Arctic Heart forges the natural world into a luminous classroom of soul. A decade before the Alaska pipeline, Shinan Barclay joined Iñupiat Eskimos creating thread from caribou tendons, mukluks and parkas from seal skin, and kayaks from walrus hides. Told with disarming innocence, this heroine's journey is an elemental tale of finding truths about human nature--that laughter, sharing and goodwill count far more than material possessions. Set miles above the Arctic Circle, nineteen-year-old Shinan Barclay encounters a mystical spirituality. In 1962, leaving her parents' home in Southern California, she answers a missionary's call to convert the "pagans" (Eskimos) of northern Alaska. During the dark months of winter she falls through the ice and undergoes a crisis of her cradle faith, resulting in a story few could tell. Irrevocably shaped by the Arctic and its native people, Shinan presents a moving portrait of her funny, difficult, and often confusing passage into adulthood. Layered with courage, kindness, and serendipity, Barclay's storytelling artistry extends from whimsy and candor to theological inquiries and socioeconomic insights. Arctic Heart authenticates a society unknown to most and illustrates cross-cultural respect. Flashbacks link to the shared youth of The Baby Boomers. Seventy-five chapters include vivid journal notes and letters written during that northernmost adventure as well as the author's photos, and an annotated bibliography. Widely published, Shinan Barclay's stories appear in Japanese, Portuguese, Czechoslovakian, French, and Spanish. She is the niece of world-renowned authors Rollo May (Love and Will) and Gerald G. May (Addiction and Grace).