I requested this memoir from Netgalley because I was intrigued by Jason Arday's story, which goes like this: Jason was a severely impaired, autistic, nonverbal child who didn't speak until age 12, and didn't learn to read and write until age 18. Jason then went on to earn a PhD and in 2023, he was awarded the Professorship in the Sociology of Education at Cambridge University. Arday was widely touted as being the youngest Black professor ever hired by the university.
Jason Arday
When I got the book, I was unaware of the controversy surrounding Arday's Cambridge appointment, which can be summed up as follows: Jason's critics call him a plagiarist, fantasist, and DEI choice who should never have been hired by Cambridge University. Arday's defenders say the critics are racists who've unfairly targeted Jason, and harassed him mercilessly.
Jason Arday resigned from Cambridge on August 5, 2026, writing in part: "It is with profound sadness that I write to resign, with immediate effect, from my position at the University of Cambridge and Jesus College. Sadly, the years since my appointment have...been marked by an unrelenting level of public scrutiny and personal attack [that] have taken a profound toll on me and on those I love...I have concluded that the only way to bring this chapter to an end is to step away."
Arday was found dead thirteen days later, on August 14, 2026, a victim of suicide.
I became aware of the imbroglio surrounding Arday, and his tragic death, shortly before I read Jason's memoir, which I'll review now. Afterwards, I'll make a few further comments.
*****
Review of 'Great and Unfortunate Things' by Jason Arday and Eve Claxton
Jason Arday was born in London in 1985, to Ghanian parents Gifty and Joseph Arday. Jason's development was slow, and he writes, "When I started speech therapy around the age of four, I had yet to talk, had only just learned to walk, and still needed someone to spoon-feed me." Like many autistic children, Jason engaged in self-soothing behavior called stimming, which in Jason's case included rocking, humming, and banging his head against the wall.
Young Jason Arday
Doctors diagnosed Jason with autism and developmental delays, and told his parents Jason would never be able to speak, write, or live independently, and that an institution would best fit his needs. Jason's mother, whom he calls Giff, disagreed. Arday writes, "Before the word neurodiversity had even been coined, Giff understood the concept: that every human is an individual...and that the world needs all kinds of people. God had made me, and so God...had given her not a burden, but a gift."
Jason Arday (far left) with his mother Gifty, father Joseph (far right), and Professor Mark Power, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Liverpool John Moores University
When Jason started school at age four, an incident of head banging drew blood, and Jason got put into a classroom of his own and also attended a hospital clinic. The methods used to instruct Jason - shapes, sounds, and eye contact - didn't work, so Giff developed her own strategies. Among other things, Giff learned Makaton, a method of communication that relies on a combination of spoken words, hand gestures, and visual aids like pictures and symbols - a technique that worked well for Jason.
Examples of Makaton, used to teach autistic and impaired individuals
Arday notes he was very lucky to grow up with a strong Black African woman who averred, "With every ounce of strength I have...and as long as I'm alive, whatever Jason can be, he will be." Some things Giff used were television shows, like Nellie the Elephant, Trans World Sport, and soap operas such as 'Home and Away and Neighbors.' Arday observes, "Thanks to these soaps, and TV in general, my understanding of the human experience expanded. I learned about emotions - fear, sadness, joy - and about relationships."
A scene from the soap opera 'Home and Away and Neighbors'
Giff also used movies to instruct Jason, and films like 'Rocky' and 'Forrest Gump' were inspirational. Arday watched his favorite movies so many times he knew the dialog by heart, and years later, when Arday started to read, closed captioning helped him hone his reading skills.
Jason also loved music and movement, and his dad Joe had a wide-ranging selection of records to which Jason would move his body in rhythm, rocking, humming, clapping his hands, and tapping objects. Arday writes, "Music was my WD-40, lubricating my hinges and joints so that I would have access to my feelings." One of Jason's favorite albums of all time was 'Graceland' by Paul Simon
During Jason's primary school years, Giff lobbied his teachers to innovate their approach to his education, but he didn't speak. Finally, at age 12, when Jason's therapist Katrina said, 'Hello, Jason", he said hello back to her. Giff was thrilled, and over time, other words came to Jason.
Arday mentions instructors and assistants who worked with him in school. However, Jason couldn't seem to develop linguistic fluency, and he had dyslexia and dyscalculia. To put it succinctly, school was a harrowing experience for Jason, and once he got old enough, he played hooky.
One thing Arday was good at was sports, like football and snooker. At Southfields Secondary School, teenage Jason would skive off classes in the afternoons, pick up a box of chicken and chips, and go to Rileys snooker hall - where he played for money. Arday recalls, "I started playing in the junior leagues, competing in snooker tournaments all over London, wearing my waistcoat with a Rileys logo on it." Arday was a generous soul, who put some of his cash winnings under his brothers' pillows or in their drawers.
Rileys snooker hall
In the meantime, Arday picked up another skill. After watching Giff make clothing for the family for years, Arday developed an interest in sewing. The symmetry of the craft, as well as the juddering of the machine, soothed Jason. Since he was also obsessed with tailored clothes - like those worn by old movie stars such as Cary Grant and Gregory Peck - Jason learned to sew.
Jason Arday liked sharp clothes
By the time Arday was eighteen, his poor performance in classes at Southfields Secondary School, and his low achievement on the GCSE exams left Jason few options. Still, with the help of a caring PE teacher called Mr. Trace, Jason went on to get a vocational qualification in sports. Afterwards, Giff's persistent efforts and fervent petitioning got Jason admitted to Merton College, where a Brazilian sports lecturer named Sandro took Jason under his wing.
At the same time, Jason was working part-time at Sports World. At the store, Jason was paired with a teenage teacher trainee named Debbie-Ann McKenzie (Debs), who was on the tills. Debs realized Jason couldn't read, and used phonics exercises and worksheets to tutor him. After a time, working with Sandro and Debs day after day after day, Jason finally learned to read.
Jason Arday and Debs McKenzie
While Arday had admirable accomplishments, he also experienced severe setbacks. Jason was badly beaten by four thugs at a bus stop, which resulted in physical injuries as well as ongoing epilepsy; Jason developed a recurring benign brain tumor near his pituitary gland, and needed surgery; Jason suffered a debilitating bout of depression that left him unable to get out of bed; Jason became suicidal and almost jumped off a bridge; and more. None of this stopped Arday permanently, and he carried on.
After completing his studies at Merton College, and with continuing encouragement from Giff, Sandro, and Debs, Jason went on to graduate from St. Mary's University; obtain a postgraduate certificate in education; and earn various degrees, including a PhD from Liverpool John Moores University in 2015. To accomplish all this, Arday learned to suppress his stims and impulses to act out, which he describes as taking a huge effort.
Jason Arday grew a beard while he was working on his PhD thesis
During all this time, Arday was busy with other things as well. He writes, "Tailoring and academia weren't my only preoccupations...Thanks to Giff's moral instruction, that you should always help those in need...it was ingrained in me to devote myself to charity work whenever I could." So in summer 2010, while Arday was working as a sports lecturer at Richmond upon Thames College, he set himself the goal of running thirty marathons in thirty-five days. Jason's aim was to raise money for 'Shelter' (a homelessness charity) and 'The Shooting Star Children’s Hospice.' Arday completed the feat, but - before the finished - suffered a hairline fracture in his leg that caused intense pain.
Jason Arday ran marathons for charity
In time, Debs became Arday's girlfriend, and they married in 2014. The couple had two children, a girl Taylah and a boy Noah. Jason and Debs separated in 2019, but continued to co-parent.
Jason Arday and Debs McKenzie wed in 2014
Having a family to support, Arday went on to other jobs. He lectured at university in the daytime, and at night, he stocked shelves at Sainsbury's and worked for a private cleaning service.
Arday makes sure to express appreciation for the friends and fellow workers that helped him when he was a college student, and then at his places of employment. This is important, I think, for the topic Jason later chose for his PhD thesis. Jason did his doctoral studies at Liverpool John Moores University, where his 2015 thesis was entitled, "An exploration of peer-mentoring among student teachers to inform reflective practice within the context of action research.” In a nutshell, the topic covers how student teachers can assist each other to examine and analyze their work, so they can learn from it and improve.
Liverpool John Moores University
[Note: Arday was later accused of plagiarizing parts of his PhD thesis, and Cambridge University was investigating the charges at the time of Jason's death. I can't speak to Arday's innocence or guilt, but the thesis topic seems to have been in his wheelhouse.]
After Arday earned his PhD, a colleague warned him, "The PhD gets you to the door of academia, but it doesn't give you the key." Jason writes, "He was exactly right. I still had to publish, bring in grants, get my work out there, and have a public impact so that I could get invited to conferences and deliver keynotes, making a name for myself and my work."
Jason Arday gave talks and lectures
All this was exceedingly difficult for Arday, whose reading and writing remained slow. Nevertheless, Arday advanced step by step, and - as is well known by now - was eventually given a position at Cambridge University. And the rest is history.
In my view, the memoir is well-written and inspirational, with interesting personal anecdotes sprinkled throughout. The narrative provides insight into neurodivergence, and might encourage affected individuals and their families. Not every autistic person will get a PhD, but neither will most other people.
*****
At this time I've read much of the criticism aimed at Arday for his PhD thesis, his professorship at Cambridge, and this memoir. I don't know whether the memoir is 100% unalloyed truth or not. And I don't know if Arday deserved the professorship at Cambridge or not. That's for other people to determine.
That said, most of the criticism aimed at Arday is vicious and mean-spirited, and some comes from people like Nathan Cofnas, an American philosopher who does research at Ghent University in Belgium. Cofnas describes himself as a “race realist”, and is widely criticized as racist.
In addition, when faultfinders' criticisms are proven to be unjustified, they tend to move the goalposts. For instance, many people insisted Arday couldn't have completed 30 marathons in 35 days. When outside sources confirmed the feat, critics said he couldn't have had a broken leg. But a hairline fracture IS NOT a broken leg. I could go on, but plenty of people - pro and con - are jumping on the bandwagon, so nuff said by me.
It's terribly sad that Arday, whose problems made him a fragile person, was driven to suicide. My sincere condolences to Jason Arday's loved ones.
Thousands mourn the late Cambridge professor Jason Arday in Trafalgar Square
Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for an ARC of the book.
Rating: 4 stars
