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Playing Dead: A Journey Through the World of Death Fraud
Playing Dead: A Journey Through the World of Death Fraud | Elizabeth Greenwood
A darkly comic inquiry into how to fake your own death, the disappearance industry, and the lengths to which people will go to be reborn. Is it still possible to fake your own death in the twenty-first century? With six figures of student loan debt, Elizabeth Greenwood was tempted to find out. So she sets off on a foray into the world of death fraud, where for $30,000 a consultant can make you disappear but your suspicious insurance company might hire a private detective to dig up your coffin only to find it filled with rocks. Greenwood tracks down a man who staged a kayaking accident and then returned to live in his own house while all his neighbors thought he was dead. She takes a call from Michael Jackson (yes, he s alive or so some would have her believe), talks to people contemplating pseudocide, and gathers intel on black market morgues in the Philippines, where she may or may not succeed in obtaining some fraudulent goodies of her own. Along the way, she learns that love is a much less common motive than money, and that making your death look like a drowning virtually guarantees you ll be caught. (Disappearing while hiking, however, is a great way to go.) "Playing Dead" is an utterly fascinating and charmingly bizarre investigation into our all-too-human desire to escape from the lives we lead, and the men and women desperate enough to lose their identities and their families to begin again."
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gossamerchild
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Pickpick

This was fascinating. I wonder how much has changed in the intervening 7 years. It's difficult to imagine actually being able to pull off a successful fake death.

Fun to read about though.

#nonfiction

33 likes1 stack add
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JackOBotts
Mehso-so

June 2022 #bookspin backlog…this was interesting, but not quite what the experience I was expecting. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Glad to have read it, certainly fascinating to hear more about people committing pseudocide, their motivations for doing so, and how they got discovered… 2.5 ⭐️

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 2y
26 likes1 comment
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Therewillbebooks
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this. It's one of those participatory non-fiction books, and in this case the author deals with the perils and morality of faking one's own death and the results are fascinating. The book is also one of the topics of discussion on the very first #therewillbebooks podcast. Enjoy. #bookpodcast #nonfiction

https://anchor.fm/peter-murphy8/episodes/Episode-1-A-Podcast-about-books-and-wei...

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Schnoebs
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Mehso-so

3⭐️

The world of pseudocide is still alive and thriving more than ever in the modern age of technology. In this book, the author takes you from a random thought that pops up in her head to the final steps of getting a fake death certificate. You can tell that this book was extremely well researched but the writing fell short for me at time. Still a really interesting topic though

#audiobook #nonfiction

31 likes1 stack add
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Librarybelle
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I started this one awhile ago but had to return it to the library due to its waiting list - haven‘t had a chance to get it out again! I thought it interesting, and something that I hadn‘t really thought about...

Greenwood investigates how easy or hard it is to go off grid - stage one‘s death and create a new life. She meets individuals who help others change identities, as well as those who help people stay off grid. #HowIWouldDie #SoaringScores

Cinfhen That sounds really interesting 4y
CrowCAH There‘s no such thing as “off the grid” in Person of Interest show. 4y
63 likes2 comments
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NotCool
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Bailedbailed

When the author interviewed “the canoe man” her narration was hard to take. He was the worst. Cheated on his wife and blamed her for it, showed the journalist pictures of women‘s butts, negged her, talked endlessly about women he‘d slept with, without saying anything nice about them. Let his children think he was dead, but claimed he was faking his death for his family. CREEP.

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Kathrin
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With this, I have completed the #LitsyReadingChallenge2018

Thank goodness for #audiobooks - without them, I would never be able to read as much as I do.

AWahle Woohoo! I love audiobooks for the same reason. 5y
12 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Megabooks
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#currentlylistening #nonfiction2018

I realized I‘ve already read this, but I‘m enjoying a second read.

readordierachel This sounds fascinating! 6y
Megabooks @ReadOrDieRachel it is! Very well written nonfiction. 6y
89 likes9 stack adds2 comments
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Chocamanda
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Pickpick

While I find this really fascinating, I think that there were elements missing from the book that could have been resolved by adding another chapter. I wish that the author would have consulted with a psychiatrist or mental health authority to discuss the types of people who commit pseudocide. It seemed to me many of the people Greenwood spoke to have traits in the antisocial or narcissistic clusters which is worth exploring #notaprofessional

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sixxreads
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Rushed through my last book to start this one! Super excited, hope it‘s as good as I‘m expecting 📚

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Meganbub
Pickpick

This was super interesting! Not as quick of a read as I was expecting, but still very good.

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brennahawleycraig
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Mehso-so

Finished. Interesting topic, but hard to stay totally engaged. The Michael Jackson faked his own death chapter was a trip.

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Meganbub
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This should be fun! And, no, I‘m not taking notes! 😂

7 likes2 stack adds
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brennahawleycraig
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Reading Playing Dead (very interesting) and found Remember the Titans on TV (never mind that my dvd of it is on the shelf). Love this movie and its music and message!

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NikkiDolson
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Pickpick

I read this author's essay in Lenny and something in that essay made me curious. She wrote this thoroughly engaging book on pseudocide--the reasons for and against it with a terribly Interesting trip down the "Michael Jackson is alive" and celebrity deaths path. Really really good.

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keithmalek

Once you've turned away from the commonplace in favor of glory, there's no way out but down.

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Magpiegem

Another audible treasure. It seems I'm on a non fiction fix this month. I'm really enjoying this one- my house is very tidy as I need excuses to keep listening instead of joining hubby in front of the TV. But I do wish they had got Greenwood to read the whole thing not just the intro. I really liked her voice and I think the reader that follows is too smooth and fictionish. #litsyA-Z letter P read! @BookishMarginalia

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SarahSaysRead
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Five of the best audiobooks I listened to this year. They all were engaging and made my work commute something to look forward to. 🕪📚🚗

#2016highlights #top5 #audiobooks #greatlisten #greatbooks #nonfiction #Hamiltome #memoirs #readreadread

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shelf-improvement
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This is a repost, but it fits the #multiplecopies theme: My husband and I went to pick up holds from the library and realized we'd both reserved the same book on faking your death without mentioning it to each other. Our marriage is awesome, why do you ask...?
#SeasonsReadings2016

8little_paws Lol that's pretty funny! 7y
TrishB Ha ha 😄😄 7y
MicheleinPhilly HAHAHAHAHA! 7y
See All 7 Comments
merelybookish Great minds think alike 🤓 7y
saresmoore That's brilliant! 7y
Suet624 That's amazing!!! 7y
Eyelit 😂😂😂 7y
38 likes4 stack adds7 comments
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Skeebies05
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I has these delivered to work (way easier with apartment living and all) but it always makes me want to be home to read. Just 3.5 hours to go:(

Megabooks I really enjoyed Playing Dead! 7y
Skeebies05 @Ebooksandcooks when I got home I showed the book to Bae and let him know "if we ever have to make a break for it" I was kidding . . . Mostly ? 7y
6 likes2 comments
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MelissaReadsBooks
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Excited for this one! 👌🏼

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shelf-improvement
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Finally getting around to this one. Maybe the post-election arguing is getting to me? Or the anxiety caused by thinking of Thanksgiving in a cabin with fourteen adults and four kids under five?

MicheleinPhilly Oh my. 🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷 7y
shelf-improvement @MicheleinPhilly It's going to be a long weekend... 7y
BookishMarginalia You brave soul! 7y
See All 7 Comments
shelf-improvement @BookishMarginalia so much wine 🍷🍷 7y
Megabooks Wow! I hope you can get some alone time! I really enjoyed that book. 7y
saresmoore Dear Lord. If anything happens in a cabin, I would like the company of a warm fire, maybe a cat, food, books, and ONE additional human—maximum. Best of luck to you! 7y
shelf-improvement @Ebooksandcooks @saresmoore At this point, I'm not even 100% sure husband and I get a bedroom to ourselves. It's going to be interesting. 7y
28 likes7 comments
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Hoopiefoot
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Some days, completely dropping off the grid (with Mr Hoopiefoot of course!) sounds really appealing.

Reviewsbylola Oooooh this sounds interesting! 7y
rubyslippersreads Wonder if it's intentional that this cover makes me think of Don Draper, who performed this trick on "Mad Men." 7y
Hoopiefoot @rubyslippersreads I had the same thought. Not sure--I'm only a few pages in so far. 7y
44 likes3 stack adds3 comments
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LA_Mead
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What a fascinating topic! I just started this book, but it reads well and the narrator is engaging.

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shelf-improvement
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What does it say about our marriage that we went to the library and realized we'd both reserved the same book about faking your death without mentioning it to each other?
#LibraryHaul #TBRpile #NonfictionGoals

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upthecatpunx
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Lunch time reading. First non-audio, non-comic I've read in ?????

#nonfiction #hardcover #librarybook #cpl

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Nebklvr
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Mehso-so

Interesting and fun. It did drag a bit through Michael Jackson death conspiracy bit.

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hjg1223
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Pickpick

Really intriguing topic and a quick engaging read.

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Nebklvr
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So far, so fun.

18 likes2 stack adds
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Librarylady
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I am finding this book completely fascinating. I've got no intentions of faking my own death, but there is a lot of good information about people who have.

16 likes2 stack adds
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Megabooks
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Trying to fall asleep, and I finally found a good #litsyafterdark quote. I can hardly meet with friends either! 🙄🙄😒

I can't promise I'll check back because I really am trying to fall asleep. #645wakeup

#biblioweekend

Yamich49 😆😆 This is awesome! Damn friends making their erotica and neglecting their friendships! 8y
Shortstack And now I want to read this books.😬 8y
BookishFeminist 😂😂 what! 8y
See All 9 Comments
the.bookish.valkyrie 😆😂😆👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 8y
OSChamberlain Hahahaha. This seems like a hoot! 8y
Laalaleighh 😂 8y
Megabooks @Yamich49 I know, right. They all like, "I can't go out tonight, I'm filming!" ??? 8y
Megabooks @Shortstack This book is fun, but you can tell from the highlights on kindle that some people are trying to use it as a pseudoside guide! 😳 8y
Megabooks I know @BookishFeminist @Valkyrie923 @OSChamberlain @Laalaleighh !! It's so crazy, yet so obviously true! 😂😂😂 8y
62 likes2 stack adds9 comments
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Megabooks
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Ridiculously excited that my library got this in for me! A woman looks into faking her own death to get out of student loan debt. Tempting... 😉 We'll see what I learn! 🤓
(Non-fiction book)

AWahle The NPR interview with her was fascinating. I'm looking forward to your review. 8y
jessdean 😳😂 interesting! 😊 8y
Megabooks @AWahle Great! I'm fascinated. @jessdean I know, right!? 8y
56 likes5 stack adds3 comments
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Megabooks
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My #TBRTuesday! I had three books show up at the library within 24 hours and checked one out right before that, so I am set! (For now) 😃👍🏻

JoeStalksBeck I check my email constantly for my holds! Lol 8y
60 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Awk_Word_Smith
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Pickpick

Free copy for an honest opinion:
A must-read just in time for the 2016 election. An interesting topic and compelling read. I felt the chapter on the Michael Jackson Believers was a deviation from the overall thesis of the book. I tried to read the whole chapter, but skipped to the next chapter as the conspiracy theories about Jackson's death didn't offer any insight into faking one's death. But overall, an enjoyable read.

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Awk_Word_Smith
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SarahK
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I keep a TBR list on my phone. Thanks to Mindy Kaling's Instagram recommendation this morning I'm pretty sure i have the life cycle covered.

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shawnmooney
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A non-fiction book about people who, for a variety of reasons, have faked their own deaths.

Nebklvr Sounds fun! 8y
37 likes12 stack adds1 comment