We all think our own lives are normal until we move or are pushed past the boundaries of our comfort zone. Erica Elliott was barely out of her teens when the full realization of this hit her hard. Even though she was well-educated and well-traveled, it took living and working on the Navajo reservation to challenge her inherent assumptions and teach her the truth about cultural difference and connecting—truly connecting—with other humans.
She first went to the reservation as a young and idealistic teacher. Fortunately she was already wise enough to open her eyes and see what was really happening instead of barging ahead with her own version of what ought to be. It took respect and willingness to learn the Navajo language and culture in order to gain acceptance by her students and their families, and in return for her effort, Elliott was invited into a world that few white people ever experience.
Thirteen years after leaving that school, she returned to the area as a doctor at Cuba, New Mexico’s only medical center. She wandered in to introduce herself and was immediately put in charge of the entire understaffed clinic. Her first patient came in with fractured ribs, his lungs and chest filled with blood. He had a heartbeat, but there was no miracle; the patient died.
That is much like the story that Elliott tells of her time among the Navajo—every life has within it the potential for progress, but miracles are rare. It takes a lot of effort to survive the “journey to purpose,” and the path is seldom straight and smooth.
This memoir from a gifted storyteller is both a journey to a time and place, but also to the greater destination of self-discovery. Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert is a riveting and revealing read by an author who has the gift of conveying more than words can tell.
Read more about the book at GoodReads.com and at https://www.medicineandmiraclesinthehighdesert.com/.
About the Book
This is the true story of a young white 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.
Erica returns years later to serve the Navajo people as a medical doctor in an under-funded and under-staffed clinic, where she treats myriad ailments, delivers countless babies, and performs emergency procedures. When a medicine man offers to thank her with a ceremony, more miracles unfold.
Read more about the book at GoodReads.com and at https://www.medicineandmiraclesinthehighdesert.com/.
About the Author
Erica Elliott is a medical doctor with a busy private practice in Santa Fe, New Mexico. A true adventurer, she has lived and worked around the world. She served as a teacher for Indigenous children on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona and in the mountains of Ecuador.
Thank you for your beautiful and insightful words. I am moved by the depths to which you understood the spirit of the book—and me, the author.
I look forward to the next installment, Erica! 🙂
Thank you so much for your review!
I was so pleased to have the opportunity to read and help spread the word about this book!