Black scholar's memoir published weeks after he died facing plagiarism charges

Key Points:

• Professor Jason Arday’s memoir, "Great and Unfortunate Things," is being published posthumously by Simon & Schuster, telling his story from a non-verbal autistic child to the youngest Black professor at Cambridge University.
• Arday died on August 14 in London amid intense media scrutiny over allegations of plagiarism and exaggeration of his athletic and fundraising achievements, which he denied, attributing criticism to racism and ableism.
• Cambridge University faced criticism for promoting Arday rapidly in a diversity push despite concerns about his qualifications, and launched an investigation into his appointment after new information surfaced.
• The memoir omits some of Arday’s previously claimed achievements, such as running 600 miles in six days for charity, fueling further debate about his legacy.
• Arday’s family supports the publication of the memoir to honor his wishes and has called for media restraint to allow them space to grieve following his death.