OVERLOOKED

A beautifully illustrated collection of diverse, remarkable lives inspired by "Overlooked," a groundbreaking New York Times series that publishes the obituaries of notable people whose deaths went unreported in the paper.

Since 1851, The New York Times has published thousands of obituaries. There are obits for heads of state, celebrities, scientists, and athletes. There's even one for the person who invented the sock puppet. But, until recently, only a fraction of the Times's obits chronicled the lives of women or people of color. The vast majority tell of the lives of men - mostly white men. OVERLOOKED seeks to rectify this.

Started in 2018 as a series in the Obituary section, OVERLOOKED revisits the Times's 170-year history to fill in the gaps for people who were, for whatever reason, left out. Featuring contributions by writers such as Susan Dominus, Veronica Chambers, Amanda Hess, Reggie Ugwu, Jon Pareles, and more, it seeks to right the wrongs of the past, establish a new precedent for equitable coverage of lives lost, and refocus society's lens on who it considers worthy of remembrance.

The backbone of this book is formed by 66 obituaries of which almost half will be exclusive to the publication, ranging from the early 1800s to this century. Padnani will include original writing, including insights into uncovering lives on the obit desk and how to conduct your own genealogical research, as well as expanded content about previously published Overlooked subjects.

Amisha (Amy) Padnani is an award-winning staff editor at The New York Times and a keynote speaker on topics such as diversity, where she often highlights people who are underrepresented in society. In 2018, she was named Incredible Woman of the Year by Porter Magazine.

The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. Founded in 1851, the newspaper has won 122 Pulitzer Prizes, more than any other newspaper.