Even his publishers say it’s a story of “improbable triumphs”.
But the final version of Jason Arday’s memoir appears to be quite different to the premise originally proposed by the University of Cambridge professor, who resigned following claims of plagiarism and questions about his achievements.
Despite concerns over his credibility, Great and Unfortunate Things, which charts how Arday became the university’s youngest black professor, is still set to be published by Simon & Schuster on 11 August in the US and 27 August in the UK.
Some of the more eye-catching claims about Arday’s rise appears to have been toned down or excised altogether, according to reports. The publisher has apparently made a number of late edits as concerns over the academic’s version of events became a major news event days before the book hits stores.
Simon & Schuster is standing by Arday, who said he was paid “1.4 million” – he did not specify pounds or dollars – for the 336-page book. It is set to detail his life from a diagnosis of autism and global developmental delay at age three and being non-verbal until 11, to becoming a professor of sociology of education at Cambridge at age 37.
Although he admitted errors in his work, the 41-year-old said he had faced “an unrelenting level of public scrutiny and personal attack” and was not a “liar”.
He also told The Times that he was “accountable” for mistakes he has made, but said: “I think the cruelty that I’ve experienced and the positioning of me as this kind of liar and fantasist is totally unacceptable.”
Fundraising claims toned down
Following the announcement that the university has opened an investigation after receiving “new information” about Arday’s qualifications and career, his memoir is coming under close scrutiny.
According to Benjamin Ryan, a US journalist, changes appear to have been made between a draft “galley” manuscript of the book circulated in January, that he said he has seen, and the version sent for publication in June. They suggest edits have been made to claims related to Arday’s fundraising efforts.
In the early proof, posted by Ryan on X, Arday recalls saying to his mother after visiting a homeless shelter: “I’m going to raise a lot of money, and I’m going to give it away to people who don’t have a home.”
In the later edition, according to Ryan, this quote says; “I’m going to work with a lot of people to raise money” for the homeless.
Jason Arday carried the Olympic Flame during the Torch Relay ahead of the 2012 London Olympics (Photo: Joe Giddens/PA)Arday had recently revised a claim to have personally raised over £5m for charities, saying he was actually part of a large team.
Other achievements he has previously cited, such as running 600 miles in six days, are not included in the book and no final figure is offered for his fundraising. Arday has said the 600 miles challenge was actually completed over a 12 day to allow for rest days.
Despite Arday’s resignation, the University of Cambridge has said it will “continue to investigate the circumstances around Jason Arday’s appointment and tenure. The findings will feed into a review of the process for the appointment of senior academic roles.”
‘Stealth edits’ to biography
Ryan, who writes for the politically conservative US outlet the Washington Free Beacon, says there have been a number of “stealth edits” to Arday’s biography on his Simon & Schuster’s speakers’ bureau page since the controversy erupted.
The sentence “Arday is a prolific fundraiser; he has been part of several fundraising teams that have raised millions of pounds for charity, winning numerous prodigious fundraising awards” has been removed.
Ryan warned that Simon & Schuster could be sued if sections of the non-fiction book turn out to be untrue.
He told The i Paper: “It’s not my place to say what they should do. But I presume that 20 years after the James Frey affair, that memory still rings in their ears. Provided they’re old enough to remember.”
In 2006, Random House paid £1.25m to a group of readers who sued, claiming they were defrauded after author James Frey admitted that his memoir about his battle with drug addiction, A Million Little Pieces, contained “many embellished details” about his past experiences in order to improve its “dramatic arc”.
The Arday case follows the controversy over Raynor Winn’s best-selling The Salt Path which rocked the publishing industry last year.
A newspaper investigation suggested that some of Winn’s claims about her husband’s serious illness and the events that led to the couple losing their home were misrepresented. Winn rejected the claims, saying the book was “the true story of our journey”.
Differences between proposal and published book
Further questions about Arday’s memoir have been raised by US magazine The Atlantic. It said it had discovered “disturbing inconsistencies” between his 2024 proposal for the book, which it had obtained and the version, co-written with Eve Claxton, an experienced US-based writer and editor.
According to the magazine, the proposal describes how Arday, then a teenager, was struck by a car, spent several months in a coma and suffered locked-in syndrome.
However, it said the published book does not describe these events.
The publication also said the proposal outlined a diagnosis of testicular cancer but the book describes brain tumours.
Ahead of Arday’s Cambridge resignation, Simon & Schuster said it was “proud to publish” his book.
“We have worked closely with him on Great and Unfortunate Things since acquiring it in April 2024 and can speak to the professionalism and integrity he has brought to every stage of the publication. At Simon & Schuster, we have robust editorial and legal processes in place that we apply to the books we publish.
“Great And Unfortunate Things is Jason Arday’s memoir, told through his own recollections and those of the people closest to him. He worked closely with his co-writer, as well as our editorial and legal teams, to carefully research, write and corroborate the narrative.”
Simon & Schuster did not respond to further questions about the book since then.
Prof Arday was also approached for comment. He has previously defended himself and his work.
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