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IMMORTALITY AND THE LAW By: Ray D. Madoff
Yale University Press
May 2010
On Sale: May 11, 2010
208 pages ISBN: 0300121849 EAN: 9780300121841 Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
This book takes a riveting look at how the law responds to that distinctly American dream of immortality. While American law provides virtually no protections for the interests we hold most dearβour bodies and our reputationsβwhen it comes to property interests, the American dead have greater control than anywhere else in the world. Moreover, these rights are growing daily. From grave robbery to Elvis impersonators, Madoff shows how the law of the dead has a direct impact on how we live. Madoff examines how the rising power of the American dead enables the deceased to exert control over their wealth forever through grandiose schemes like "dynasty trusts" and perpetual private charitable foundations and to control their creative works and identities well into the unforeseeable future. Madoff explores how the law of the dead can, in essence, extend the reach of life by granting virtual immortality to individuals. All of this comes, Madoff contends, at real costs imposed on the living.
 Media BuzzOn Point - December 15, 2010 On Point - May 26, 2010
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