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Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert: My Life among the Navajo People
• Details the author’s time living with the Navajo people as a teacher, sheepherder, and doctor and her profound experiences with the people, animals, and spirits • Shows how she learned the Navajo language to bridge the cultural divide • Reveals the miracles she witnessed, including her own miracle when the elders prayed for healing of a tumor on her neck • Shares her fearsome encounters with a mountain lion and a shape-shifting “skinwalker” and how she fulfilled a prophecy by returning as a doctor In 1971, Erica Elliott arrived on the Navajo reservation as a newly minted schoolteacher, knowing nothing about her students or their culture. After a discouraging first week, she almost leaves in despair, unable to communicate with the children or understand cultural cues. But once she starts learning the language, the people begin to trust her, welcoming her into their homes and their hearts. As she is drawn into the mystical world of Navajo life, she has a series of profound experiences with the people, animals, and spirits of Canyon de Chelly that change her life forever.In this compelling memoir, the author details her time living with the Navajo, the Diné people, and her experiences with their enchanting land, healing ceremonies, and rich traditions. She shares how her love for her students transformed her life as well as the lives of the children. She reveals the miracles she witnessed during this time, including her own miracle when the elders prayed for healing of a tumor on her neck. She survives fearsome encounters with a mountain lion and a shape-shifting “skinwalker.” She learns how to herd sheep, make fry bread, and weave traditional rugs, experiencing for herself the life of a traditional Navajo woman.Fulfilling a Navajo grandmother’s prophecy, the author returns years later to serve the Navajo people as a medical doctor in an underfunded clinic, delivering numerous babies and treating sick people day and night. She also reveals how, when a medicine man offers to thank her with a ceremony, more miracles unfold. Sharing her life-changing deep dive into Navajo culture, Erica Elliott’s inspiring story reveals the transformation possible from immersion in a spiritually rich culture as well as the power of reaching out to others with joy, respect, and an open heart.
251 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2019
42 people are currently reading
2127 people want to read
About the author
Erica M. Elliott
3 books29 followersErica Elliott was born into a large family with a Swiss mother and an American father. Throughout her childhood, Erica moved with her family from one part of the world to another due to her father’s work. Her grade schooling began in England and ended in Germany where she graduated from high school. She pursued her interest in the arts in Florence, Italy, before returning to the States to attend college.
The seeds for becoming a medical doctor were first sown when she spent a summer in Switzerland learning from her uncle, an eccentric and brilliant medical doctor. It took many years before those seeds sprouted.
Erica came to medicine later than most medical students, after pursuing other careers and interests, including teaching grade school and herding sheep on the Navajo Reservation, mountain climbing in the Andes while serving in the Peace Corps in South America, teaching Outward Bound students wilderness survival in the Rocky Mountains, and studying various spiritual practices.
After graduating from University of Colorado Medical School and completing her residency in family practice in Denver, Erica worked in a number of settings including a clinic for indigent care, a local emergency room, a women’s clinic, and a multi-specialty clinic.
In 1993, Dr. Elliott opened her own private practice in her co-housing community, called The Commons, which she helped found in the early 1990s. In 2015, she gave a TEDx talk about living in co-housing.
Dr. Elliott is board certified in both family practice and environmental medicine. She has been nicknamed the “Medical Detective" due to her skills at finding the underlying causes of puzzling medical problems that have not responded to conventional medical care. Her skills have attracted patients to her clinic from all parts of the country and abroad.
Over the years, Erica has written articles, given radio talks, interviews, webinars, and weeklong workshops at both Esalen and Omega Institutes. She is the co-author of Prescriptions for a Healthy House, a useful resource guide for transforming one’s home into a sanctuary in order to maintain good health. She is also the author of Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert: My Life among the Navajo People.
On her blog site, www.musingsmemoirandmedicine.com she writes articles about topics in medicine that give the readers a different perspective on healing various conditions. She also writes excerpts from her memoirs, along with healthy recipes, and descriptions of her various trips abroad.
The seeds for becoming a medical doctor were first sown when she spent a summer in Switzerland learning from her uncle, an eccentric and brilliant medical doctor. It took many years before those seeds sprouted.
Erica came to medicine later than most medical students, after pursuing other careers and interests, including teaching grade school and herding sheep on the Navajo Reservation, mountain climbing in the Andes while serving in the Peace Corps in South America, teaching Outward Bound students wilderness survival in the Rocky Mountains, and studying various spiritual practices.
After graduating from University of Colorado Medical School and completing her residency in family practice in Denver, Erica worked in a number of settings including a clinic for indigent care, a local emergency room, a women’s clinic, and a multi-specialty clinic.
In 1993, Dr. Elliott opened her own private practice in her co-housing community, called The Commons, which she helped found in the early 1990s. In 2015, she gave a TEDx talk about living in co-housing.
Dr. Elliott is board certified in both family practice and environmental medicine. She has been nicknamed the “Medical Detective" due to her skills at finding the underlying causes of puzzling medical problems that have not responded to conventional medical care. Her skills have attracted patients to her clinic from all parts of the country and abroad.
Over the years, Erica has written articles, given radio talks, interviews, webinars, and weeklong workshops at both Esalen and Omega Institutes. She is the co-author of Prescriptions for a Healthy House, a useful resource guide for transforming one’s home into a sanctuary in order to maintain good health. She is also the author of Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert: My Life among the Navajo People.
On her blog site, www.musingsmemoirandmedicine.com she writes articles about topics in medicine that give the readers a different perspective on healing various conditions. She also writes excerpts from her memoirs, along with healthy recipes, and descriptions of her various trips abroad.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
January 6, 2020
The book club ladies in SF chose this book I think because someone knows the author, a doctor who lived at The Commons where one of my Writer Gal pals also lives. She is credited for editing the book (which is well edited, of course.) I was skeptical about this white woman's take on Navajo people and culture, but I was happily wrong about her exploitation or light review of them. She lived in Chinle, AZ, for two years as a first-time teacher in her early 20s and she actually learned to speak Dine, no small task. She continued to genuinely be open to all the experiences new to her that they gave her, despite their complete lack of interest in her life outside of the rez. She served in the Peace Corps in Ecuador and wrote a bilingual text book with the non-Spanish speaking kids that was used for decades. I really liked her despite how the book appears to a cynic like myself. Worth the quick read that it is!
December 21, 2020
Out of college, the author taught at a government boarding school on a Navaho reservation in Arizona, little expecting how it would change her life. She socialized with her students' families, learned the Navaho language and took part in their lives and ceremonies to some degree. She then went on to get a medical degree and eventually found herself back on a Navaho reservation in New Mexico. Incidents in the book reminded me how many things there are that Western culture doesn't understand or even acknowledge. At the same time this isn't a New Age glorification of indigenous life, rather a memoire of her own experiences. I'm glad I read it.
March 4, 2020
Reviewed by Araceli Noriega for Reader Views (2/2020)
In her memoir, “Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert: My Life Among the Navajo People,” Dr. Erica Elliott takes readers to a place where most non-indigenous readers have never been. She invites readers to join her on an apprentice’s journey to Navajo Nation in Arizona and New Mexico in the 1970s & ‘80s. As a young woman learning about her limits and strengths, Dr. Elliott’s journey teaches readers about the value of developing a strong work ethic on the path to personal and professional success.
Dr. Elliott’s writing swiftly and effectively immerses readers into a spell-binding adventure filled with life lessons and tenderness throughout. She sets out to turn years of experience into an ethnographic summary in story form—and she succeeds!
Her writing style is accessible to all readers, poetic at times, and with a steady of flow harsh reality to ground the reader. I absolutely love the way she demonstrates her growing ever-growing self-awareness as seen here:
“I understood that they probably viewed me like all the other white people who had come to the reservation to “help” them by trying to change their ways. And why shouldn’t they?” (p. 14)
As for the dose of reality, she ethically shares the story of a time when she and a close friend lived through a sexual assault:
“I have honored her request for anonymity by changing every identifying piece of information in this recounting of that terrifying night. Sadly, this incident is not unique to my friend. The number of rapes, murders, and unexplained disappearances of Native women across the country is alarmingly high.” (p. 75)
Wrapping up her story, she gracefully brings the reader full circle:
“During the long drive back to Colorado, my past life with the Navajo people flashed in front of me, filling me with nostalgia and gratitude, along with a vague sense of longing for something from long ago that was no longer there” (p. 153)
Dr. Elliott is able to take her readers from insight, to terror and back—a parallel to the moving narrative arc in the book.
I am grateful to have found Dr. Elliott’s book as it has served many purposes for me personally. Initially, I was drawn to the fact that the memoir was set among the Navajo people. Several years ago, during my career in Social Work, I worked with a Navajo woman who had relocated to the East Coast. She grew up in the area commonly known as “The Four Corners” and introduced me to her culture through our many talks while we worked together. Reading Dr. Elliott’s book took me back to all the feelings I experienced when she shared her stories: serenity, love, struggle, deep pain, and undeniable resolve. Dr. Elliott’s memoir rounds out a series of beautiful exchanges that I treasure with humility and respect.
Later, I found myself relating to Dr. Elliott’s trajectory as she discovered her own resilience by confronting one challenge after another. It is refreshing to read about a woman who isn’t hindered by the many forms in which we are socialized to adhere to stereotypical expectations about gender roles. In her memoir, Dr. Elliott proves to be unapologetically unconventional while courageously fighting for those people and ideals she holds dear to her heart. I hope to use the wisdom she shared in her book as a guide for my own life while I navigate similar experiences.
One challenging aspect of the book centered around the explanation of the Diné language. I am, admittedly a fanatic of linguistics (but by no means an expert), and there is one phrase that caught my attention:
“They referred to their land as Dinétah, literally meaning ‘among the people.’” p. 57
“Navajos call their land Diné Bikeyah, meaning ‘The People’s Land.’” p. 107
Initially, I was slightly confused by these explanations because it seemed that the definition was established one way, only to be re-established differently later in the book. However, my ignorance of the language proved to be the actual challenge after I watched an interview Dr. Elliott gave in 2019 on PBS. She explained and provided examples of the complexity of the Diné language. In the book, she referenced the unique sounds needed for correct pronunciation. However, listening to her speak the language made it clear that she learned a language with incomparable difficulty. My only recommendation would be that in future editions, a sentence or two can be added to underscore the complex and nuanced nature of the Diné language.
I cannot ignore the powerful spiritual element of the book as described by Dr. Elliott. Without the spiritual experiences she mentions, the book is still movingly insightful. However, by including them, she adds a dimension to the story which few writers can. Readers are taken through the book with descriptions testing our sensory perception, not uncommon in well-written memoirs. What is less common is the ability to engage the soul through metaphysical experiences which are intertwined with medical training. Dr. Elliott gracefully balances the two elements as she dispels the myth that outsiders are incapable of shedding their privilege when indigenous people accept them on their own terms.
I highly recommend Dr. Erica Elliott’s ““Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert: My Life Among the Navajo People”. While many may have heard of ‘Indian Reservations’, few have ever communed with the people who inhabit these spaces. Dr. Elliott presents her readership with an opportunity to read about a people and lifestyle they may never learn about otherwise. She is able to demonstrate a deep respect for the people who opened their hearts to her as a young white woman finding her place in the world. With this memoir, Dr. Elliott lovingly honors the life-changing experiences she had while embraced by the families of the Navajo Nation.
In her memoir, “Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert: My Life Among the Navajo People,” Dr. Erica Elliott takes readers to a place where most non-indigenous readers have never been. She invites readers to join her on an apprentice’s journey to Navajo Nation in Arizona and New Mexico in the 1970s & ‘80s. As a young woman learning about her limits and strengths, Dr. Elliott’s journey teaches readers about the value of developing a strong work ethic on the path to personal and professional success.
Dr. Elliott’s writing swiftly and effectively immerses readers into a spell-binding adventure filled with life lessons and tenderness throughout. She sets out to turn years of experience into an ethnographic summary in story form—and she succeeds!
Her writing style is accessible to all readers, poetic at times, and with a steady of flow harsh reality to ground the reader. I absolutely love the way she demonstrates her growing ever-growing self-awareness as seen here:
“I understood that they probably viewed me like all the other white people who had come to the reservation to “help” them by trying to change their ways. And why shouldn’t they?” (p. 14)
As for the dose of reality, she ethically shares the story of a time when she and a close friend lived through a sexual assault:
“I have honored her request for anonymity by changing every identifying piece of information in this recounting of that terrifying night. Sadly, this incident is not unique to my friend. The number of rapes, murders, and unexplained disappearances of Native women across the country is alarmingly high.” (p. 75)
Wrapping up her story, she gracefully brings the reader full circle:
“During the long drive back to Colorado, my past life with the Navajo people flashed in front of me, filling me with nostalgia and gratitude, along with a vague sense of longing for something from long ago that was no longer there” (p. 153)
Dr. Elliott is able to take her readers from insight, to terror and back—a parallel to the moving narrative arc in the book.
I am grateful to have found Dr. Elliott’s book as it has served many purposes for me personally. Initially, I was drawn to the fact that the memoir was set among the Navajo people. Several years ago, during my career in Social Work, I worked with a Navajo woman who had relocated to the East Coast. She grew up in the area commonly known as “The Four Corners” and introduced me to her culture through our many talks while we worked together. Reading Dr. Elliott’s book took me back to all the feelings I experienced when she shared her stories: serenity, love, struggle, deep pain, and undeniable resolve. Dr. Elliott’s memoir rounds out a series of beautiful exchanges that I treasure with humility and respect.
Later, I found myself relating to Dr. Elliott’s trajectory as she discovered her own resilience by confronting one challenge after another. It is refreshing to read about a woman who isn’t hindered by the many forms in which we are socialized to adhere to stereotypical expectations about gender roles. In her memoir, Dr. Elliott proves to be unapologetically unconventional while courageously fighting for those people and ideals she holds dear to her heart. I hope to use the wisdom she shared in her book as a guide for my own life while I navigate similar experiences.
One challenging aspect of the book centered around the explanation of the Diné language. I am, admittedly a fanatic of linguistics (but by no means an expert), and there is one phrase that caught my attention:
“They referred to their land as Dinétah, literally meaning ‘among the people.’” p. 57
“Navajos call their land Diné Bikeyah, meaning ‘The People’s Land.’” p. 107
Initially, I was slightly confused by these explanations because it seemed that the definition was established one way, only to be re-established differently later in the book. However, my ignorance of the language proved to be the actual challenge after I watched an interview Dr. Elliott gave in 2019 on PBS. She explained and provided examples of the complexity of the Diné language. In the book, she referenced the unique sounds needed for correct pronunciation. However, listening to her speak the language made it clear that she learned a language with incomparable difficulty. My only recommendation would be that in future editions, a sentence or two can be added to underscore the complex and nuanced nature of the Diné language.
I cannot ignore the powerful spiritual element of the book as described by Dr. Elliott. Without the spiritual experiences she mentions, the book is still movingly insightful. However, by including them, she adds a dimension to the story which few writers can. Readers are taken through the book with descriptions testing our sensory perception, not uncommon in well-written memoirs. What is less common is the ability to engage the soul through metaphysical experiences which are intertwined with medical training. Dr. Elliott gracefully balances the two elements as she dispels the myth that outsiders are incapable of shedding their privilege when indigenous people accept them on their own terms.
I highly recommend Dr. Erica Elliott’s ““Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert: My Life Among the Navajo People”. While many may have heard of ‘Indian Reservations’, few have ever communed with the people who inhabit these spaces. Dr. Elliott presents her readership with an opportunity to read about a people and lifestyle they may never learn about otherwise. She is able to demonstrate a deep respect for the people who opened their hearts to her as a young white woman finding her place in the world. With this memoir, Dr. Elliott lovingly honors the life-changing experiences she had while embraced by the families of the Navajo Nation.
September 7, 2020
I loved reading this! I've always been fascinated with Canyon de Chelly, and I'm so jealous of the time the author spent there. I'm also incredibly impressed with how she has lived her life--her courage, her thoughtfulness, and her willingness to try so many different ways of living. I'm looking forward to the upcoming three volumes!
May 5, 2020
A good taste of Navajo culture and life through her eyes.
July 16, 2021
Beautifully written and very interesting. A word of warning though- if you read this you will feel like an underachiever. This woman is amazing- linguist, teacher, shepherd, weaver, doctor. I look forward to reading more of her work.
August 13, 2020
I am so glad to have read Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert - thank you to Erica Elliot for her poetic and honest writing style. She drew my right into this beautiful tale. I consider myself blessed to have been able to travel back in time to the high desert. She did a fabulous job of helping me know and love the people she met along her journey as well as creating photographs through her vibrant descriptions. Not that her characters weren't amazing, but it was her horse, Jimmy, who brought me most joy throughout the story. As a horse lover myself, I could appreciate her sense of partnership with her equine friend.
Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert is a quick read - not because it's a short book, but because of the way it is written. This book is written in short chapters and journal style, but when you finish a chapter you don't set the book down - you turn quickly to the next beautifully written chapter because you want to know more and more and more! The writing is poetic and calming - this was a most lovely distraction from current affairs and the busy-ness of our fast paced lifestyles. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone! 5 Stars for this Enjoyable Read!!
Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert is a quick read - not because it's a short book, but because of the way it is written. This book is written in short chapters and journal style, but when you finish a chapter you don't set the book down - you turn quickly to the next beautifully written chapter because you want to know more and more and more! The writing is poetic and calming - this was a most lovely distraction from current affairs and the busy-ness of our fast paced lifestyles. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone! 5 Stars for this Enjoyable Read!!
July 10, 2019
Letting the Spirit lead
I loved the journey portrayed by Dr. Elliott! Her intuition led her with a listening heart through every opportunity she encountered. She allowed the isolation of walking with a new culture of brothers and sisters to wake her to new skills, gifts and miracles in herself and to awesome relationships of love and deep connection. She always allowed herself to become one with those she served, becoming more like them , being enriched and enhanced by the blessing. A unique spirit having intense human encounters, she is a blessing for us all especially at this time in our world. This is truly an inspirational read! I am grateful for the faithful journey of Dr. Elliott!
I loved the journey portrayed by Dr. Elliott! Her intuition led her with a listening heart through every opportunity she encountered. She allowed the isolation of walking with a new culture of brothers and sisters to wake her to new skills, gifts and miracles in herself and to awesome relationships of love and deep connection. She always allowed herself to become one with those she served, becoming more like them , being enriched and enhanced by the blessing. A unique spirit having intense human encounters, she is a blessing for us all especially at this time in our world. This is truly an inspirational read! I am grateful for the faithful journey of Dr. Elliott!
March 21, 2021
The writing in this book was fun and quick and easy to read. The story is interesting and the author doesn’t seem to self involved or anything. But the story just felt rather forgettable to me and a little obvious.
January 16, 2025
So Im sorry about this because I like Erica and I found her other book “ From Mountains to Medicine to be uplifting, moving, subime and beautiful –this book was a huge disappointment. I found it lowering my level of consciousness and obstructing my mind so I could notg focus on God.
First of all she calls herself a “self righteous vegetarian” at the beginning of the story then proceeds to tell how she associates with cruel meat eaters who kill and eat the very dogs who serve them , rape women and drink alcohol .
To me a vegetarian is simply some one who realized the advantages of living low on the food chain and the disadvantages of living high on the food chain and may or may not try to share those advantages with others. Then the others may label them as self righteous.
In her first book, at 16, she meets her Uncle Ernst who is vegan and who heals thousands of people suffering from chronic diseases by first purifying them with a fast and enemas then introducing then to a pure raw vegan diet. It very well proven that boiling food destroys emzymes and vitamins that can help cure diseases.
In this book at 19 or 21 or what ever she throws all that out the window, is magnetically drawn to and associates with people who kill stray puppies and put them in her stew and then laugh when they see her reaction and she goes back to meat eating.
Predicably she is getting a hip replacement as she writes this book. I’ll bet none of Uncle Ernst’s patients ever had to get a hip replacement.
Common sense and a sense of justice tells us that if by our actions we cause suffering the reaction we get back from the universe will be suffering .If we don’t cause suffering but instead do only actions that alleviate suffering then our suffering will be alleviated –that’s a scientific law –for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Scientists know that animals have nervous systems and emotions suffer physically and emotionally when killed for our food plants do not have nervous systems and do not suffer physically when killed for our food. Some of the suffering we must undergo as a result of meat eating is paid by disease –like hip replacements.
So does sharing that here make me a self righteous vegan ? Or does it make me a compassionate concerned human being?
Besides the meat eating I agree with the other teachers that her spending 5 months at the ranch killing sheep and enjoying the beauty of nature was entirely selfish when she could have been earning her masters degree or studying with Uncle Ernst.
Any way I quit rading the book because I found that reading such incidents and tying a dog to a tree and shooting it , eating stray puppies, men raping women and killing sheep and oter such actions to be disruptive to my peaceful God focused mind set by putting these negative impressions on my mind to my mediation of God -who si kind and merciful
I like reading of the lives of saint who have done positive wise actions which put positive impressions on my mind. According to the spiritual path I follow God is the positive power and lives at the positive pole of the universe and the purpose of life is to become positive by doing positive actions and keeping the company of positive people so as to pity positive impressions on ones mind so positive thoughts arise and lead to positive actions.
We avoid negative people who have negative habits (that cause pain) even if we don’t ourselves do negative actions by watching them do negative actions we put negative impressions on our mind which obstruct our meditation on the positive power( God)
This does not mean that we dont help drug addicts, meat eaters and sex addicts to see the light but we also don’t go live intimately with them as they do their bad habits because we will likely pick them up I don’t even wat to read about them page after page for the better part of a book
Besides the book putting negative impressions on my mind I also felt it had nothing to offer that was not mentioned in “From Mountains to Medicine” –I don’t recommend this book to any one whose life goal is God realization –they will get nothing to help them on their journey but pick up much hinder them.
If you want to be uplifted and filled with positive impressions read “From Mountains to Medicine”
First of all she calls herself a “self righteous vegetarian” at the beginning of the story then proceeds to tell how she associates with cruel meat eaters who kill and eat the very dogs who serve them , rape women and drink alcohol .
To me a vegetarian is simply some one who realized the advantages of living low on the food chain and the disadvantages of living high on the food chain and may or may not try to share those advantages with others. Then the others may label them as self righteous.
In her first book, at 16, she meets her Uncle Ernst who is vegan and who heals thousands of people suffering from chronic diseases by first purifying them with a fast and enemas then introducing then to a pure raw vegan diet. It very well proven that boiling food destroys emzymes and vitamins that can help cure diseases.
In this book at 19 or 21 or what ever she throws all that out the window, is magnetically drawn to and associates with people who kill stray puppies and put them in her stew and then laugh when they see her reaction and she goes back to meat eating.
Predicably she is getting a hip replacement as she writes this book. I’ll bet none of Uncle Ernst’s patients ever had to get a hip replacement.
Common sense and a sense of justice tells us that if by our actions we cause suffering the reaction we get back from the universe will be suffering .If we don’t cause suffering but instead do only actions that alleviate suffering then our suffering will be alleviated –that’s a scientific law –for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Scientists know that animals have nervous systems and emotions suffer physically and emotionally when killed for our food plants do not have nervous systems and do not suffer physically when killed for our food. Some of the suffering we must undergo as a result of meat eating is paid by disease –like hip replacements.
So does sharing that here make me a self righteous vegan ? Or does it make me a compassionate concerned human being?
Besides the meat eating I agree with the other teachers that her spending 5 months at the ranch killing sheep and enjoying the beauty of nature was entirely selfish when she could have been earning her masters degree or studying with Uncle Ernst.
Any way I quit rading the book because I found that reading such incidents and tying a dog to a tree and shooting it , eating stray puppies, men raping women and killing sheep and oter such actions to be disruptive to my peaceful God focused mind set by putting these negative impressions on my mind to my mediation of God -who si kind and merciful
I like reading of the lives of saint who have done positive wise actions which put positive impressions on my mind. According to the spiritual path I follow God is the positive power and lives at the positive pole of the universe and the purpose of life is to become positive by doing positive actions and keeping the company of positive people so as to pity positive impressions on ones mind so positive thoughts arise and lead to positive actions.
We avoid negative people who have negative habits (that cause pain) even if we don’t ourselves do negative actions by watching them do negative actions we put negative impressions on our mind which obstruct our meditation on the positive power( God)
This does not mean that we dont help drug addicts, meat eaters and sex addicts to see the light but we also don’t go live intimately with them as they do their bad habits because we will likely pick them up I don’t even wat to read about them page after page for the better part of a book
Besides the book putting negative impressions on my mind I also felt it had nothing to offer that was not mentioned in “From Mountains to Medicine” –I don’t recommend this book to any one whose life goal is God realization –they will get nothing to help them on their journey but pick up much hinder them.
If you want to be uplifted and filled with positive impressions read “From Mountains to Medicine”
July 17, 2020
The first of a 4-series memoir, Erica presents her journey as a young woman wanting to engage with life, though not certain of her purpose. She takes us back in time to the 60's when she accepted a teaching position on the Navajo Reservation near Canyon de Chelly. Though not always perfect, Erica found many perfect moments that drew her to fall in love with the People and the canyon.
At first, the cultural shock and divide was too much. She had a deep belief that all humans were the same, and admits in many ways they are, but culture is a construct that can separate us and create deep misunderstandings that can hurt rather than enlighten. After advice from her father to stick it out for three months, not only did Erica agree, but she completely changed her mindset from trying to connect from her point of view to learning the culture of the Navajo and meeting them where they were comfortable.
Her last summer in Canyon de Chelly, Erica fully immersed herself with a sheep-herding family which provided lessons of hard, but gratifying work and dedication with minimal resources. The deep soul searching she was able to do that summer led her away from the Navajo, but not forever. Erica finds her way with the Peace Corp to a remote village in the Andes of South America, and discovers her true purpose: She wants to be a doctor.
Erica leads us back to the Navajo with her first job that is horrifying and satisfying, but mostly exhausting. Unfortunately, she can't stay, but before she leaves she's presented with a ceremony in thanks, one that, in the order of the prayer, gives her a life she thought she would be too old for, including a baby boy.
My rating: 4/5
This story was engaging, and the in depth look at a culture that has been almost lost to time and modernization was priceless. My rating comes from a place of personal preference. I had a challenge with some of the transitions of the story that felt like a tangent in a conversation that has a valid point, but feels disjointed. Also, the formatting of the book was blog style, with block paragraphs separated by a spaced line, rather than connected and indented. For me, these spaces felt like long pauses and made it difficult to truly get into the flow of the writing.
*I received this product for free in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
At first, the cultural shock and divide was too much. She had a deep belief that all humans were the same, and admits in many ways they are, but culture is a construct that can separate us and create deep misunderstandings that can hurt rather than enlighten. After advice from her father to stick it out for three months, not only did Erica agree, but she completely changed her mindset from trying to connect from her point of view to learning the culture of the Navajo and meeting them where they were comfortable.
Her last summer in Canyon de Chelly, Erica fully immersed herself with a sheep-herding family which provided lessons of hard, but gratifying work and dedication with minimal resources. The deep soul searching she was able to do that summer led her away from the Navajo, but not forever. Erica finds her way with the Peace Corp to a remote village in the Andes of South America, and discovers her true purpose: She wants to be a doctor.
Erica leads us back to the Navajo with her first job that is horrifying and satisfying, but mostly exhausting. Unfortunately, she can't stay, but before she leaves she's presented with a ceremony in thanks, one that, in the order of the prayer, gives her a life she thought she would be too old for, including a baby boy.
My rating: 4/5
This story was engaging, and the in depth look at a culture that has been almost lost to time and modernization was priceless. My rating comes from a place of personal preference. I had a challenge with some of the transitions of the story that felt like a tangent in a conversation that has a valid point, but feels disjointed. Also, the formatting of the book was blog style, with block paragraphs separated by a spaced line, rather than connected and indented. For me, these spaces felt like long pauses and made it difficult to truly get into the flow of the writing.
*I received this product for free in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
August 6, 2020
(Please note: I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.)
My Review
Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert, a memoir by Dr. Erica Elliot, offers an exceptional look at the Navajo people and culture during the 70’s and 80’s.
From her two yeara as a teacher on a Navajo reserve to her time in the Peace Corps in Ecuador to her two years as a doctor in Cuba, New Mexico, Dr. Elliott gives us story after story about her many adventures.
Erica almost left after her first week of teaching, but her father encouraged her to stay at least 3 months. She immersed herself in the Navajo culture and learned the language, which made the native people open themselves to her. She became closer to her students and their families as she shared meals and ceremonies and other experiences. She was able to change teaching practices of the time to ensure a bilingual education for the children.
Erica had many harrowing experiences throughout both careers, but her love of the people, the land and the culture sustained her.
As she said:
“My experience among the Navajo people has influenced the rest of my life – including how I practice medicine.”
In the late 1970’s I too taught in a small native community, but in northern Canada. And it was showing respect for, and a desire to learn more about the culture of these people, that enriched my three years up north. It has stayed with me forty years later.
If only we all could experience another culture like this – immersed in the day to day lives of others – to see, understand and appreciate our similarities and differences. What a difference it would make in the world. Erica’s words during her travels through South America after leaving the Peace Corps sum up, I believe, what is possible if we open our eyes and hearts to others:
“I observed that I had a great interest in learning about people who were different from me. I tried to see the world through their eyes so I could understand their feelings and motivations and develop a connection with them.” (pg. 148)
This was an amazing memoir, full of warmth, adventure, honesty and one that allowed us to learn quite a bit about the Navajo culture. I so enjoyed reading it. It really did reaffirm what I learned from my years in the NWT – that it is connections that truly matter.
I highly recommend Dr. Erica Elliott memoir Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert.
A 5* read!
My Review
Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert, a memoir by Dr. Erica Elliot, offers an exceptional look at the Navajo people and culture during the 70’s and 80’s.
From her two yeara as a teacher on a Navajo reserve to her time in the Peace Corps in Ecuador to her two years as a doctor in Cuba, New Mexico, Dr. Elliott gives us story after story about her many adventures.
Erica almost left after her first week of teaching, but her father encouraged her to stay at least 3 months. She immersed herself in the Navajo culture and learned the language, which made the native people open themselves to her. She became closer to her students and their families as she shared meals and ceremonies and other experiences. She was able to change teaching practices of the time to ensure a bilingual education for the children.
Erica had many harrowing experiences throughout both careers, but her love of the people, the land and the culture sustained her.
As she said:
“My experience among the Navajo people has influenced the rest of my life – including how I practice medicine.”
In the late 1970’s I too taught in a small native community, but in northern Canada. And it was showing respect for, and a desire to learn more about the culture of these people, that enriched my three years up north. It has stayed with me forty years later.
If only we all could experience another culture like this – immersed in the day to day lives of others – to see, understand and appreciate our similarities and differences. What a difference it would make in the world. Erica’s words during her travels through South America after leaving the Peace Corps sum up, I believe, what is possible if we open our eyes and hearts to others:
“I observed that I had a great interest in learning about people who were different from me. I tried to see the world through their eyes so I could understand their feelings and motivations and develop a connection with them.” (pg. 148)
This was an amazing memoir, full of warmth, adventure, honesty and one that allowed us to learn quite a bit about the Navajo culture. I so enjoyed reading it. It really did reaffirm what I learned from my years in the NWT – that it is connections that truly matter.
I highly recommend Dr. Erica Elliott memoir Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert.
A 5* read!
July 5, 2020
Erica Elliott’s memoir of her life among the Navajo, first as a teacher at a boarding school on an Arizona reservation, and later as a doctor at a remote clinic in New Mexico, makes for inspiring and page-turning reading. Elliott has a first rate command of storytelling and is herself in many ways a larger than life character.
Initially flummoxed by the apathy and resistance of her students, she sees them come alive when she starts to learn their language, one notoriously difficult to master. Used to having to accommodate an outside culture, they are touched and won over. While most teachers cherish their much needed time off, she spends weekends taking her students back to visit their families, often in remote parts of Arizona. It’s an enormous gift to the children and affords her greater immersion in their culture.
While we marvel at Elliott’s courage and fortitude in the face of numerous challenges, she leaves us no doubt that she was as terrified as we would have been as a neophyte doctor attempting life-saving surgery on a local medicine man. Other times we recognize her as a world class risk taker, a talented linguist and athlete, as well as physician, who seems to relish the challenges she faces.
She bears witness to the magical elements she encounters in the peyote healing rituals of the Native American Church and a visitation by a spirit guide. At book’s end, with her medical license under her belt, she still stands behind the miracle healing she knows she witnessed. She eventually enters into a relationship with a wonderful older Navajo man, and spends her last summer herding his parents’ 600 sheep, an incredibly difficult life which she enters into gratefully. She slaughters sheep, shears them, spins wool, weaves blankets, even picking the plants for the dye.
The memoir is beautifully written, transparent and revealing, and she excels in describing the beauty of nature—the large open vistas and the rock formations—that drew her and held her to this place. It is an inspiration to accompany this giving, adventurous spirit in her life with the Dine. Her love and reverence for them are apparent throughout.
Initially flummoxed by the apathy and resistance of her students, she sees them come alive when she starts to learn their language, one notoriously difficult to master. Used to having to accommodate an outside culture, they are touched and won over. While most teachers cherish their much needed time off, she spends weekends taking her students back to visit their families, often in remote parts of Arizona. It’s an enormous gift to the children and affords her greater immersion in their culture.
While we marvel at Elliott’s courage and fortitude in the face of numerous challenges, she leaves us no doubt that she was as terrified as we would have been as a neophyte doctor attempting life-saving surgery on a local medicine man. Other times we recognize her as a world class risk taker, a talented linguist and athlete, as well as physician, who seems to relish the challenges she faces.
She bears witness to the magical elements she encounters in the peyote healing rituals of the Native American Church and a visitation by a spirit guide. At book’s end, with her medical license under her belt, she still stands behind the miracle healing she knows she witnessed. She eventually enters into a relationship with a wonderful older Navajo man, and spends her last summer herding his parents’ 600 sheep, an incredibly difficult life which she enters into gratefully. She slaughters sheep, shears them, spins wool, weaves blankets, even picking the plants for the dye.
The memoir is beautifully written, transparent and revealing, and she excels in describing the beauty of nature—the large open vistas and the rock formations—that drew her and held her to this place. It is an inspiration to accompany this giving, adventurous spirit in her life with the Dine. Her love and reverence for them are apparent throughout.
August 7, 2020
I received a copy of Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are, of course, my own. My full review: https://booksbeansandbotany.com/medic...
***4.5 stars***
I’m always skeptical with books (or anything) like this – where it’s telling a story about something BIPOC related but from a white person’s perspective. But, the description of the book was enough for me to give it a chance. And, I’m pleased to say I was wrong in my skepticism – for this book, at least. Still plenty of white people telling stories they shouldn’t be and taking up space.
With that little note out of the way, this story, true I might add, is amazing. Dr. Elliot reminds me of me, full of adventure, dreams, and a strong, deep desire to explore the world and other cultures. The difference is she was doing this way before the internet, cell phones, or any kind of guidance – a true intrepid explorer.
This particular book isn’t a complete autobiographical account. It centers mainly on her time amongst the Navajo people (Elliot mentions in her introduction that she used the term Navajo because that’s what was used during her time with them; however, it is considered more accurate and respectful to now use the term Diné when referring to “The People”) right out of college when she taught there for two years fully immersing herself in their culture even learning the Navajo language – an extremely difficult language to learn. Sandwiched on both sides of that story is her return to the Navajo people as a medical doctor in an under-funded and staffed clinic where from the very first day she is tested on her [literally brand new] medical skills.
***4.5 stars***
I’m always skeptical with books (or anything) like this – where it’s telling a story about something BIPOC related but from a white person’s perspective. But, the description of the book was enough for me to give it a chance. And, I’m pleased to say I was wrong in my skepticism – for this book, at least. Still plenty of white people telling stories they shouldn’t be and taking up space.
With that little note out of the way, this story, true I might add, is amazing. Dr. Elliot reminds me of me, full of adventure, dreams, and a strong, deep desire to explore the world and other cultures. The difference is she was doing this way before the internet, cell phones, or any kind of guidance – a true intrepid explorer.
This particular book isn’t a complete autobiographical account. It centers mainly on her time amongst the Navajo people (Elliot mentions in her introduction that she used the term Navajo because that’s what was used during her time with them; however, it is considered more accurate and respectful to now use the term Diné when referring to “The People”) right out of college when she taught there for two years fully immersing herself in their culture even learning the Navajo language – an extremely difficult language to learn. Sandwiched on both sides of that story is her return to the Navajo people as a medical doctor in an under-funded and staffed clinic where from the very first day she is tested on her [literally brand new] medical skills.
August 2, 2020
I have always been fascinated by Native American culture and Erica Elliot’s memoir Medicine and Miracles does not disappoint. The author writes in such graphic detail with honest reflections that I felt I was right there with her through all her experiences—both the lows of her initial qualms and the highs of her evolving cultural immersion. and transformation.
The story starts out in the present as Erica returns as an Emergency physician and on her first day there ends up as the only doctor in a busy understaffed, underserved tiny clinic where she sees a wide range of patients in emergency situations--she delivers babies, and performs surgery. When she treats the reservation's Medicine Man, he offers to perform a healing ceremony on her and she experiences miracles in her life.
She then reflects back to her initial experience in her 20s of teaching Navajo children in this same place. She had many misgivings about being in the middle of nowhere to teach children when she did not know or understand the Navajo culture. Her father encourages her to give it time before leaving and in the interim, she decides to do whatever it takes to learn the language and culture. Soon, she falls in love with these children often taking turns driving each one to their homes on weekends.
One summer, she chose to work on a sheep farm where a female elder takes her under her wing and teaches her more about the Navajo People. She attends weekend healing rituals and fully embraces the Navajo people and their time-honored traditions.
This memoir is well-written, fast-paced and engaging. Anyone who enjoys being immersed in another culture will love this memoir.
The story starts out in the present as Erica returns as an Emergency physician and on her first day there ends up as the only doctor in a busy understaffed, underserved tiny clinic where she sees a wide range of patients in emergency situations--she delivers babies, and performs surgery. When she treats the reservation's Medicine Man, he offers to perform a healing ceremony on her and she experiences miracles in her life.
She then reflects back to her initial experience in her 20s of teaching Navajo children in this same place. She had many misgivings about being in the middle of nowhere to teach children when she did not know or understand the Navajo culture. Her father encourages her to give it time before leaving and in the interim, she decides to do whatever it takes to learn the language and culture. Soon, she falls in love with these children often taking turns driving each one to their homes on weekends.
One summer, she chose to work on a sheep farm where a female elder takes her under her wing and teaches her more about the Navajo People. She attends weekend healing rituals and fully embraces the Navajo people and their time-honored traditions.
This memoir is well-written, fast-paced and engaging. Anyone who enjoys being immersed in another culture will love this memoir.
August 13, 2020
I am so glad to have read Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert - thank you to Erica Elliot for her poetic and honest writing style. She drew my right into this beautiful tale. I consider myself blessed to have been able to travel back in time to the high desert. She did a fabulous job of helping me know and love the people she met along her journey as well as creating photographs through her vibrant descriptions. Not that her characters weren't amazing, but it was her horse, Jimmy, who brought me most joy throughout the story. As a horse lover myself, I could appreciate her sense of partnership with her equine friend.
Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert is a quick read - not because it's a short book, but because of the way it is written. This book is written in short chapters and journal style, but when you finish a chapter you don't set the book down - you turn quickly to the next beautifully written chapter because you want to know more and more and more! The writing is poetic and calming - this was a most lovely distraction from current affairs and the busy-ness of our fast paced lifestyles. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone! 5 Stars for this Enjoyable Read!!
Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert is a quick read - not because it's a short book, but because of the way it is written. This book is written in short chapters and journal style, but when you finish a chapter you don't set the book down - you turn quickly to the next beautifully written chapter because you want to know more and more and more! The writing is poetic and calming - this was a most lovely distraction from current affairs and the busy-ness of our fast paced lifestyles. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone! 5 Stars for this Enjoyable Read!!
October 29, 2021
Erica Elliott's adventures in Navajo country make for a great read. She taught for two years (1971-73) in a Navajo boarding school in Chinle, Arizona. where she learned to speak some Navajo (Dine) in order to communicate with her students. Soon she was visiting their rural homes and meeting their non-English speaking families. She capped that off with a summer job herding sheep while living with a Navajo family. Those two sections are the most interesting. She also has two shorter sections about her time in Ecuador with the Peace Corps and a stint in a dangerously understaffed health center in Cuba, New Mexico (1986-88) after earning her medical degree. The miracles referenced in the title happen in healing ceremonies conducted by Navajo medicine men. Of course Navajo life has changed a lot in the intervening decades, but it is still interesting to learn about how things were not that long ago. It's hard to read this and not admire her for her ability to throw caution to the wind and live life with gusto.
October 17, 2020
This is a lovely memoir telling the stories of Dr. Elliotts early adult life. She tells about her time living in the Navajo Nation, where she immersed herself in the culture, traditions, and grew to love the people and scenery. Her experience as a school teacher on the reservation was the first step in guiding the rest of her life. Her experiences paint a picture of what living on the reservation is really like, and allows you to understand the culture and spirituality of the people who inhabit this land. Her deep love for wanting to help others developed and set her on the path that would eventually lead her to the medical field. I was quickly drawn into this book and was enchanted by her descriptions of the land and how it made her feel. I would highly recommend this memoir, it may spark something inside you that you didn't even know was there.
June 10, 2024
I am writing this review of Dr. Elliott's new book, From Mountains to Medicine, in praise of her life. Dr. Elliott is a remarkable person and has an astonishing and amazing story to tell! She not only follows in the footsteps of courageous women throughout history such as Amelia Earhart, Margaret Mead, Isabella Bird, Helena Roerich, and countless others, but she also joins them in their journeys of self discovery. I think the most important aspect of Dr. Elliott's fascinating life is that she personifies the courage, dauntlessness, power, and strength that we assign to the spirit of the Divine Feminine. She is absolutely a shining star radiating love and opportunities for personal and spiritual growth; her life is an example for us all. I am excitedly awaiting the final installment of her memoir!
-Cullen Baird Smith, Author & Lecturer
-Cullen Baird Smith, Author & Lecturer
December 8, 2021
Excellent writing. A timely true story of Dr. Elliott's early life among the Navajo Reservations in Arizona and New Mexico is touching, raw, awareness, fear, native language (Dine'), spirituality, soul searching, and beauty in others, nature and so much more.
Erica Elliott's experiences and achievements at a young age have made the rest of our Resumes insignificant. She's a woman with thoughts to be read! I recommend this book and her trilogy of books which I understand is expected.
Erica Elliott's experiences and achievements at a young age have made the rest of our Resumes insignificant. She's a woman with thoughts to be read! I recommend this book and her trilogy of books which I understand is expected.
August 9, 2019
I read this book in one sitting. I absolutely could not put it down. I learned so much about not only the hardships of the people living on the reservation, but also about the beauty of the culture and the grace at which Dr. Elliott was accepted when she showed an interest and a desire to learn more. It was a beautiful read and I highly recommend it to others. Without revealing too much I will just say that the mountain lion interaction had me holding my breath on the edge of my seat. Wonderful book!
January 22, 2020
We hear a lot about Grit these days; here's a book person who exemplifies it. Elliott had—and took advantage of—opportunities that none of us will ever have: teaching to (and learning from!) two isolated cultures, sheepherding in the remote cellphoneless 1970s southwest, avoiding burnout despite years in a grueling emergency-medicine environment. She kept good notes, and we're fortunate that she chooses to share them.
This memoir is especially beautiful in the post-2016 U.S. atmosphere of intolerance, hatred, and selfishness. Elliott sets an example we can all learn from.
This memoir is especially beautiful in the post-2016 U.S. atmosphere of intolerance, hatred, and selfishness. Elliott sets an example we can all learn from.
December 15, 2025
An engaging memoir that was not at all what I had hoped it would be - was more interested in experiences as a practicing white doctor with the Navajo population and this was not that.
She is so adventurous and, I think, has a decent amount of curiosity and humility (also learned the Navajo language, props) so this doesn’t come off too much like a white gal going to find herself in a native population, but also, yes. It is that.
Back to the basics, read books by the people themselves, not others who drop in.
She is so adventurous and, I think, has a decent amount of curiosity and humility (also learned the Navajo language, props) so this doesn’t come off too much like a white gal going to find herself in a native population, but also, yes. It is that.
Back to the basics, read books by the people themselves, not others who drop in.
August 6, 2019
This was one of those books that I couldn't stop reading. The author brings us right into her world as she navigates life in the most unconventional of ways. As a young woman living with the Navajo people, Erica Elliott follows a path of heart and surprising instinct, she lives wildly and with absolute conviction in the harsh conditions of the Navajo Arizona desert. Erica is a relentless soul and her story has to be read to be believed.
December 1, 2020
Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert was a great read. I want to thank GoodReads for the chance to enjoy this book.
I was intrigued by the thought of immersing yourself into another society and conforming to the beliefs and totally understanding others. Well written and informative, as well. Would recommend to everyone who wants to learn about the way others live.
I was intrigued by the thought of immersing yourself into another society and conforming to the beliefs and totally understanding others. Well written and informative, as well. Would recommend to everyone who wants to learn about the way others live.
November 19, 2019
I read this in two long sittings. I recently moved to Santa Fe and am trying to learn as much as I can about the native arts and culture. Can't wait to read the next book in Ms. Elliott's memoir series!
September 1, 2020
Loved this book! The author is my new hero. I really highly recommend the book. I have told my family and friends about it. I listened to the audio version because Dr Elliott narrates it and it makes it like she is there telling you the stories of her fascinating life v
March 27, 2021
Loved this book written both as a story and partially as a diary. Really ties into today's issues of the need for patience, compassion and to learn and understand others culture. I look forward to reading Erica's other books.
February 28, 2024
This was a fast and fascinating read. Once I picked it up, I could not put it down. It was written at a level of regular people. It’s not some difficult to read book written by some snobby doctor. Trust me. I’ve had my fill of those.
August 6, 2019
Erica is inspiring and her stories chilling and incredible! She has had such a wealth of experience and she says this is only the first of four memoirs. I'll be eagerly awaiting books 2-4!
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