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In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, a new breed of heroes emerged on the American landscape. They garner little public attention, since their acts of bravery cannot be seen as one valiant moment. Yet their courage, honor, and commitment are abundantly clear. They are the workers and volunteers at Ground Zero, site of the former twin towers of New York City's World Trad... More

In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, a new breed of heroes emerged on the American landscape. They garner little public attention, since their acts of bravery cannot be seen as one valiant moment. Yet their courage, honor, and commitment are abundantly clear. They are the workers and volunteers at Ground Zero, site of the former twin towers of New York City's World Trade Center.

In her candid and touching journal, the Reverend Camille Yorkey provides a window into the hearts and minds of these dedicated souls. We meet the men and women responsible for removing debris from the site, separating steel, concrete, and gypsum dust from human remains. We stand with the men and women who work behind the scenes distributing clothing and supplies, preparing meals, and providing relief from physical and psychological pain. We grieve with the medical examiners, firefighters and police officers at the temporary morgue over the senseless loss of life.

A Voice in the Wilderness is a testament to the triumph of the human spirit in the wake of overwhelming tragedy. Just as the steady hands of workers mend the nation's gaping wound bit by bit, so this compassionate pastor soothes battered spirits soul by soul.

Excerpt from Is there any way I can help you? by G. D. Gearino; The Raleigh News and Observer, December 2, 2001:

In the evenings, Yorkey writes. She has been keeping a daily journal of her work in Manhattan), which began in mid-October. It has become the device by which Yorkey comes to grips with the things she has seen-things that test any rational person's ability to believe that there is order and justice in the world. Each day is a chapter. And each chapter is a combination of disaster-scene reporting, Yorkey's encounters with various survivors and her ruminations on theology, grief, and history.

Besides, the dispersal of pain isn't an intellectual process. It's hard to talk someone out of feeling bad. Instead, Yorkey is a sponge. She absorbs the unhappiness and suffering of others, lets them talk it out, then later wrings it out of her own soul as she sits down at her keyboard. Others then log onto her Web site and absorb small shares of the unhappiness themselves, until its pain is leached out of the national body.

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