Great and Unfortunate Things

'What a remarkable book by a unique and extraordinary man. I fell in love with Jason's family, especially the incredible Giff (what a mother, what a woman!) and I cheered at every infuriating brick wall she and Jason smashed down' – Kathy Burke, author of A Mind of My Own 'You did it, didn't you, Jason?' Mum asked. 'No, Giff,' I told her. 'We did. We did it . . .' When Jason Arday was thirty-seven years old, everything changed. He made international news by becoming the youngest Black professor in the almost thousand-year history of the University of Cambridge. But that remarkable achievement is only part of his great and unfortunate tale. He grew up in a council house in south London with his parents and two brothers. Diagnosed with autism and global developmental delay at the age of three, he spent much of his non-verbal childhood navigating a system that struggled to understand him. Doctors and teachers believed there was 'no one in there'. But Jason's mother, Giff, refused to accept the limits others placed on her son. With the faith of his family and the support of a handful of extraordinary friends and mentors, Jason slowly found his voice. He spoke his first word at eleven, learned to read at eighteen, and discovered a passion for education and helping others that would transform his life. Along the way there were improbable triumphs and heartbreaking setbacks, tears of joy and moments so painful that laughter was the only option, and more than one occasion when everything seemed poised to fall apart. Great and Unfortunate Things is an unforgettable book about resilience and love – and the transformative power of someone who believes in you when the world does not.

Jason Arday is a social commentator, presenter and public speaker. He is currently the Professorial Chair of Education (Sociology of Education) at the University of Cambridge, making him the youngest-ever Black academic to hold a Professorship at Cambridge and one of the youngest academics ever appointed to a Professorial Chair in Oxbridge's one-thousand-year history.