Updated (Sunday, 21 August 2011)
LibraryJournal.com
Social Sciences Reviews
July 2011
Final Rights: Reclaiming the American Way of Death
by Joshua Slocum, Lisa Carlson
Slocum (executive director, Funeral Consumers Alliance) and Carlson (executive director, Funeral Ethics Organization) offer a guide intended to prepare consumers to deal with what the authors claim is a deceptive and greedy funeral services industry. They look at the components of burying the dead, including choosing caskets and markers, dealing with cemeteries and funeral homes, understanding pre-need funeral purchases, and new and revived trends such as home funerals and green funerals. They offer numerous real-life examples of manipulation and questionable practices and provide tips for consumers to help avoid rip-offs, such as misleading perpetual-care arrangements and exorbitant embalming costs. There is practical advice on filing a complaint when wronged by the industry and a cautionary chapter on the Federal Trade Commission and what the authors see as its failure to enforce its own consumer protection rules.
VERDICT – This book is a boon for those looking to simplify and personalize caring for the dead. The inclusion of a compilation of each state’s funeral laws, including statutory citations and guidance for those investigating home funerals and burials and body donation, make this an essential purchase for consumer-protection collections.
~ Joan Pedzich, Harris Beach PLLC, Rochester, NY
SOURCE
LibraryJournal.com || Social Sciences Reviews || July 2011
NOTE:
Review is listed under Jul 15, 2011 / LAW & CRIME. Scroll down or search web page for term: Final Rights
