Dear Loyal Readers,

Thank you for all your support and encouragement in getting this story into the light of day. For nearly a half-century I have wanted to tell the story about my life on the Navajo Reservation. What happened to me was so out of the ordinary, I felt compelled to tell the world about those experiences that profoundly changed the course of my life. But life kept me busy, especially once I became a medical doctor. Although friends and family urged me for years to write a book about those times, it was only recently that I felt a calling I could not ignore.

——————————————————————————————————————

Synopsis of the book:

“This memoir is the true story about the life of a young Anglo woman, Erica Elliott, who comes to the Navajo Reservation in 1971 as a newly minted schoolteacher, knowing nothing about her students or their culture. After several blunders and misunderstandings, and beset by loneliness and despair, Erica makes a determined effort to overcome the barriers of language and culture. From the moment she begins learning the Navajo language, the people open their hearts and homes to her, inviting her into a world that will profoundly impact the rest of her life.

Erica falls in love with her Navajo students—along with their enchanting land, healing ceremonies, and rich traditions. She witnesses many miracles during this time, and experiences her own miracle when the elders pray for her healing. She survives fearsome encounters with a mountain lion and a shapeshifting “skin walker.” She learns how to herd and butcher sheep, make fry bread, weave traditional rugs, and more.

Years later, Erica returns to serve the Navajo people as a medical doctor in an underserved clinic, performing emergency procedures and delivering babies. When a medicine man offers to thank her with a ceremony, more miracles unfold.”

Endorsements of the book:

“Dr. Erica Elliott’s account of her life among the Navajo people is a story of high adventure that surpasses the wildest fiction. Elliott’s willingness to transcend her cultural conditioning and enter another complex society is an act of great courage—one that reveals her boundless empathy and compassion. This book is sorely needed at this moment in America, when divisive voices incessantly warn us of the other, the foreigner, those who “are not like us.” Mystery and Medicine in the High Desert: My Life Among the Navajo People reveals how diversity and inclusiveness can enrich our own society—a lesson on which our future may depend.”

—Larry Dossey, MD, author of One Mind: How Our Individual Mind Is Part of a Greater Consciousness and Why It Matters 

“What a wonderful book! Elliott’s voice mesmerized me. For weeks after I read this, I thought about her time with the Navajos. Such an inspiring, life-affirming, yet tough tale, woven through with a strong drive to realize her life path. Beautifully written. Elliott is an exciting new voice.”

—Natalie Goldberg, author of Writing Down the Bones and Let the Whole Thundering World Come Home

“Erica Elliott writes fearlessly, with an original voice that grabbed me from the first page. Her true adventures on the Navajo Nation as a teacher, a shepherd, an emergency room doctor—and best of all, an open-hearted student immersed in a spiritually rich culture—make a great story. She leaves the reader with something to ponder: The abiding importance of reaching out to others with joy and respect. I love this book.”

—Anne Hillerman, NY Times bestselling author of the Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito mystery series

“This is a powerful and personal book about courage and compassion. Reading it, we are drawn into the web of Dr. Elliott’s extraordinary life of service and learning with the Navajo people of the American Southwest. We are fortunate for the chance to accompany her on her remarkable journey.”

—Rev. Joan Jiko Halifax, Abbot of Upaya Zen Center and author of Standing at the Edge

——————————————————————————————————————

If you would like to read the book, it can be purchased on Amazon and on Balboa Press’s online bookstore.  And if the spirit moves you, please consider writing a review of the book on the website.

In the next few weeks, I will be doing readings and book signings in the Santa Fe/Taos/Albuquerque area.

I hope you find the story inspiring, engaging, and informative.

 

---