Searching for God at Ground Zero [Paperback]

James, S.J. Martin (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1580511260 | ISBN-13: 978-1580511261 | Publication Date: November 1, 2002

In response to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, James Martin dropped everything to minister to those in need at Ground Zero. In this extraordinary journal, Jim recounts the days working with the firefighters, police officers, and rescue workers laboring in the ruins. Expecting to find only discouragement and despair, Father Martin instead encounters charity, hope, and above all, grace.

Searching for God at Ground Zero leads readers into a world not only traumatized by the attacks of September 11, 2001, but also galvanized by an overwhelming love and solidarity. Father Martin introduces us to individuals of enormous courage and generosity - the firefighter working in the shadow of the grave of his "buddies," the police officer struggling to make sense of suffering, the sanitation worker asking questions about God and faith. In the process he speaks candidly about his own joys, fears, and struggles as he both ministers in the name of God and searches for God's presence alongside his brother Jesuits. This book is a profound meditation on faith in the presence of death, charity in the face of suffering, and God in the midst of humanity.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This isn't just one more book about the September 11 tragedy. Here are stories of one human being descending into the hell of Ground Zero to offer his help - but with this difference: Jim Martin is like God's bloodhound, sniffing out grace, redemption, and consolation wherever he can find it. Up against such impenetrable darkness we long for a glimmer of light - and Jim's tiny lantern of faith gives us glints of that light. (Sister Helen Prejean, C.S.J )

A vivid and inspiring account of how God's loving presence could be experienced amid the smoldering ruins of the Twin Towers. Father Martin's unusual combination of gifts as priest and journalist enables him to convey, in simple lapidary prose, both the grief of those who suffered and the selfless devotion of the rescue workers. (Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J. )

About the Author

James Martin, S.J. is associate editor of America, the national Catholic magazine. Fr. Martin is author of In Good Company: The Fast Track from the Corporate World to Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience (Sheed & Ward).

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Sheed & Ward (November 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580511260
• ISBN-13: 978-1580511261
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #631,939 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Rev. James Martin, SJ, is a Jesuit priest, culture editor of America magazine, and author of numerous books, including My Life with the Saints, which Publishers Weekly named one of the best books of 2006. Father Martin is a frequent commentator in the national and international media, having appeared in such diverse outlets as The Colbert Report, Fresh Air, The O'Reilly Factor, NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Boston Globe, and on the History Channel, BBC, and Vatican Radio. Before entering the Jesuits in 1988 he graduated from the Wharton School of Business.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heartbreaking and inspiring, October 4, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Searching for God at Ground Zero (Paperback)

For the most part, Jim Martin was just like any other American on September 11th--desperate to do "something." But he had what most of us don't--a Roman collar and the knowledge that God's word would be needed the most in that place of unparallelled evil. A policeman escorts him to Ground Zero, and Father Martin is sure he has entered hell.

Frightened by the carnage around him, Father Martin struggles to minister to the firefighters, cops and paramedics frantically digging by hand to reach buddies and strangers alike. But in the end he finds that he does not need to reveal God to these heartbroken rescuers--instead, God's grace is revealed to the world by their tireless sacrifice.

Father Martin gives us a glimpse into the unseen world of Ground Zero in the weeks following the September 11th attacks--it is a story of horror and, surprisingly, of hope and grace. For anyone whose faith was sorely tested by September 11th (and whose wasn't?), this book offers inspiration and solace.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A profoundly moving book, October 27, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Searching for God at Ground Zero (Paperback)

As Sister Helen Prejean said on the back jacket, this is not just another 9/11 book. It is much more than that. Father Martin speaks of course about the heroism and charity of the rescue workers at the World Trade Center, but with this book he also gives the reader a profound meditation on the way that God can work during times of suffering. It is a deeply moving (and beautifully written) book.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational Time Capsule, January 2, 2003

By 

"kudzulu" (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Searching for God at Ground Zero (Paperback)

Father Martin describes the events of the World Trade Center tragedy of 9/11 in gently vivid, reader-kind prose. I felt I had a true, but down-to-earth description of how it must have been to have actually been on site following this terrible disaster, but without all the "must-sell" hype of news writers and television broadcasters. The scene described by Fr. Martin was descriptive without being gory or graphic. The whole experience of reading about the tragedy and its heros through the author's "eyes" was as a prayer. I want to give this book to all my friends and family, and recommend it highly. cbm/Atlanta, GA