THIS VERY TREE A Story of 9/11, Resilience, and Regrowth

Narrator Jennifer Ceci is the voice of the "Survivor Tree," which miraculously survived the 9/11 attack that toppled the Twin Towers and buried it. Her tone is light and proud as the tree recalls its early days of providing shade and beauty to workers and visitors to the World Trade Center. In those moments subtle wind and bird sounds add atmosphere. Ceci's voice, made more powerful by the absence of sound effects, becomes somber and slower paced as the tree recalls, with a hint of disbelief, the day everything changed. Afterward, as the tree's years at a nursery pass and it heals, Ceci's voice becomes gradually stronger and hopeful until the tree is finally returned to the site, a living memorial, in 2010. An author's note and brief history add context. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2021]