UCLA sociology professor Stefan Timmermans was named a finalist for the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize for “The Unclaimed: Abandonment and Hope in the City of Angels,” which he co-wrote with Pamela Prickett from the University of Amsterdam.
About 150,000 Americans who die each year are identified but not claimed by relatives, leaving local governments to arrange burials or cremations – a process that Timmermans and Prickett studied for eight years. The book follows the lives, deaths and the remains of four Angelenos at risk of being unclaimed, as well as those who cared for them after death.
The award, issued by the Columbia Journalism School and Harvard’s Nieman Foundation of Journalism, recognizes nonfiction writing on a topic of American politics or society that exemplifies commitment to serious research and original reporting. The Atlantic, NPR and BookPage ranked “The Unclaimed” as one of the best books of 2024.
“Telling their stories is a reminder that all the money and goods we squirrel away in life mean little if, at the end, no one cares we died,” Timmermans said. “The book is a wake-up call to reach out, make amends and foster strong ties among kin and communities.”
Drawing from medical sociology and science studies, Timmermans’ research addresses key issues and inequities of the U.S. health care system from the perspective of those who experience it. His books cover a breadth of topics, including the inefficiencies of CPR and the cultural power held by medical examiners. His current research project is an ethnographic study of social support during heart transplants.
