{"product_id":"the-unclaimed-abandonment-and-hope-in-the-city-of-angels","title":"The Unclaimed: Abandonment and Hope in the City of Angels","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"A rare and compassionate look into the lives of Americans who go unclaimed when they die and those who dedicate their lives to burying them with dignity.\"--Matthew Desmond, #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of \u003ci\u003ePoverty, by America\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A work of grace . . . Both cleareyed and disturbing, yet pulsing with empathy.\"--\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times \u003c\/i\u003e(Editors' Choice)\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eFINALIST FOR THE J. ANTHONY LUKAS BOOK PRIZE - ONE OF \u003ci\u003eTHE ATLANTIC\u003c\/i\u003e'S TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR - AN NPR AND \u003ci\u003eBOOKPAGE \u003c\/i\u003eBEST BOOK OF THE YEAR\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFor centuries, people who died destitute or alone were buried in potters' 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? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Unclaimed\u003c\/i\u003e 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBeautifully crafted and profoundly empathetic, \u003ci\u003eThe Unclaimed\u003c\/i\u003e urges us to expand our circle of caring--in death and in life.","brand":"Crown Publishing Group (NY)","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51993635782887,"sku":"9780593239056","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0449\/4075\/5096\/files\/imageloader_6f848370-2bd4-4d33-924f-6e883c745fab.jpg?v=1776658289","url":"https:\/\/arvidabookco.com\/products\/the-unclaimed-abandonment-and-hope-in-the-city-of-angels","provider":"Arvida Book Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}