Anneli Rufus is an American journalist and author. Born in Los Angeles, California, and brought up in a Jewish household, she first went to college in Santa Barbara, then to the University of California, Berkeley. Rufus earned an English degree and became a journalist. She has written for many publications, including Salon.com, the San Francisco Chronicle and the Boston Globe. Rufus is the author of many books, including The Scavengers' Manifesto (2009), The Farewell Chronicles: How We Really Respond to Death (2005) and Party of One: The Loners' Manifesto (2002).