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Reflections of Grace

Finding Hope at Ground Zero

About The Book

A moving, life-affirming collection of memories—some from the unforgettable The Voice That Calls You Home—and guidance from one of the chaplains who served at Ground Zero after 9/11.

In the days after 9/11 at Ground Zero, Andrea Raynor saw firsthand the courage and strength among the first responders and other heroes who worked tirelessly during the recovery effort. Now, she shares with us the wisdom she gained to help us during our darkest days. Including excerpts from her acclaimed essay collection The Voice That Calls You Home, this stirring tribute to all those affected by the attacks eloquently explores the power of community, hope, and healing.

About The Author

Photograph by Cat Raynor

Andrea Raynor received her Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School and served as a chaplain at Ground Zero after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. A cancer survivor herself, she now continues helping others through her speaking engagements and bereavement work. She lives in Rye, New York.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Atria Books (September 7, 2021)
  • Length: 96 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781982198022

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Raves and Reviews

"In this moving collection, Chaplain Andrea Raynor offers a candid and unblinking glimpse into life at Ground Zero in the aftermath of the September 11thattacks. As we walk with her around the site and into the temporary morgue, we encounter everyday people called to perform extraordinary and sacred tasks. She captures quiet moments that pass between strangers and the fierce determination of a city to reclaim its dead and to rise again. A testimony to the enduring power of the human spirit, Raynor's reflections offer us hope."



– Bob Woodruff, ABC News Correspondent

"Grace is an apt word for the solace and healing found in these sublimely crafted pages. Andrea Raynor is herself a reflection of grace who continues to mirror for us hope in the midst of despair and beauty in the face of destruction."





– Father Edward L. Beck, C.P., CNN Religion Commentator

"Serving in the temporary mortuary at Ground Zero in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, was an act of courage and a labor of love. Andrea Raynor courageously and lovingly served as one of those chaplains in the T-Mort. And in her book, Reflections of Grace: Finding Hope at Ground Zero, she has given us a gift: a tender recounting of the stories about our nation’s heroes – the men and women laboring tirelessly in the former WTC site – as they frantically sought to find any survivors, and ultimately, with the greatest respect, to find and bless the remains of the dead."



Lyndon F. Harris

Former Priest-in-Charge,

Saint Paul’s Chapel

(April 2001 – December 2002)

– Lyndon F. Harris, Former Priest-in-Charge, Saint Paul’s Chapel (April 2001 – December 2002)

“It matters how we live and how we die, and how we are treated when we are dead.” -- Andrea Raynor

"No one could have told this deeply personal, important story except the hospice chaplain who bore witness, gave comfort in the aftermath, and created sanctity for those who died at Ground Zero.

This supremely reverent and uplifting book takes its place in history next to Man’s Search for Meaning and When the World Breaks Your Heart."





– Debbie Phillips, Founder & CEO Women on Fire

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