[2][3] Padnani is also the author, with writers of the Times, of Overlooked: A Celebration of Remarkable, Underappreciated People Who Broke the Rules and Changed the World, a collection of these obituaries, published in 2023 by Ten Speed Press.

Padnani wrote for metropolitan newspapers like Newsday, The Star-Ledger and The Staten Island Advance before moving to The New York Times in 2011.

[10] The series opened with a straightforward statement of intent:[2] "Since 1851, obituaries in the New York Times have been dominated by white men.

[12] Padnani has described her personal motivation for the series: "As a woman of color, I am pained when the powerful stories of incredible women and minorities are not brought to light".

[14] In 2023, Ten Speed Press published Overlooked: A Celebration of Remarkable, Underappreciated People Who Broke The Rules and Changed the World, authored by Padnani with the New York Times Obituaries Desk.