Rating: 
Summary: Compelling, fair and authoritative
Review: Stuart Eizenstat has written an excellent book - it's a fair account of the protracted negotiations for compensation for victims of the Holocaust. Eizenstat is a sharp observer, and he doesn't hesitate critizising people (including himself) when he thought they made mistakes.
This is the first real inside report of the sometimes dramatic negotiations on compensation for Nazi slave labourers and property restitution. As a German who has closely followed these issues I can only congratulate Mr. Eizenstat, not just for his work, but also for his book: it is quite the contrary of what I expected - honest, balanced (but never boring), and above all: very authoritative. An absolute "must" for everyone interested in these issues.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book for Everyone
Review: Terrific book! This is a deeply moving, informative and fascinating account. It should be read by everyone-- ordinary citizens, businessmen and women, religious leaders, lawyers, government officials, academics and students of the political process. Everyone can learn from this book. Read it if you want to learn more about how:
· One committed government leader- in this case, Stuart Eizenstat- can tenaciously speak truth to power, proving that democratic government, in the hands of highly ethical and competent people, can serve well the interests of the powerless;
· A small group of international leaders, using lawsuits and diplomacy, media coverage and legislative action, can wrest some justice from the jaws of great multinational evil, even half a century after atrocities have been committed;
· Profoundly unethical corporate behavior can be effectively challenged and brought to justice- and how such immoral practices might be prevented in the first place;
· Real political power works in a democracy- from the inside out, and how ordinary individuals can cooperate with and use democratic power to obtain some justice for the wrongs they have suffered; and how
· The former Communist countries of Eastern Europe are supporting (or not) emerging democratic processes, the rule of law and the resurgence of many religious traditions-and how all this intersects with a fragile but hopeful renewal of Eastern European Judaism, previously decimated in these countries by the Holocaust and then by Communism. Imperfect Justice is one splendid man's spellbinding account of the dogged search for compensation for those who survived the horrors of Nazi concentration camps- and for those (survivors and heirs) whose personal bank accounts, property, artworks and insurance policies were stolen from them and held hostage for more than fifty years. In the end, against all odds, Stuart Eizenstat and his colleagues won eight billion dollars from the power centers of Europe as compensation for Holocaust victims, both Jews and non-Jews. A tremendous victory! This book is the very readable, information-packed and compelling story of how it was done. Don't miss it!
Rating: 
Summary: The victims are again mistreated
Review: This book should not have been about Stuart Eisenstat as we come away believing after reading it. Mr. Eisenstat is accomplished and clever and the more reason for him to have secured for the victims a fair shake. Instead his activities, as described in this book, are benefiting the German and Swiss Companies and deprive the victims of proper copensation. Only the Hungarian Government offered less compensation to the victims then what Mr. Eisenstat has arranged. The Hungarian Government offered each person whos relative was murdered during WW2 (aproximately)[$$] for a parent and [$$] for a brother or sister. This book is a depressing tale of personal ambition, misguided values and lack of remorse by a high ranking former official of the US Government. We hope that someone will take notice of how the VICTIMS have farred and make amends while there is still time
for the survivors to savor some decent treatment.
Rating:
Summary: What It Takes To Make A Difference
Review: You MUST be interested in the Nazi era to a radical degree to stick with this book. It is a left-nostril account of nuances of negotiations, mainly regarding Swiss and German reparations, mainly for Jewish Holocaust survivors. Complicating the reading effort are grammatical errors (see, for example, page 198) and some apparent scholarship inconsistencies. (To illustrate, contrast discussion in next to the last paragraph on page 206 with descriptive matter associated with the first photograph on the sixth page of photographs.) Moreover, in my view, the book is as much about its author's sense of self-importance as it is about the negotiation process it describes.
Rating: 
Summary: Tedious
Review: You MUST be interested in the Nazi era to a radical degree to stick with this book. It is a left-nostril account of nuances of negotiations, mainly regarding Swiss and German reparations, mainly for Jewish Holocaust survivors. Complicating the reading effort are grammatical errors (see, for example, page 198) and some apparent scholarship inconsistencies. (To illustrate, contrast discussion in next to the last paragraph on page 206 with descriptive matter associated with the first photograph on the sixth page of photographs.) Moreover, in my view, the book is as much about its author's sense of self-importance as it is about the negotiation process it describes.
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