The story that inspired the acclaimed motion picture Worth, told by the man behind the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund-a moving saga of national tragedy and healing.
Now with the author's reflections on how today's hyper-partisan America needs to unite to face our greatest challenges.
Just days after September 11, 2001, attorney Kenneth Feinberg was appointed by Congress to administer the federal 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund-a unique effort to compensate families victimized in the terror attacks. He was given an unlimited budget and total authority over how to spend it.
Feinberg soon found himself under attack and mired in controversy. Traumatized and angry, some families threatened to sue over awards they considered skimpy; others were insulted by the very idea that a dollar value could be placed on the lives of their loved ones. Feinberg spent three years meeting 9/11 survivors and families, hearing their stories and absorbing their grief.
Gradually, Feinberg earned the respect and support of the 9/11 families, over 97 percent of whom chose to participate in the fund rather than sue. What Is Life Worth? shares the lessons Feinberg learned about the power of compassion and the limits of any effort to place a value on human life.
"Engaging, emotionally rewarding."-New York Times.
"Concise, fascinating."-New York Law Journal.
Autorentext
Kenneth R. Feinberg has played a key role in resolving many of our nation's most challenging and widely known disputes. He is best known for serving as the Special Master of the Federal September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001, in which he reached out to all who qualified to file a claim, evaluated applications, determined appropriate compensation, and disseminated awards. Mr. Feinberg shared his extraordinary experience in his book What Is Life Worth?, first published in 2005 by PublicAffairs, and in his follow-up book Who Gets What, published by PublicAffairs in 2012.Mr. Feinberg has been appointed to two presidential-level commissions because of his experience and expertise, and has had a distinguished teaching career as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, Georgetown University Law Center, the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Columbia University Law School, New York University Law School, and the University of Virginia Law School.