Things by Jason Arday is a memoir that chronicles Arday’s experience growing up with autism spectrum disorder and developmental challenges in the United Kingdom. Through personal stories, he reflects on his struggles with communication, his experiences within the British educational and medical systems, and the obstacles he faced on his path to adulthood. The memoir explores disability, social mobility, and the people who shaped his development.
What stood out to me most is the central role of his mother, who remains a grounding presence throughout the narrative. While doctors, therapists, and educators often focused on limitations, she consistently emphasized possibility and adaptation. The book highlights the tension between professional expectations and individual potential, showing how diagnoses and predictions do not necessarily define a person’s future.
At the same time, Arday’s development is shown as the result of a wider support network. Alongside his mother, he was encouraged by family members, his wife, friends, mentors, and educators who believed in him, even when they were not specialists in disability education. This support, along with activities such as sports, snooker, sewing, and community involvement, helped foster confidence, connection, and independence.
I found this to be an engaging and thoughtful memoir that balances difficult experiences with hope, resilience, and the importance of community. More than a story of personal achievement, it is a reflection on the value of support systems, the dangers of defining people solely by diagnoses, and the impact that belief and opportunity can have on a person’s life.
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing an advance copy.
What stood out to me most is the central role of his mother, who remains a grounding presence throughout the narrative. While doctors, therapists, and educators often focused on limitations, she consistently emphasized possibility and adaptation. The book highlights the tension between professional expectations and individual potential, showing how diagnoses and predictions do not necessarily define a person’s future.
At the same time, Arday’s development is shown as the result of a wider support network. Alongside his mother, he was encouraged by family members, his wife, friends, mentors, and educators who believed in him, even when they were not specialists in disability education. This support, along with activities such as sports, snooker, sewing, and community involvement, helped foster confidence, connection, and independence.
I found this to be an engaging and thoughtful memoir that balances difficult experiences with hope, resilience, and the importance of community. More than a story of personal achievement, it is a reflection on the value of support systems, the dangers of defining people solely by diagnoses, and the impact that belief and opportunity can have on a person’s life.
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing an advance copy.
August 12, 2026
How did a publishing company publish this? And as a memoir?! Did they do any research to make sure it wasn’t all BS? It’s so unbelievable, it had to have raised a few eyebrows. I rolled my eyes so much I gave myself a headache! Maybe as a work of fiction, it could work? Not sure though. Would still be a tough read.
August 16, 2026
Memoirs are always difficult for me to review. They are a retrospective account of someone's recalled experiences which are always subject to polishing, embellishing, and boxing up of skeletons in the closet along the way. They author presents themselves as they wish to be seen which may be in fact their own truth but not exactly THE truth. Recalling childhood experiences adds a fuzziness of details and a recollection of experiences see through a child's lens that may be supplemented by parental and familial recollections dimmed by tincture of time.
About midway through reading this memoir, I became aware of the academic allegations surrounding Dr. Arday. I am not in a position, nor do I have access to the necessary information, to validate them, refute them, or modify them. That is the responsibility his academic institutions he attended and was employed by to investigate and work out. It is not the press's or politicians' or social media influencers' responsibility or entitlement either.
What I can say after having read this book is that this man had lived with neurodivergence his entire life and many people discounted him along the way. This book is a love story to his mother who advocated for him at a time when kids with moderate to severe autism were locked away and not even given a chance to work on their abilities. Even if only half the content reaches verifiable "truth", his life is still an inspiration to other kids and adults living with autism. It is not the most eloquently written, though that may be expected based on his dyslexia. A lot of memoirs out there would receive similar critique. What makes me angry is that this an individual with self-disclosed recent mental health concerns, including suicidality, was bullied and hounded by the press and social media keyboard warriors in the months, weeks, days, and hours leading up to his death. No one deserves that level of intrusion into their personal lives, and not for the allegations swirling about. Even if true, did they warrant media staking out his home? To purposefully harass someone who clearly has a degree of emotional fragility is at the least inhumane and potentially criminal ... anyone with reasonable sense could intuit that after reading this book. I feel for Dr. Arday's family who lost someone they so loved. This is a tragedy that never should have been allowed to happen.
3.5 stars
Thank you to Simon & Schuster | 37 Ink and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
About midway through reading this memoir, I became aware of the academic allegations surrounding Dr. Arday. I am not in a position, nor do I have access to the necessary information, to validate them, refute them, or modify them. That is the responsibility his academic institutions he attended and was employed by to investigate and work out. It is not the press's or politicians' or social media influencers' responsibility or entitlement either.
What I can say after having read this book is that this man had lived with neurodivergence his entire life and many people discounted him along the way. This book is a love story to his mother who advocated for him at a time when kids with moderate to severe autism were locked away and not even given a chance to work on their abilities. Even if only half the content reaches verifiable "truth", his life is still an inspiration to other kids and adults living with autism. It is not the most eloquently written, though that may be expected based on his dyslexia. A lot of memoirs out there would receive similar critique. What makes me angry is that this an individual with self-disclosed recent mental health concerns, including suicidality, was bullied and hounded by the press and social media keyboard warriors in the months, weeks, days, and hours leading up to his death. No one deserves that level of intrusion into their personal lives, and not for the allegations swirling about. Even if true, did they warrant media staking out his home? To purposefully harass someone who clearly has a degree of emotional fragility is at the least inhumane and potentially criminal ... anyone with reasonable sense could intuit that after reading this book. I feel for Dr. Arday's family who lost someone they so loved. This is a tragedy that never should have been allowed to happen.
3.5 stars
Thank you to Simon & Schuster | 37 Ink and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
August 13, 2026
I am separating the author from the book as the author has lots of things people are digging every passing day. But the book is misleading. It's fiction, not a 'memoir' as many details are so absurd and inaccurate.
May 23, 2026
3.5⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced ARC.
Before reading this memoir, I had never heard of Arday, but was excited for his memoir. While it was promoted to the likes of Westover’s Educated, the writing was less extraordinary, but remained consistently interesting throughout.
Arday presents the defining events of his life in a matter-of-fact manner, often prioritizing chronology over emotional excavation. The memoir clearly maps out the people who shaped him — especially his mother, mentor, and wife — but spends less time unpacking the inner shifts that allowed those influences to take hold. Major turning points arrive with little sense of his internal world in those moments, leaving the reader aware of what changed without fully understanding how those changes felt to him.
All and all I enjoyed this book and would recommend to other readers.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced ARC.
Before reading this memoir, I had never heard of Arday, but was excited for his memoir. While it was promoted to the likes of Westover’s Educated, the writing was less extraordinary, but remained consistently interesting throughout.
Arday presents the defining events of his life in a matter-of-fact manner, often prioritizing chronology over emotional excavation. The memoir clearly maps out the people who shaped him — especially his mother, mentor, and wife — but spends less time unpacking the inner shifts that allowed those influences to take hold. Major turning points arrive with little sense of his internal world in those moments, leaving the reader aware of what changed without fully understanding how those changes felt to him.
All and all I enjoyed this book and would recommend to other readers.
August 23, 2026
Jason Arday (1985-2026) was a British academic from a British-Ghanan family. Arday was found deceased on August 14, 2026, after a public fall from grace and widespread and founded criticism of academic plagiarism that undermined his professorship at the University of Cambridge. His memoir, Great and Unfortunate Things, written with British writer Eve Claxton, was published in the US on August 11, 2026, and is due to be released in the UK on August 27.
I came into this book (specifically, the audiobook version, narrated by the author) not knowing any of Arday's history and not realizing he had just died. I picked it up because I enjoy memoirs of all stripes. I had gotten to around the 60% mark, after being tempted to DNF the book several times and skipping ahead at least once, and after one too many stories Arday told about being unfairly persecuted, decided to Google him, and that's when all the pieces clicked into place for me.
Narratively, this book isn't particularly well-written (despite having a professional writer as a cowriter); it's repetitive, self-aggrandizing, and portrays the author as a beyond-belief prodigy with a simultaneous savior complex and persecution complex. My issues started early on with hours of narration on the author's childhood. I generally think 40ish is on the youngish side to write one's own memoir because one generally doesn't have the decades of life experiences to effectively contextualize and sublimate one's own lived experiences to a more universal narrative. I don't think Arday lived long enough to contextualize his own, unfortunately. He writes of growing up nonverbal and illiterate and on the autism spectrum, but being destined for greatness anyway because he was born with long fingers, had a random woman on one of his volunteering jobs tell him he was special, and had a very determined mother who spent hundreds of hours expertly coaching him whilst not being trained as a special education teacher or therapist. Despite struggling academically and allegedly being unable to read or write at 18, he writes about how unfair it was that dozens of colleges wouldn't admit him. He writes about how despite being nonverbal for years, he had extraordinary ability to listen, emotionally relate, and have people open up to him about their darkest secrets. He brags about raising substantial amounts of money for charity through methods that sound quite implausible, like running 30 marathons in 35 days, finishing this already superhuman task after breaking his leg on day 21 (see this substack piece from a fellow academic analyzing the plausibility of this claim here). He writes about being mugged and beaten to the point where he was hospitalized and developed a seizure disorder by three young people, only to have several of those young people later take one of his college level classes and ask him to be the godfather of one of their children.
Honestly, this book reads like wish fulfillment autofiction by a person who has a very loose relationship with the truth. And allegedly Arday's book proposal for this book also purported to write about even more improbable claims, like a car accident that left him hospitalized in a coma for months, and battling testicular cancer.
I ended up DNFing this book around 75% of the way through. I would not recommend it, except as a cautionary tale.
Further reading: memoirs or biographies of professionals from disadvantaged backgrounds I would recommend in place of this one:
PHD to Ph.D.: How Education Saved My Life by Elaine Richardson
The Worlds I See: Curiosity, Exploration, and Discovery at the Dawn of AI by Fei-Fei Li
Emergence: A Memoir of Boyhood, Computation, and the Mysteries of Mind by David Sussillo
The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins, MIT, and the Fight for Women in Science by Kate Zernike
The Beauty in Breaking by Michele Harper, MD
Breaking Through: My Life in Science by Katalin Karikó
My statistics:
Book 156 for 2026
Book 2462 cumulatively
I came into this book (specifically, the audiobook version, narrated by the author) not knowing any of Arday's history and not realizing he had just died. I picked it up because I enjoy memoirs of all stripes. I had gotten to around the 60% mark, after being tempted to DNF the book several times and skipping ahead at least once, and after one too many stories Arday told about being unfairly persecuted, decided to Google him, and that's when all the pieces clicked into place for me.
Narratively, this book isn't particularly well-written (despite having a professional writer as a cowriter); it's repetitive, self-aggrandizing, and portrays the author as a beyond-belief prodigy with a simultaneous savior complex and persecution complex. My issues started early on with hours of narration on the author's childhood. I generally think 40ish is on the youngish side to write one's own memoir because one generally doesn't have the decades of life experiences to effectively contextualize and sublimate one's own lived experiences to a more universal narrative. I don't think Arday lived long enough to contextualize his own, unfortunately. He writes of growing up nonverbal and illiterate and on the autism spectrum, but being destined for greatness anyway because he was born with long fingers, had a random woman on one of his volunteering jobs tell him he was special, and had a very determined mother who spent hundreds of hours expertly coaching him whilst not being trained as a special education teacher or therapist. Despite struggling academically and allegedly being unable to read or write at 18, he writes about how unfair it was that dozens of colleges wouldn't admit him. He writes about how despite being nonverbal for years, he had extraordinary ability to listen, emotionally relate, and have people open up to him about their darkest secrets. He brags about raising substantial amounts of money for charity through methods that sound quite implausible, like running 30 marathons in 35 days, finishing this already superhuman task after breaking his leg on day 21 (see this substack piece from a fellow academic analyzing the plausibility of this claim here). He writes about being mugged and beaten to the point where he was hospitalized and developed a seizure disorder by three young people, only to have several of those young people later take one of his college level classes and ask him to be the godfather of one of their children.
Honestly, this book reads like wish fulfillment autofiction by a person who has a very loose relationship with the truth. And allegedly Arday's book proposal for this book also purported to write about even more improbable claims, like a car accident that left him hospitalized in a coma for months, and battling testicular cancer.
I ended up DNFing this book around 75% of the way through. I would not recommend it, except as a cautionary tale.
Further reading: memoirs or biographies of professionals from disadvantaged backgrounds I would recommend in place of this one:
PHD to Ph.D.: How Education Saved My Life by Elaine Richardson
The Worlds I See: Curiosity, Exploration, and Discovery at the Dawn of AI by Fei-Fei Li
Emergence: A Memoir of Boyhood, Computation, and the Mysteries of Mind by David Sussillo
The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins, MIT, and the Fight for Women in Science by Kate Zernike
The Beauty in Breaking by Michele Harper, MD
Breaking Through: My Life in Science by Katalin Karikó
My statistics:
Book 156 for 2026
Book 2462 cumulatively
June 30, 2026
I don’t really want to leave a review as all I knew was an autistic man becomes a professor. There is so much more to this book. I just want to say read this book - know nothing and take the amazing journey with Jason.
August 29, 2026
Jason Arday died at age 41 on August 14, 2026, just 9 days after resigning from his professorship at the University of Cambridge.
He resigned because of allegations of plagiarism in late July 2026.
In his resignation statement on August 5, 2026, he said the intense scrutiny had affected both him and his family, “The relentless accusations, speculation and public commentary have taken a profound toll on me and on those I love.”
He stressed that his resignation was not an admission that the allegations against him were true. He specifically said his decision should not be “mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me.”
The controversy led to investigations by the University of Cambridge and widespread media coverage. From July to August 2026 one media census initially reported 249 articles across 15 British outlets during that period. Some have characterized what happened as a “modern-day lynching” or “digital lynching”
In just 22 calendar days, Jason Arday went from being the subject of plagiarism allegations to having virtually every aspect of his academic career and personal history publicly dissected across hundreds of news stories and social-media posts. The speed, volume, and intensely personal nature of the scrutiny was astounding.
The American academic and former Cambridge researcher (I refuse to name him) that brought the plagiarism allegations against Arday has an interesting biography. In 2024 he was let go from his fellowship following controversy over writings about race and intelligence and a blog post concerning Black academics. He describes himself as a “race realist” and denies that his views are racist arguing that researchers should be open to the possibility that genetic differences among geographic populations could partly explain measured group differences in intelligence.
Jason Arday was a British sociologist, educator, and author. He was diagnosed with autism as a child. He was nonverbal and couldn’t read and write until he was 18yrs old. He overcame significant communication and educational challenges before pursuing higher education and earning a PhD in education.
At 37, he became the youngest Black person appointed to a professorship in Cambridge’s history, an achievement that brought him international attention.
I first heard about him when his memoir, Great and Unfortunate Things, was being promoted. It was released August 11, 2026. It was one of my most anticipated memoirs of the year.
I was sad to know of his death and of the details leading to his death. His memoir is an account of the amazing people in his life that believed in him, mainly his mother, and that helped him believe in himself.
This memoir is an amazing account that there may be obstacles but people can overcome them when they have a support system and are allowed the chance.
If you’re a teacher of anyone at any age I highly recommend this read.
He resigned because of allegations of plagiarism in late July 2026.
In his resignation statement on August 5, 2026, he said the intense scrutiny had affected both him and his family, “The relentless accusations, speculation and public commentary have taken a profound toll on me and on those I love.”
He stressed that his resignation was not an admission that the allegations against him were true. He specifically said his decision should not be “mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me.”
The controversy led to investigations by the University of Cambridge and widespread media coverage. From July to August 2026 one media census initially reported 249 articles across 15 British outlets during that period. Some have characterized what happened as a “modern-day lynching” or “digital lynching”
In just 22 calendar days, Jason Arday went from being the subject of plagiarism allegations to having virtually every aspect of his academic career and personal history publicly dissected across hundreds of news stories and social-media posts. The speed, volume, and intensely personal nature of the scrutiny was astounding.
The American academic and former Cambridge researcher (I refuse to name him) that brought the plagiarism allegations against Arday has an interesting biography. In 2024 he was let go from his fellowship following controversy over writings about race and intelligence and a blog post concerning Black academics. He describes himself as a “race realist” and denies that his views are racist arguing that researchers should be open to the possibility that genetic differences among geographic populations could partly explain measured group differences in intelligence.
Jason Arday was a British sociologist, educator, and author. He was diagnosed with autism as a child. He was nonverbal and couldn’t read and write until he was 18yrs old. He overcame significant communication and educational challenges before pursuing higher education and earning a PhD in education.
At 37, he became the youngest Black person appointed to a professorship in Cambridge’s history, an achievement that brought him international attention.
I first heard about him when his memoir, Great and Unfortunate Things, was being promoted. It was released August 11, 2026. It was one of my most anticipated memoirs of the year.
I was sad to know of his death and of the details leading to his death. His memoir is an account of the amazing people in his life that believed in him, mainly his mother, and that helped him believe in himself.
This memoir is an amazing account that there may be obstacles but people can overcome them when they have a support system and are allowed the chance.
If you’re a teacher of anyone at any age I highly recommend this read.
June 19, 2026
Great and Unfortunate Things by Jason Arday should be a must-read for all people. The challenges that Arday went through and the expectations that he shattered throughout his life so far are so inspiring and communicate the main message of: no matter your circumstances in life (socio-economic, race, disability, health, etc) you can still achieve great things and live life striving to be your best self.
As an Autism specialist for a school district, I very much enjoy hearing testimonies like Arday's. More people need to hear these and see that everyone is valuable to society and early intervention should not have a "cookie-cutter" way. His mother is his champion throughout this, providing evidenced based practices for autism before that term was even coined.
Thank you for writing this book. Thank you for sharing your story. Now let's get this into hands to read it and hopefully change perspectives for the better.
Review for Netgalley and Simon and Shuster.
As an Autism specialist for a school district, I very much enjoy hearing testimonies like Arday's. More people need to hear these and see that everyone is valuable to society and early intervention should not have a "cookie-cutter" way. His mother is his champion throughout this, providing evidenced based practices for autism before that term was even coined.
Thank you for writing this book. Thank you for sharing your story. Now let's get this into hands to read it and hopefully change perspectives for the better.
Review for Netgalley and Simon and Shuster.
August 15, 2026
The inspiring story of Jason Arday, who was diagnosed as autistic, didn't speak until the age of 11, didn't learn to read or write until the age of 18, and went on to become a professor at Cambridge University. I'm not rating it higher because I find some of his story a little bit difficult to believe - specifically two things - his mother is a perfect saint, and many, many people Jason met in his life told him they knew he was destined to do great, world-changing things. I'm also a little cautious about books like this because I wonder if they cause mothers of autistic children who remain non-verbal and non-literate feel like they just didn't tell their child "You can do anything!" often enough. And that would be a shame.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advance review copy.
Update: After writing this review I heard that the author had been accused of lying about his past and plagiarizing some of his academic work. He took his own life yesterday. Reading his memoir made me feel like I knew him, to some extent. The news of his death has made me so sad.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advance review copy.
Update: After writing this review I heard that the author had been accused of lying about his past and plagiarizing some of his academic work. He took his own life yesterday. Reading his memoir made me feel like I knew him, to some extent. The news of his death has made me so sad.
August 16, 2026
A book of lies which should be burned.
August 31, 2026
‘To this day, everything I do is scrutinised and challenged in a way that almost never happens to my white colleagues. For every new position I’ve attained, there has always been someone doubting that I’ve arrived there on merit. This constant questioning of our abilities is a phenomenon that I and many other Black people seem to have to learn to live with.’
Yes this is an autobiography and needs to be read with the bias that brings in mind, yet this is also an account of what it was like growing up in the UK black and autistic, and how hard it is for Black people to break into the elitism of academia. It also shows how powerful it is having people in your life who demonstrate unconditional love and belief in you…and the difference teachers can make to individuals. So many parts in this book hold extra poignancy following Professor Arday’s tragic death. A sad but important read.
Yes this is an autobiography and needs to be read with the bias that brings in mind, yet this is also an account of what it was like growing up in the UK black and autistic, and how hard it is for Black people to break into the elitism of academia. It also shows how powerful it is having people in your life who demonstrate unconditional love and belief in you…and the difference teachers can make to individuals. So many parts in this book hold extra poignancy following Professor Arday’s tragic death. A sad but important read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 24, 2026
3.5 stars. I had the audiobook on hold before the release date as the topic sounded very interesting. Knowing everything that has happened since, it was hard not to think about the author and the circumstances that made him feel that suicide was the only solution. His story is quite amazing, even if some of the instances may or may not be true, as a nonverbal person of color whose mother was told he would never amount to anything. There of course was a sadness as I listened to his hope and feeling proud/happy that he had realized a dream, knowing that this accomplishment would lead to accusations and creating a dark cloud over his reputation. His story is interesting as it shines a light but it didn’t have a story arc or a perspective for the storytelling. It felt like a list of what happened in his life. I realized that’s probably what differentiates a good memoir from a great one.
August 17, 2026
I had no idea he just died when I started listening to his book. I find his early years truly remarkable, especially the tenacity of his mom in figuring out what helped him. I have no doubt he’s helped others with his pursuit of higher learning.
Read
August 11, 2026A truly wild and interesting story! It really highlights the power of a support system and the impact of a mother’s unwavering love and belief in her child. I will say, I did find myself struggling to want to pick up the book and felt like it was missing a bit of emotional depth and connection. But I always appreciate learning about a life and perspective so different from mine.
Did Not Finish
August 16, 2026How sad that the very weekend that I started reading this book (unaware of the controversy swirling around it), the author was found dead by his own hand. A link to this article in the Atlantic was in my email today. [https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2...] I'm choosing not to continue with it.
August 1, 2026
Thank you Net Galley for the ARC.
Edit to my review: It has come to my attention that there is a lot of controversy on this book. For that I am editing my review.
In all the controversy I still will say this Giff man if I could spend 10 minutes with her I would. The strengthen and complete embodiment of fighting and advocating for your children. As a mom of three boys the 1 thing that sticks with me is that she never ever gave up. Not even after being told so many times to basically stop. She showed up for her children she pushed the boundaries and kept asking the questions but never ever threw in the towel. She is who I hope to be as a parent. I think no matter what I will take that from this book how important it is as parents we stand up for our children, they see us standing up and fighting for them.
I think there are many lessons in the book and learnings surrounding autism, advocacy, treatments etc. Are there better books that do that I am sure there are I haven’t had the pleasure of finding them. However I do not want to negate that there are some really important themes whether fact or fiction about his life that are still important to discuss. Maybe they need to market this as more of an adaptation of how he viewed his life or fantasized it was rather than 100% truth. However since this is currently marketed as a memoir I can’t in good conscience keep the high rating as it is deceiving (it’s like another book we all have to remember from years ago doing the same thing 😬🤷🏼♀️).
Edit to my review: It has come to my attention that there is a lot of controversy on this book. For that I am editing my review.
In all the controversy I still will say this Giff man if I could spend 10 minutes with her I would. The strengthen and complete embodiment of fighting and advocating for your children. As a mom of three boys the 1 thing that sticks with me is that she never ever gave up. Not even after being told so many times to basically stop. She showed up for her children she pushed the boundaries and kept asking the questions but never ever threw in the towel. She is who I hope to be as a parent. I think no matter what I will take that from this book how important it is as parents we stand up for our children, they see us standing up and fighting for them.
I think there are many lessons in the book and learnings surrounding autism, advocacy, treatments etc. Are there better books that do that I am sure there are I haven’t had the pleasure of finding them. However I do not want to negate that there are some really important themes whether fact or fiction about his life that are still important to discuss. Maybe they need to market this as more of an adaptation of how he viewed his life or fantasized it was rather than 100% truth. However since this is currently marketed as a memoir I can’t in good conscience keep the high rating as it is deceiving (it’s like another book we all have to remember from years ago doing the same thing 😬🤷🏼♀️).
July 27, 2026
4.75⭐️
August 12, 2026
This book was released today. I started reading it right away as I thought the author would be speaking at the Erma Bombeck luncheon in October. I had noticed the book wasn't on the website but they had sent an email July 1 showing he was speaking. I was most of the way through the book when I googled him and realized he resigned from Cambridge on Aug 5th amidst plagiarism accusations! I enjoyed the book and suspect that his health issues played into his downfall. His suicidal attempt after completing his PhD surprised me but if he knew in his heart he had cheated it actually makes more sense. How and where does he go from here?
Apparently people are questioning this book as well...to many miracles??
Jason Arday's Fairy Tale Is Over - The Atlantic https://share.google/mzyRbJndYCYCcEMXm
Heartbreaking!!! But probably should gave been expected!! https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1j...
Apparently people are questioning this book as well...to many miracles??
Jason Arday's Fairy Tale Is Over - The Atlantic https://share.google/mzyRbJndYCYCcEMXm
Heartbreaking!!! But probably should gave been expected!! https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1j...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2026
I hope he rests in peace, and his family do well from the book, which no matter how successful I'm sure they would trade it all for more time with their loved one.
Unfortunately this is not worth reading for anything other than morbid curiosity. It is terribly written and almost every sentence feels padded with unnecessary descriptive words, and what exactly was the ghost writer doing with him?
So many of the things that are in this see him as the put upon, infinitely merciful main character of the world. Most of the time it feels more like parables teaching tiktok level self-help with fairy tale logics, rather than something anyone could take anything practical from. It feels tongue in cheek when the mother uses Forrest Gump to teach that learning challenged people can succeed.
While almost all of the speaking/writing claims are amazing, as someone with minor learning difficulties the idea of a recently-verbal illiterate child having to do Spanish (which is just plopped down as something he was doing in class, with no details of tutoring or other arrangements) feels like the point when whoever was fact checking and editing this just didn't care. Also on the same point, the speech therapist's relationship with him starting to speak is very much underplayed and tainted with the shaking allegation, the whole thing is just very dark, angry, and confused.
Maybe everything here is factual, maybe this is an expression of his particular experience of the world, but it really didn't work for me as a book. One wonders what this would have looked like if he didn't have the media witch hunt, I believe due to the combination of silly season and racists. Would the book have brought critical attention in itself, or just been something just for the fans?
Not sure this is a helpful review, so might delete, but yeah couldn't recommend this.
Unfortunately this is not worth reading for anything other than morbid curiosity. It is terribly written and almost every sentence feels padded with unnecessary descriptive words, and what exactly was the ghost writer doing with him?
So many of the things that are in this see him as the put upon, infinitely merciful main character of the world. Most of the time it feels more like parables teaching tiktok level self-help with fairy tale logics, rather than something anyone could take anything practical from. It feels tongue in cheek when the mother uses Forrest Gump to teach that learning challenged people can succeed.
While almost all of the speaking/writing claims are amazing, as someone with minor learning difficulties the idea of a recently-verbal illiterate child having to do Spanish (which is just plopped down as something he was doing in class, with no details of tutoring or other arrangements) feels like the point when whoever was fact checking and editing this just didn't care. Also on the same point, the speech therapist's relationship with him starting to speak is very much underplayed and tainted with the shaking allegation, the whole thing is just very dark, angry, and confused.
Maybe everything here is factual, maybe this is an expression of his particular experience of the world, but it really didn't work for me as a book. One wonders what this would have looked like if he didn't have the media witch hunt, I believe due to the combination of silly season and racists. Would the book have brought critical attention in itself, or just been something just for the fans?
Not sure this is a helpful review, so might delete, but yeah couldn't recommend this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
September 23, 2026Not sure how to adress the review. I read this memoir out of curiosity. I cannot say I fully believe all the claims but I do hope he is at peace.
September 9, 2026
"How come it's always the best of us that can't bear to be" Kae Tempest.
Rest in Power, Professor Jason Arday. There is blood on the hands of Cambridge and the British media.
Rest in Power, Professor Jason Arday. There is blood on the hands of Cambridge and the British media.
August 15, 2026
I was excited to start this book as soon as it was released. I was especially impressed by Jason Arday’s mother’s determination and drive, as well as his ability to overcome so many obstacles.
With only a couple of chapters left, I saw the news that the author had been found deceased, along with the allegations of plagiarism and dishonesty surrounding his story and university research. It was incredibly sad and unsettling to finish the book under those circumstances.
I’m left wondering how much of what I read was actually true, which unfortunately changes the way I view the book and the story I had been so invested in. It’s a heartbreaking and complicated way to finish what had been a very compelling read.
With only a couple of chapters left, I saw the news that the author had been found deceased, along with the allegations of plagiarism and dishonesty surrounding his story and university research. It was incredibly sad and unsettling to finish the book under those circumstances.
I’m left wondering how much of what I read was actually true, which unfortunately changes the way I view the book and the story I had been so invested in. It’s a heartbreaking and complicated way to finish what had been a very compelling read.
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