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The Unclaimed: Abandonment and Hope in the City of Angels
An intimate, deeply moving investigation of an underreported phenomenon—the rising number of unclaimed dead in America today—and what it says about the state of our society.
For centuries, people who died destitute or alone were buried in potter’s fields—a Dickensian end that even the most hard-pressed families tried to avoid. Today, more and more relatives are abandoning their dead, leaving it to local governments to dispose of the bodies. Up to 150,000 Americans now go unclaimed each year. Who are they? Why are they being forgotten? And what is the meaning of life if your death doesn’t matter to others?
In this extraordinary work of narrative nonfiction, eight years in the making, sociologists Pamela Prickett and Stefan Timmermans uncover a hidden social world. They follow four individuals in Los Angeles, tracing the twisting, poignant paths that put each at risk of going unclaimed, and introducing us to the scene investigators, notification officers, and crematorium workers who care for them when no one else will.
The Unclaimed lays bare the difficult truth that anyone can be abandoned. It forces us to confront a variety of social ills, from the fracturing of families and the loneliness of cities to the toll of rising inequality. But it is also filled with unexpected moments of tenderness. In Boyle Heights, a Mexican American neighborhood not far from the glitter of Hollywood, hundreds of strangers come together each year to mourn the deaths of people they never knew. These ceremonies, springing up across the country, reaffirm our shared humanity and help mend our frayed social fabric.
Beautifully crafted and profoundly empathetic, The Unclaimed urges us to expand our circle of caring—in death and in life.
For centuries, people who died destitute or alone were buried in potter’s fields—a Dickensian end that even the most hard-pressed families tried to avoid. Today, more and more relatives are abandoning their dead, leaving it to local governments to dispose of the bodies. Up to 150,000 Americans now go unclaimed each year. Who are they? Why are they being forgotten? And what is the meaning of life if your death doesn’t matter to others?
In this extraordinary work of narrative nonfiction, eight years in the making, sociologists Pamela Prickett and Stefan Timmermans uncover a hidden social world. They follow four individuals in Los Angeles, tracing the twisting, poignant paths that put each at risk of going unclaimed, and introducing us to the scene investigators, notification officers, and crematorium workers who care for them when no one else will.
The Unclaimed lays bare the difficult truth that anyone can be abandoned. It forces us to confront a variety of social ills, from the fracturing of families and the loneliness of cities to the toll of rising inequality. But it is also filled with unexpected moments of tenderness. In Boyle Heights, a Mexican American neighborhood not far from the glitter of Hollywood, hundreds of strangers come together each year to mourn the deaths of people they never knew. These ceremonies, springing up across the country, reaffirm our shared humanity and help mend our frayed social fabric.
Beautifully crafted and profoundly empathetic, The Unclaimed urges us to expand our circle of caring—in death and in life.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published March 12, 2024
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14038 people want to read
About the author
Pamela Prickett
1 book50 followersPamela Prickett is an associate professor of sociology at the University of Amsterdam and an acclaimed writer and former broadcaster.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 257 reviews
September 13, 2023
What does it say about contemporary America that every year, without the exigency of natural disaster, Los Angeles County buries 1,600 unclaimed bodies in a mass grave? Or that all across the country, communities are struggling to dispose of growing numbers of unclaimed bodies with barely a whisper from elected leaders?
A book eight years in the making, The Unclaimed exposes a growing phenomenon in America (and presumably outside its borders; only a few other countries are mentioned): people dying alone, or without final arrangements having been made, whose bodies are collected by local authorities, cremated as an act of efficiency, and held for a few years — waiting on shelves for family members to claim them — before being anonymously dumped into common graves. This is a work of narrative nonfiction — with a compelling account of four denizens of Los Angeles who spent time on the unclaimed shelf — and since authors Pamela Prickett and Stefan Timmermans are both Professors of Sociology, this is also an attempt to understand the social and bureaucratic factors behind the phenomenon. I found the information in this book to be provocative — a little shocking, a little sad — and while I can’t imagine circumstances in which I could become totally estranged from my family in my last days, it’s a good reminder to have those final arrangements laid out and paid for. Fascinating, well-told glimpse into a hidden corner of our fractured world. (Note: I read an ARC through NetGalley and passages quoted may not be in their final forms.)
The unclaimed provoke us to ask whether our lives matter. To claim, which originates from the Latin word clamare or to call out, is an act of connection: When you claim, you are asserting a bond between yourself and something or someone else. To go unclaimed, then, is to be disconnected; it is an acknowledgment of severed bonds. If you die and no one calls out for you, did your life have meaning?
Training their focus on L.A. — where those 1 600 people whose remains go unclaimed each year are cremated and eventually disposed of by just two hard-working employees of The Office of Decedent Affairs — Prickett and Timmermans were able to spend time with each of the three distinct agencies that handle the bodies and estates of the dead in the City of Angels. And by telling the stories of four people whose remains were at risk of becoming unclaimed, the authors demonstrate that to a large extent, it’s these agencies and their bureaucratic red tape that often preclude a more respectful interment (one woman, Midge, had a close church community, but since they weren’t legal family, they couldn’t claim her remains to give her the burial she deserved; a veteran, Bobby, was entitled to a free burial in a military cemetery, but that information was misfiled and his estranged son had trouble raising the cremation and storage fees the city wanted in order to release Bobby’s remains to him). Telling the stories of Midge, Bobby, Lena, and David — all of whom had family out there somewhere — Prickett and Timmermans paint a sad picture of how easily any of us could end up unclaimed.
Some interesting passages:
• (According to a death scene investigator) a “trash run” is when an elderly person, often a hoarder or a recluse, is found in a neglected dwelling, after decomposition has set in and a foul smell has alerted a neighbor.
• Researchers estimate that more than 40 percent of families in the United States will experience a form of estrangement at some point — frayed relationships with fathers are the most common.
• Wealthy estates with “unknown heirs” were often skimmed off by a shadow group of private investigators, called heir hunters, some of whom had previously worked in the public administrator’s office. They knew there was money to be made amid the county’s heavy caseload, and conducted detailed research to locate heirs, sometimes even contracting with local genealogy clubs and detectives abroad to locate people.
• Yvette Vickers was a 1959 Playboy centerfold and actress who starred in the cult favorite Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. Vickers died in her home in Beverly Hills in 2010 but her body lay undiscovered for nearly a year, until a neighbor did her own welfare check.
• Families come by to pick up ashes in only about one of every six cases. The overwhelming majority of those cremated by the county — more than 82 percent — remain unclaimed.
• An estimated 32,000 people die unattended every year in Japan, their corpses often lingering undiscovered for days, months, and sometimes years. Most will depend on the government for cremation and burial. The phenomenon is so prevalent that it has its own term: kodokushi, which loosely translated means a “lonely death.”
I found it interesting that low income families are no more likely to leave a family member unclaimed than those with more money (“The poor go to great lengths to receive a decent funeral, ‘for they know,’ sociologist Tony Walter wrote, ‘there is something appalling about a human life ending, and no one noticing, no one marking it.’”) And maybe not surprising that when estranged family members are notified of a relative’s death, they are often more interested in their share of the estate than in retrieving cremated remains. Should it be surprising that it’s totally legal for unclaimed bodies to be sent to med schools for research before being sent back to L.A. for cremation? I could go on and on: This is a book full of interesting facts.
The uncomfortable truth is that the unclaimed are not marginal outliers. All signs suggest that their numbers will continue to rise if nothing changes, and those at risk already dwell among us. They are the resident of the house on the block with the overgrown front yard and disintegrating cardboard boxes piled next to the front door. The man shuffling bent over on his daily walk, always by himself. The trans teenager hitting the streets after an ugly fight with their parents. The quiet nursing home resident, fighting tears after yet another Mother’s Day without a phone call. The unclaimed-in-waiting are everywhere.
On the bright side, there are community groups who advocate for the unclaimed: The authors share stories of those who gather in military sendoffs to unclaimed veterans; those who provide burials for abandoned infants; those who congregate in ceremony during L.A.’s annual dumping of ashes in the common grave. There’s a sense that “the unclaimed” is a bigger problem in a large, anonymous city like L.A. than anywhere I’ve ever lived, but I agree with the authors that there is a growth in disconnection and social isolation everywhere. They have suggestions for strengthening the social safety net — for reexamining what we owe to one another after death — but if nothing else, this is a good reminder to finalise those “disposition” plans.
October 31, 2024
One might imagine, in death, it is only the homeless who go unclaimed. It is only the outcast who comes on a gurney to the city morgue, anonymous and unattended. It is only these whom government employees must half-heartedly attempt to trace, then burn and bury in a pauper's grave at taxpayer expense. One might imagine this. One would be wrong.
It is entirely possible this is an unintended result of the way children scatter these days. Better jobs in different cities. Better lives. Better dreams. We are no longer down the street or across town, but a hefty airline fare away and so it is easy for the bonds to fray; for that sense of familial responsibility to beat less like a drum inside us and more a constant tapping we mistake for a migraine. This is a book that draws attention to that. This is a book to remind us that, in America at least, you still need family when you die.
Los Angeles, as a municipality, is taken here as an example. There are laws and municipal codes in place that largely dictate the disposition of the deceased. A family member must come, not a friend or an acquaintance, someone who is legally related and into whose care the body may be released. Who must contact a funeral home for burial or cremation. Who must see to the detail of things. Or there must be a Will and a legally designated representative. Without either one? It doesn't matter how many people show up, or how many of these decisions you've made, or how much money you have. The city will take control of the process and designate you unclaimed.
While this may be unwelcome news, it is news worth knowing.
Pamela Prickett is a journalist. Stefan Timmermans is a professor of sociology at UCLA. Both became curious about what happened to people who went unclaimed and decided to join forces in a project that became this book. Their account features four individuals whom they "met" posthumously and proceeded to trace in an effort to determine how and why they fell through the cracks. Some had family with whom they were in touch, people who were aware of their circumstance and conditions but refused to become in any way involved. All had friends, yet legal provision had not been made and so those people were rendered powerless. Even children appear in these pages whose loved ones were averse to going to the trouble of burying them.
It's a cold world in some places; a dark world in some very sunny climes.
While well-intended, I found the book to be poorly organized. The stories bled too much together and, as sometimes happens with authors new to such emotional subjects, scenes had a tendency to dip into the maudlin. So, it's got plenty going against it. But then there's the knowledge worth knowing.
It is entirely possible this is an unintended result of the way children scatter these days. Better jobs in different cities. Better lives. Better dreams. We are no longer down the street or across town, but a hefty airline fare away and so it is easy for the bonds to fray; for that sense of familial responsibility to beat less like a drum inside us and more a constant tapping we mistake for a migraine. This is a book that draws attention to that. This is a book to remind us that, in America at least, you still need family when you die.
Los Angeles, as a municipality, is taken here as an example. There are laws and municipal codes in place that largely dictate the disposition of the deceased. A family member must come, not a friend or an acquaintance, someone who is legally related and into whose care the body may be released. Who must contact a funeral home for burial or cremation. Who must see to the detail of things. Or there must be a Will and a legally designated representative. Without either one? It doesn't matter how many people show up, or how many of these decisions you've made, or how much money you have. The city will take control of the process and designate you unclaimed.
While this may be unwelcome news, it is news worth knowing.
Pamela Prickett is a journalist. Stefan Timmermans is a professor of sociology at UCLA. Both became curious about what happened to people who went unclaimed and decided to join forces in a project that became this book. Their account features four individuals whom they "met" posthumously and proceeded to trace in an effort to determine how and why they fell through the cracks. Some had family with whom they were in touch, people who were aware of their circumstance and conditions but refused to become in any way involved. All had friends, yet legal provision had not been made and so those people were rendered powerless. Even children appear in these pages whose loved ones were averse to going to the trouble of burying them.
It's a cold world in some places; a dark world in some very sunny climes.
While well-intended, I found the book to be poorly organized. The stories bled too much together and, as sometimes happens with authors new to such emotional subjects, scenes had a tendency to dip into the maudlin. So, it's got plenty going against it. But then there's the knowledge worth knowing.
December 8, 2024
Really good, deep book about the unclaimed (people who die and then no one claims their body.) Probably one of the saddest things I’ve ever read. Also, I was eating breakfast while reading some of the death investigation scenes, so I have a stomach of steel apparently. In my defense, I didn’t have anything else to read and sometimes the only time I have to read is during breakfast by myself.
There were a couple of technical problems, like the intertwined storylines got confusing. But I feel like my fish died or I broke up with a boyfriend I somewhat cared about. As emotions go, that’s about the highest level I can reach with books, so it’s getting 5 stars just for the emotions hitting hard.
I have to say, aren’t we all terrified of dying alone? Even people with awesome family support, we’re all so scared of it. This book talks about that.
There were a couple of technical problems, like the intertwined storylines got confusing. But I feel like my fish died or I broke up with a boyfriend I somewhat cared about. As emotions go, that’s about the highest level I can reach with books, so it’s getting 5 stars just for the emotions hitting hard.
I have to say, aren’t we all terrified of dying alone? Even people with awesome family support, we’re all so scared of it. This book talks about that.
February 23, 2024
The subtitle, “Abandonment and Hope in the City of Angels” says it all. The Unclaimed is extensive research into an area that most of us do not know much about. In a specific area of Los Angeles, every year, there are thousands of unclaimed dead that have, for one reason or another, been abandoned by their families and left for the government to provide burials. Those workers who process the unclaimed provide hope by trying to locate next of kin through heroic efforts. This situation is not unique to LA, but occurs all over the US and hundreds of thousands of dead are unclaimed every year.
The authors are professionally trained sociologists and have demonstrated excellent research practices in regard to the subject matter and handled the sensitive nature of specific people’s lives. Through their years of research, they have shed some light on how some people have ended up unclaimed. The book focuses on the lives of a few that were unclaimed in this area of LA. They interviewed those that knew them best in their last years and, in some cases, extended family who had lost track of them many years ago. The authors have included extensive notes and references.
The Unclaimed is a real eye opener for me regarding something that I had not considered and did not know was a serious problem in the US. This research helps to humanize those that become unclaimed, shows respect to these individuals, and is a reminder that their lives are much more than just a statistic. It is clear that reforms are badly needed in the process of how we classify the unclaimed and who we allow to ‘claim’ them, but first, research, like this, needed to be done to document how the system is working today.
I received an ARC copy, courtesy of the author and publisher through Goodreads Giveaway. Expected Publication Date: March 2024
The authors are professionally trained sociologists and have demonstrated excellent research practices in regard to the subject matter and handled the sensitive nature of specific people’s lives. Through their years of research, they have shed some light on how some people have ended up unclaimed. The book focuses on the lives of a few that were unclaimed in this area of LA. They interviewed those that knew them best in their last years and, in some cases, extended family who had lost track of them many years ago. The authors have included extensive notes and references.
The Unclaimed is a real eye opener for me regarding something that I had not considered and did not know was a serious problem in the US. This research helps to humanize those that become unclaimed, shows respect to these individuals, and is a reminder that their lives are much more than just a statistic. It is clear that reforms are badly needed in the process of how we classify the unclaimed and who we allow to ‘claim’ them, but first, research, like this, needed to be done to document how the system is working today.
I received an ARC copy, courtesy of the author and publisher through Goodreads Giveaway. Expected Publication Date: March 2024
March 19, 2024
This book centers around the lives of four Los Angeles residents who have passed and became “unclaimed”—their bodies under possession of the county when nobody stepped forward to claim them. We follow their lives, hearing from friends, family, coroners, medical examiners, and more. This book begs questions like, How can someone surrounded by love in life be left alone in death? If there is no one to claim your body—to justify your existence—did your life have meaning? What does it take to become unclaimed? Can it happen to me? How can the legal system fail humans so drastically, even in death?
This work of narrative non-fiction is well researched, powerful, and incredibly thought-provoking. I will be thinking about it for quite some time.
This work of narrative non-fiction is well researched, powerful, and incredibly thought-provoking. I will be thinking about it for quite some time.
April 21, 2024
I struggled with the book's structure. I would have preferred if each individual's story was told in its entirety rather than broken up across sections and chapters, interspersed with the other individuals' stories. I listened to the audiobook. Reading this as a physical or ebook would have been better so I could flip back and refresh my memory of individuals' backstories.
April 10, 2024
What happens in life that leaves a person completely alone without someone to claim their body after they die? How do they get to that point? And who steps in to make decisions about their body and estate if no one else can do so? This happens more often than I realized and this book is written to shed light on these concerns specifically in Los Angeles.
In this book we do learn about the unclaimed adults, veterans, and babies (yes babies, I was surprised too - about 1/3 are murdered, I think we need to talk more about this). It was clearly well researched through systemic review of documents and interviews, and while most of the information is about LA specifically (because there is no statewide or nationwide policy for how to handle the unclaimed) but it does occasionally talk about other states and countries.
I really wanted to like this book - but in the end I just couldn't get there.
The authors packed as much information into these pages as they could but the formatting was extremely hard to keep track of. Every person mentioned is given a history/backstory and it's hard to know what is relevant moving forward and what is just interesting in the moment - most of it was not relevant, just unnecessary details that distracted from the information I really wanted. There was a lot of jumping between stories which made it hard to remember what was happening when we returned to that person 30 pages later. It would have been easier to follow if the authors did one case study at a time, then a chapter on the different departments that work with the unclaimed, then funerals, then their theories as to why the numbers are rising. Instead it was all mingled together and had very little flow.
They chose 4 case studies to illuminate how people can come to be unclaimed - but the examples were frustrating because these were not isolated people with no one around who cared or knew they died like the title would suggest. One person had 200 people show up to her funeral and another filled a VA hall!! They were technically unclaimed because of red tape but there were plenty of people who would have claimed them and offered to help that were not allowed to do so. With different laws or policies, and in some cases different bosses with more compassion, there would be far less unclaimed people. Every once in a while the authors would passively mention someone who died in their house and no one knew about it for months, years, and in one case THREE YEARS. *Those* are the unclaimed people I thought this book would be talking about.
In this book we do learn about the unclaimed adults, veterans, and babies (yes babies, I was surprised too - about 1/3 are murdered, I think we need to talk more about this). It was clearly well researched through systemic review of documents and interviews, and while most of the information is about LA specifically (because there is no statewide or nationwide policy for how to handle the unclaimed) but it does occasionally talk about other states and countries.
I really wanted to like this book - but in the end I just couldn't get there.
The authors packed as much information into these pages as they could but the formatting was extremely hard to keep track of. Every person mentioned is given a history/backstory and it's hard to know what is relevant moving forward and what is just interesting in the moment - most of it was not relevant, just unnecessary details that distracted from the information I really wanted. There was a lot of jumping between stories which made it hard to remember what was happening when we returned to that person 30 pages later. It would have been easier to follow if the authors did one case study at a time, then a chapter on the different departments that work with the unclaimed, then funerals, then their theories as to why the numbers are rising. Instead it was all mingled together and had very little flow.
They chose 4 case studies to illuminate how people can come to be unclaimed - but the examples were frustrating because these were not isolated people with no one around who cared or knew they died like the title would suggest. One person had 200 people show up to her funeral and another filled a VA hall!! They were technically unclaimed because of red tape but there were plenty of people who would have claimed them and offered to help that were not allowed to do so. With different laws or policies, and in some cases different bosses with more compassion, there would be far less unclaimed people. Every once in a while the authors would passively mention someone who died in their house and no one knew about it for months, years, and in one case THREE YEARS. *Those* are the unclaimed people I thought this book would be talking about.
March 22, 2024
Thank you to @prhaudio for the gifted ALC.
This was a fascinating look into what the city of LA does with the unclaimed bodies. Where do they come from, who takes care of them, who pays for their remains last resting spot etc. It is handled with respect and kindness for those who have passed.
This was a fascinating look into what the city of LA does with the unclaimed bodies. Where do they come from, who takes care of them, who pays for their remains last resting spot etc. It is handled with respect and kindness for those who have passed.
April 17, 2024
READ THIS BOOK! Amazing!!
May 5, 2024
I read the book and added it to my list to read after seeing it in one of the new books for the year from a monthly Goodreads update.
This book is a fast read and I found that I did not want to put it down and kept it from my library even though past due so that I could finish reading it.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and it is the type of book that resonates with me and caused a lot of thinking and reflection.
This book deals about death which part of the circle of life and made me think about that time when it comes for me and I believe it will make any reader think the same way and think about that with your parents, siblings, and children.
I like that the authors shared their personal stories about dying alone in the Epilogue.
I highly recommend this book.
This book is a fast read and I found that I did not want to put it down and kept it from my library even though past due so that I could finish reading it.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and it is the type of book that resonates with me and caused a lot of thinking and reflection.
This book deals about death which part of the circle of life and made me think about that time when it comes for me and I believe it will make any reader think the same way and think about that with your parents, siblings, and children.
I like that the authors shared their personal stories about dying alone in the Epilogue.
I highly recommend this book.
April 29, 2024
Very interesting on what happens to bodies that can become unclaimed after death. Makes me very sad, that some are left without loved ones surrounding them.
I did enjoy this book, but the set up wasn’t my favorite. The back and forth between stories confused me at times. Took me a little longer to read this one.
I did enjoy this book, but the set up wasn’t my favorite. The back and forth between stories confused me at times. Took me a little longer to read this one.
April 12, 2024
I really wanted to like this. I liked the beginning and I liked the idea of it, but it the writing was just so slow in the middle that I ended up skimming the end and could not wait to finish.
May 27, 2025
Amazing read and really continuing my nonfiction kick and thank you Karen for reviewing and recommending!! As an LA resident, I knew most of the areas and places the author was referencing and wow guys now it just makes me super sad and empathetic to those who are unclaimed. I’ve learned so much about all the different roles that are involved in someone’s death and it’s so insane. Overall loved it, super well researched
August 25, 2024
I was so moved by this book I cried. I loved the care they took to get to know each person and the description of their funerals written exactly as is - no extra flourish needed.
A great example of balancing individual story with the larger meaning for society - if one death doesn’t matter no death matters.
A great example of balancing individual story with the larger meaning for society - if one death doesn’t matter no death matters.
May 24, 2024
I kept getting people confused but the story remains important!
October 11, 2024
This book was recommended to my team by a coworker recently, and she made it sound really interesting even though she hadn't finished it yet. I felt very mediocre about it overall, unfortunately.
The authors begin with a question that troubled me a bit - if no one is there to claim your body when you die, did your life even matter? And beyond that, they proposed that the decline in families claiming bodies of their loved ones is a moral failing, completely skipping over all of the bureaucratic reasons highlighted in the book that this could be the case. Overall, however, I think that I fundamentally see this as much less of an issue than the authors do. I'm not terribly concerned with what happens to my body after I die, and most of my family members have not expressed much concern about this either. I have been the next of kin for several family members when they have passed, and I have always claimed their bodies, but especially when I was younger, I was shocked at the cost and the paperwork involved in doing so. I also just don't share the opinion that filial piety is the highest moral standard and that our duty first and foremost is to our biological family, especially when they are not reciprocating. In particular, I was troubled by the sentiment of one author in the afterword who said that despite a rocky relationship with their father, they still planned to claim his body after death as a way of repairing their relationship. I was left wondering what that repair would mean to them if it were so clearly one sided.
The authors highlight four people in this book, representing four different categories of people that often go unclaimed - veterans, the elderly who live alone, babies, and unhoused folks. The cases they chose were anecdotal and probably not the most representative (or the least so), but they were a bit difficult to follow with how the book was organized. It would have been better if it were one person per chapter or if it were obviously chronological, or even if it just had any kind of obvious framework. Additionally, if there had been some presentation of statistics around these profiles (which may not be available, admittedly), I would have found it more compelling. it just felt like they went unnecessarily deep on some of the details of these folks lives without making a case for what the social "issue" was or how those circumstances contributed to it. It left me feeling a bit unsure of the point overall.
I did find this one interesting enough to keep going, but it just wasn't for me.
The authors begin with a question that troubled me a bit - if no one is there to claim your body when you die, did your life even matter? And beyond that, they proposed that the decline in families claiming bodies of their loved ones is a moral failing, completely skipping over all of the bureaucratic reasons highlighted in the book that this could be the case. Overall, however, I think that I fundamentally see this as much less of an issue than the authors do. I'm not terribly concerned with what happens to my body after I die, and most of my family members have not expressed much concern about this either. I have been the next of kin for several family members when they have passed, and I have always claimed their bodies, but especially when I was younger, I was shocked at the cost and the paperwork involved in doing so. I also just don't share the opinion that filial piety is the highest moral standard and that our duty first and foremost is to our biological family, especially when they are not reciprocating. In particular, I was troubled by the sentiment of one author in the afterword who said that despite a rocky relationship with their father, they still planned to claim his body after death as a way of repairing their relationship. I was left wondering what that repair would mean to them if it were so clearly one sided.
The authors highlight four people in this book, representing four different categories of people that often go unclaimed - veterans, the elderly who live alone, babies, and unhoused folks. The cases they chose were anecdotal and probably not the most representative (or the least so), but they were a bit difficult to follow with how the book was organized. It would have been better if it were one person per chapter or if it were obviously chronological, or even if it just had any kind of obvious framework. Additionally, if there had been some presentation of statistics around these profiles (which may not be available, admittedly), I would have found it more compelling. it just felt like they went unnecessarily deep on some of the details of these folks lives without making a case for what the social "issue" was or how those circumstances contributed to it. It left me feeling a bit unsure of the point overall.
I did find this one interesting enough to keep going, but it just wasn't for me.
April 17, 2024
I have some mixed feelings about this one, but I think they center around my own feelings around death. I guess I’m not particularly concerned with the fate of my corpse (gonna side with Diogenes on this one) and think some of these resources could benefit the living, especially since it focuses on unhoused people. It’s also a little disconcerting to me that so many of the “helpful” groups centered were anti-choice or extremist.
It’s a very interesting book overall, but I think the focus of the problem is a bit off.
It’s a very interesting book overall, but I think the focus of the problem is a bit off.
July 3, 2024
This is an extremely well-researched book, and overall quite readable, but I think I did myself a disservice by listening to this on audio, rather than reading the physical book. The books covers four people who are unclaimed, but it doesn't tell each case study from start to finish (which I wish they had), and instead jumped around between case studies, which I found hard to follow on audio. If I could have looked back and reminded myself who some of the people were, it might have helped. There was a lot of information presented for each person, including a lot of related people, and it just got hard to keep track of everyone on audio. I still think this was worth reading, and I may re-read it sometime physically and see if my rating would change. If you're interested in sociology and death practices in the United States, I would recommend checking it out.
February 4, 2024
Compelling and engrossing book about the rising number of the unclaimed deceased in the United States. Why is this happening? And why are the numbers rising?
Pamela Prickett and Stefan Timmermans spent eight years investigating the sad trend. A fascinating look into the abandoned, and the people who try and help.
I was drawn to this because the uniqueness of the subject, and finished the book thinking that this could happen to anyone. Heartbreaking but wonderfully told.
Pamela Prickett and Stefan Timmermans spent eight years investigating the sad trend. A fascinating look into the abandoned, and the people who try and help.
I was drawn to this because the uniqueness of the subject, and finished the book thinking that this could happen to anyone. Heartbreaking but wonderfully told.
April 23, 2024
"When he left his mortal body, he imagined floating in a canoe with his cats. He believed he would be in his own universe, one that he'd created, paddling through endless placid waters alongside his feline friends. He would create his own cosmos and live alone in it..." (79).
Lots of questions and thoughts about compassion, community, and the bonds that tie us together or let us drift loose. Dad's ashes will be spread on Catalina when the time comes, I promise.
Lots of questions and thoughts about compassion, community, and the bonds that tie us together or let us drift loose. Dad's ashes will be spread on Catalina when the time comes, I promise.
December 18, 2023
“They remained the secret dead, invisible in life and forgotten in death.”
“They say we die twice; once when the last breath leaves our body, and once when the last person we know says our name.”
“They say we die twice; once when the last breath leaves our body, and once when the last person we know says our name.”
April 2, 2024
Eye-opening. Beautifully and lovingly written. Made me think of many things within my own life.
April 6, 2024
Catch me crying in my car after finishing this my GOD. Narrative nonfiction is so good.
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July 29, 2024 "Fewer than half of Americans (46 percent) had a will in 2021, and those who did were more likely to be wealthy or elderly."
"Grave robbing was a fate feared by many, and with good reason. New York alone saw six hundred to seven hundred bodies snatched in 1854. In a peculiarity of American law, body snatchers could be punished more severely if they were found in possession of a dead man's cuff links than his bones; possessing a corpse carried no penalty."
"The man who had advocated for five decades for L.A.'s unclaimed would take no more of the bureaucratic apathy."
"He explained that if no one claimed him, the remains would go into an unmarked grave in the city's Mount Hope Cemetery. Elissa wasn't sure what prompted her, but she heard herself asking, "How do you claim a baby that's not yours?"
"Each year, more than 827, 000 gallons of embalming fluid in the United States are put in the ground because of interments, and about 30 million board feet of hardwood, 2,700 tons of copper and bronze, 104,000 tons of steel, and 1,636,000 tons of reinforced concrete are used for caskets and vaults. Green burials, on the other hand, skip embalming, forgo vaults and preserve a cemetery's natural habitat."
"Members of the American Legion Riders in Kansas, learning about the disruptions, agreed to form a human wall at funerals where Westboro was expected to protest. The riders and their supporters linked arms and held up flags to shelter relatives from the sights and sounds of the protesters."
"A few times, families had shown up in limousines, as if to flaunt that they had the money to claim and had decided not to."
"Joan Didion wrote that grief is " a place none of us knows until we reach it.""
"An estimated 32,000 people die unattended every year in Japan, their corpses often lingering undiscovered for days, months, and sometimes years. Most will depend on the government for cremation and burial. The phenomenon is so prevalent that it has its own term: kodokushi, which loosely translated means a "lonely death.""
"Grave robbing was a fate feared by many, and with good reason. New York alone saw six hundred to seven hundred bodies snatched in 1854. In a peculiarity of American law, body snatchers could be punished more severely if they were found in possession of a dead man's cuff links than his bones; possessing a corpse carried no penalty."
"The man who had advocated for five decades for L.A.'s unclaimed would take no more of the bureaucratic apathy."
"He explained that if no one claimed him, the remains would go into an unmarked grave in the city's Mount Hope Cemetery. Elissa wasn't sure what prompted her, but she heard herself asking, "How do you claim a baby that's not yours?"
"Each year, more than 827, 000 gallons of embalming fluid in the United States are put in the ground because of interments, and about 30 million board feet of hardwood, 2,700 tons of copper and bronze, 104,000 tons of steel, and 1,636,000 tons of reinforced concrete are used for caskets and vaults. Green burials, on the other hand, skip embalming, forgo vaults and preserve a cemetery's natural habitat."
"Members of the American Legion Riders in Kansas, learning about the disruptions, agreed to form a human wall at funerals where Westboro was expected to protest. The riders and their supporters linked arms and held up flags to shelter relatives from the sights and sounds of the protesters."
"A few times, families had shown up in limousines, as if to flaunt that they had the money to claim and had decided not to."
"Joan Didion wrote that grief is " a place none of us knows until we reach it.""
"An estimated 32,000 people die unattended every year in Japan, their corpses often lingering undiscovered for days, months, and sometimes years. Most will depend on the government for cremation and burial. The phenomenon is so prevalent that it has its own term: kodokushi, which loosely translated means a "lonely death.""
August 18, 2024
Genuinamente increíble. Un aplauso para los autores por abarcar el tema con tanta delicadeza, respeto y honestidad. Cada hecho, cada dato, cada detalle de esta investigación sobre la mesa.
A nivel personal (aunque soy joven aún), resonó muchísimo que "en algún momento tenemos que enfrentar nuestra mortalidad". Me recuerda un artículo que leí sobre como las generaciones de nuestros abuelos, padres, otros, siempre tenían contactos o amigos, siempre había alguien que les hacía un favor. Ya ni eso, o al menos yo quedo corta. Así pasa con la muerte, en esta ola de individualidad, quién queda? Quién extraña? Quién recuerda? Y a nivel familiar, como lo dice el libro, hasta dónde llegan las obligaciones?
A nivel sociopolítico, vivo en un país en el que no hay absoluto respeto por los muertos, ni compasión para los enfermos, indigentes o mayores. Hay solo dos extremos en los que o tienes dinero y mientras lo tengas tienes el mejor sepulcro, o la otra opción en la que hasta lo último de ti se lo llevan para hacer lo que quieran. Afortunadamente (con los tiempos actuales), aún tengo la esperanza de que importamos, nos importan y todos seremos recordados hasta el final
A nivel personal (aunque soy joven aún), resonó muchísimo que "en algún momento tenemos que enfrentar nuestra mortalidad". Me recuerda un artículo que leí sobre como las generaciones de nuestros abuelos, padres, otros, siempre tenían contactos o amigos, siempre había alguien que les hacía un favor. Ya ni eso, o al menos yo quedo corta. Así pasa con la muerte, en esta ola de individualidad, quién queda? Quién extraña? Quién recuerda? Y a nivel familiar, como lo dice el libro, hasta dónde llegan las obligaciones?
A nivel sociopolítico, vivo en un país en el que no hay absoluto respeto por los muertos, ni compasión para los enfermos, indigentes o mayores. Hay solo dos extremos en los que o tienes dinero y mientras lo tengas tienes el mejor sepulcro, o la otra opción en la que hasta lo último de ti se lo llevan para hacer lo que quieran. Afortunadamente (con los tiempos actuales), aún tengo la esperanza de que importamos, nos importan y todos seremos recordados hasta el final
September 24, 2024
This is an emotionally heavy book, engagingly written and compassionately presented. The stories gathered are tangible and empathetic. Los Angeles is not unique in its bureaucracy, legal quagmires, economic disparities, and ethical shortcomings. The fact is, any one of us can end up unclaimed. Live long enough, lose enough social connections, or drift just a bit past societal norms and your (my) death may just pass unnoticed. What does society owe the dead? What is dignity when life is over? It isn’t just the poor, homeless, or extremely elderly who become unclaimed, most unclaimed dead have families and even friends. In my profession, I encounter unattended deaths on a weekly basis. Some of those people will end up unclaimed or cremated/buried through charity, seemingly unmourned and forgotten. What do we owe the dead? This book, though heavy, is necessary, vitally important, and certainly cause for critical introspection. I can’t recommend it enough.
July 13, 2024
3.5. This was an insightful and educational look at what happens to unclaimed bodies in Los Angeles. The authors estimate that more than 1,500 people go unclaimed there and upwards of 150,000 people go unclaimed nationwide every year. The authors follow four people's stories, which are all very different in how they ended up without social ties (a military vet, a religious woman that finds a found family through church, a woman who outlived all of her immediate family, etc). Some have estranged family and others have found families that can't legally claim them. This is a book about how local governments deal with this, the workers who seek to reunify remains, the estranged family's plight to learn about their lost family member, and groups of strangers that have sprung up to grieve unclaimed neighbors. It was slow and methodical, but really fascinating if you like learning about legal and social intricacies.
September 2, 2024
4.5 stars. I found this book FASCINATING for many reasons. I have never read narrative non-fiction and found it such an interesting way to engage in the genre. It sucked me in. I struggled a bit with the non-linear story telling because it jumped from person to person. I listened to this on audio and wonder if it would be easier to navigate with a physical book.
This was such an interesting look at how/why people end up unclaimed, and TLDR, it’s different than you think. Really got me thinking about connectedness, both familial and non-familial. And red tape, and the monetization of dying, and other things. Stunning research on a complex topic.
This was such an interesting look at how/why people end up unclaimed, and TLDR, it’s different than you think. Really got me thinking about connectedness, both familial and non-familial. And red tape, and the monetization of dying, and other things. Stunning research on a complex topic.
June 18, 2024
This was very sad, there’s no denying it, but it made me think deeply about the connections we make and the chosen family we fill our lives with. Made me think about the people who don’t have those connections and how we need to take care of them both in life and in death. Made me wonder who in my life might need some reaching out to and how I can do more to care for my neighbors and older family members. And in LA, to remind me to attend the yearly funeral for those bodies who have gone unclaimed so we can still honor them.
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