Journey Through Fire and Ice

Shattered Dreams Above the Arctic Circle

By: Deanne Burch

Narrated by: Jenn Leigh Pengelly

At the age of 23, Deanne Burch accompanied her husband, Ernest "Tiger" Burch, to the Inuit village of Kivalina, Alaska, a barrier island 23 miles above the Arctic Circle.

Tiger was conducting a participant study of the natives, whereas Deanne was a city girl—ethnocentric, naïve, and completely unprepared for the journey she was about to embark on. In Kivalina, she lived on the edge of two worlds—the one she left behind, and the one where she reluctantly participated in all aspects of the women's lives. Skinning seals, cleaning and drying fish, cutting beluga and caribou to store became her way of life. Plumbing, running water, and electricity were not available. Loneliness was a constant companion, although she tried to be accepted by the Inuit women who were suspicious of all white women.

Gradually Deanne adapted to living in a culture she knew nothing about. The midnight sun was followed by relentless darkness and brutal weather. With this came a journey into the unknown. First was a fateful camping trip where they nearly lost their lives, followed six days later by a fire in their house, an event that left Tiger badly burned. During the three months Tiger spent in the hospital, his only wish was to return to Kivalina and finish what he had started. Despite horrific burns on his face and hands and seared lungs from which he never recuperated, Tiger and Deanne returned to the village to complete the study. Instead of believing in fairy tales and happy endings, Deanne became a woman of strength ready to face the next challenge.

Over 50 years later, she remembers the young girl who left on an unknown journey. A journey that will live in her heart forever.

©2021 Deanne Burch (P)2023 Deanne Burch

This is a great book!

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It is very well written and I was so engaged I listened to it all in a just a few days. Learning details about the Inuit village the author and her husband lived in was fascinating because she gave us a very personal look at the people there and her interactions with them. Also the narration was quite perfect—Jenn’s voice and style were lovely, but even more importantly, she was never a distraction to the story as many narrators I’ve listened to can be. I felt that it was Deanne herself sharing her beautiful story, and I love when Audible narrators are able to do this successfully.

A beautiful narrative of a young woman who moves from naivety to experience through life lessons and trauma.

I own all three formats of this memoir. The hard copy was a gift. I purchased the kindle version one day when I was in the ER with my daughter and the light were too dim to read the book. Having been an avid reader once upon a time, I tend to fall asleep while reading….that day in the ER I read Journey Through Fire and Ice eagerly. Sadly, I skimmed much of the book because I was afraid I would fall asleep. By skimming, I knew many important details were lost. For the last 6 years audio books have allowed me to experience the world of literature once again! This past summer, the memoir came out on Audible and I was thrilled! I purchased the audio version as soon as I could. The description on the land north of the Arctic Circle came alive, the voices and accents of the people in the story made me experience the telling in a different way. In the beginning of the journey, Deanne was so naive and Tiger (also young) had not been able to see life from her perspective. Through hardships and trauma, the young couple changes and grows…. The narrator brings the characters alive; she doesn’t just read the book, she puts life into the memoir. I would highly recommend the Audible version of this memoir!