Jason Arday's book goes on sale in US with no mention of plagiarism row or Cambridge resignation

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Arday resigned from Cambridge last Wednesday over claims he plagiarised his PhD thesis, completed at Liverpool John Moores University, and other research.

It came after Cambridge University launched an investigation into Arday as fellow academics accused him of copying work and inventing some previous academic posts.

But his memoir, Great and Unfortunate Things, is being released in the US by publishing giant Simon & Schuster on Wednesday.

The book tells the story of Arday’s life, from receiving an autism diagnosis and global developmental delay aged three, to speaking his first words aged 11.

He claims in the book that he learned to read and write aged 18, before eventually becoming Cambridge's youngest ever Black professor aged 37 when he was appointed in 2023.

Read more: Jason Arday ‘accused student of white privilege’ after she questioned her mark

Read more: Jason Arday cancels book tour events after plagiarism claims

But the book's pages still say the author is "currently" the 2002 Professorial Chair in the Sociology of Education at Cambridge University and the "youngest black academic to hold a professorship at the university" despite resigning last week.

No author's notes or publisher's notes have been added to reflect the controversy that has sparked his downfall.

However, in the epilogue, Arday writes: "Sadly, almost every good thing that has happened to me has come with some kind of cost and my appointment to Cambridge has been no exception.

"I cannot sugarcoat the fact that there have been those who have been outraged and offended by the idea of a black professor at such an elite institution.

"I have continued to face harassment and persecution as the subject of targeted campaigns driven by racial animus."

The former professor has cancelled events promoting the memoir, which is to be published in the UK on August 27.

He has cancelled his book tour in the UK.

On Tuesday, a union leader, who has spoken out about facing racism as a child, distanced himself from a letter of support for Arday.

Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), initially signed the letter two weeks ago on the Good Law Project website.

It had claimed there had been a “smear campaign” against the academic, insisting the allegations of plagiarism he is facing are “entirely false”.

The NEU has now withdrawn its backing for Mr Arday and says a new letter should be issued “appealing for a fair and transparent investigation”.

It comes after three academics asked their names to be removed from the letter after new allegations about Arday came to light.

They are Sonita Alleyne, the first woman to head up Jesus College, where Arday was employed, Sir Simon Philip Baron-Cohen, a Cambridge professor of developmental psychopathology , and Ricardo Sabates Aysa, an education and international development expert.

But Mr Kebede believes that  Arday should still have a “right to due process”, the NEU said.

AnNEU spokesman said: “As a trade unionist, Daniel Kebede fundamentally believes that where questions are raised about an individual's professional conduct, that person has a right to due process.

“Daniel Kebede signed the statement on the information provided to him at the time.

“In light of the new information that has since emerged, he would have hoped that the authors of the statement would have presented a different statement. One appealing for a fair and transparent investigation.”

Further questions were asked in the press about the truth of other claims he made, including saying he ran 600 miles in six days and that he had raised £5.5 million for charity.

In another damning allegation, a student has said they were accused by Arday of 'white privilege' after she questioned her grades.

Arday is alleged to have implied the student was racist after she complained about receiving a lower-than-expected grade on an essay.

A spokesperson at the University of Roehampton said that Arday was employed as a senior lecturer in the School of Education from September 2017 until February 2019.

The university said it has reviewed its student casework records and identified no complaints relating to Arday during his period of employment.

Arday said in his resignation letter: "This decision should not be interpreted as a loss of faith in scholarship or in the values that first brought me to Cambridge.

“Nor should it be mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me.

“It is simply the decision of someone who has reached the limits of what any person should reasonably be expected to endure.”

LBC has approached Simon & Schuster for comment.