God at Ground Zero: How Good Overcame Evil, One Heart at a Time

by Ray Giunta, Lynda Rutledge Stephenson, Charles R. Swindoll (Foreword)

Within hours of his arrival at New York City, Chaplain Ray Giunta was escorted directly to Ground Zero. There he was witness to the heroic and the horrific, the miraculous and the macabre. He spent 68 days digging through the rubble, carrying away the bodies, and - perhaps most important of all -being there to be a conduit to the love of Christ. Whenever people saw the cross on his helmet, they had to tell him stories: stories of sacrifice or shame or fear or faith. God @ Ground Zero recalls these stories interspersed with actual e-emails sent from his PalmPilot has he worked in the shifting rubble. Out of the horror of 9/11 rises a testimonyto the love and faithfulness of a God who is always near, waiting with the power to heal.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Christian Non Fiction, Biography, New York, Christian

224 pages, Paperback

First published August 6, 2002

Reviews

[Dann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly powerful, God @ Ground Zero: How Good Overcame Evil…One Heart at a Time gives readers a firsthand account of the rescue efforts at the World Trade Center disaster site. A professional crisis chaplain who’s been involved with a number of disaster relief efforts, including the Oklahoma City bombing and the San Francisco earthquake, author “Chaplain Ray” Giunta spent 68 days at Ground Zero ministering to and working with the firefighters and search and rescue teams. Giunta chronicles his experiences providing crisis care to rescue workers and others during the weeks after the September 11th terrorist attacks, and provides a remarkably visceral account of what it was like to be on the pile (the collapsed WTC towers) and to sift through the debris for remains. He also discusses the spiritual awakening that he witnessed and the signs of God’s presence that he saw. Additionally, Giunta explains what’s involved with crisis care work and the types of trauma that rescue workers, survivors, and others were going through in the aftermath of the attacks. God @ Ground Zero: How Good Overcame Evil…One Heart at a Time is an extraordinary memoir of one of the most tragic events in American history, and is full of touching personal stories.

[James Moran · Rating 5 out of 5]

The events of 9/11 pushed me away from God and made me doubt whether there even was a God. How can something as horrible as 9/11 take place on God's watch? This book attempts to answer that question and helps make sense of that day. Highly recommend for any religious skeptics.

[Melissa Pawless · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a very enjoyable first hand account of what happened on 9/11. This book is told from a police officer’s view who is also a minister throughout his law enforcement career. It’s a very inspirational book. It’s a must read for anyone who’s served in the military or emergency rescue personnel.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing first-hand account of the hard work, long hours, and strained emotions at the World Trade Center in the days and weeks following September 11. The author who counseled people after the Oklahoma City bombing found a niche counseling men whose hearts might otherwise have gone overlooked in the face of such a disaster--the dump truck drivers, the bulldozer and jackhammer operators, the dog trainers who had not found a single intact body.

Giunta describes the look in people's eyes, the powerful sense of grief, but also of community. He chronicles the way Americans came together all over the nation, while men "unskilled in emotional turmoil" suffered alone, sifting the smoking ashes at Ground Zero.

This is a book of horrifying but fascinating details: The occasional finger found still wearing a wedding band (and the quest to find the ring finger's family), a foot still in its shoe, the ubiquitous cigars everyone smoked to mask the smells, the mountain of debris and the never-ending line of trucks moving what was left of the Towers to a landfill on Long Island or somewhere.

But the real draw of the book is the great stories of the way God worked in people's lives, the way He showed Himself to be still active, still loving, still on His throne no matter what we have suffered.

A fascinating development later in the book is Giunta's own story of having been adopted as a child. The tragic deaths of 9/11 leave him thinking about his own childhood, and the seemingly unrelated stories come together beautifully.

***

Reading this book was an excellent opportunity to learn some of the more "positive" stories about heroes dealing with an extraordinary tragedy. The chaplain's story of his work in the trenches week after week is fascinating. Some of the anecdotes are brutal, but real: locating a severed finger and packaging it for DNA testing, rubbing Vicks Vapo Rub in his nostrils to help with the smell of decayed remains, counseling dump truck drivers who were working 20-hour days and were filled with stress and grief and lacked the tools to process it.

I gave my copy away to a friend headed to Thailand to minister to those displaced by the Tsunami some years ago. I would love to read it again, years after 9/11.

[Wes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heart warming true story of a pastor who feels the need to be at ground zero after the attacks of the world trade center. He describes the people, the feelings, the inside events that took place and the hardships of the brothers who were lost and the ones looking for them. I enjoyed the book and it is a quick read that will help you gain a new perspective of the hero's at ground zero. The comfort that God gave them and the struggles that were delt with.

[Karyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of a chaplain who went to Ground Zero to comfort the rescue workers- vivid descriptions of what he saw and felt during the process of counseling those who witnessed evil first hand. So many stories of strength at a time of adversity in America- it was comforting to read as we get ready to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the tragedy and serves as a reminder that goodness can come again after times of great loss.

[Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was a VERY easy, very quick book with a message. I gave it 3 stars simply because it was hard to follow. It was definitely not a story because it did not follow a plot. It jumped around a lot. It was so interesting though to read because it follows the Chaplain for Ground Zero after 9/11. I would suggest it!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exceptional first hand account of the devestating "clean up", rescue/recovery efforts in the aftermath of 9/11. Ray Giunta provides a unique perspective as a trauma counselor as he walks through this journey with many NYC firefighters and survivors.

[Bednarzterry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written, without being preachy. The story of a crisis Chaplain who worked at Ground Zero for more than two months. Very emotional and moving, yet hopeful about the power of connection between people.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Touching, detailed, inspiring book about 9/11

[Cws]

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[Jan Kramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unique, inside view of Ground Zero.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, just wow! Every Christian and those struggling with Christianity should read this. Incredibly powerful.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book telling of the accounts of a pastor who was at ground zero after the attacks. Incredibly emotional.

[Roby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in less than five days. The author shared not only his experience at Ground Zero in the aftermath of the 911 attack but he also shared how God's love can be found in such tragedy.

[Glenna Knights · Rating 5 out of 5]

About faith put to work and coming through at 9-11.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and thoughtful, defiantly a new perspective to the event.

[Randal S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really tugs at the heart strings.