Erica
Elliott's
WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING TOUR
OF
Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert
Book Summary
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.
Print Length: 202 Pages
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Babloa Press
Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert is now available to
purchase in print and as an e-book at Amazon.com, IndieBound.org, and Barnes and Noble. Add it to your GoodReads reading listing as well.
About the Author Erica Elliott, M.D.
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.
In 1976, she was one of the first American women to climb Aconcagua, the
highest mountain in the western hemisphere. She taught rock climbing and
mountaineering for Outward Bound and, after her first year of medical school,
she led an all-women’s expedition to the top of Denali in Alaska.
In 1993, Erica helped found The Commons, a cohousing community in Santa Fe
where she continues to live. She gave a TEDx talk about living in cohousing.
Referred to affectionately as “the Health Detective,” she treats patients who
come to her from all parts of the country with mysterious and
difficult-to-diagnose illnesses. Erica is a frequent radio guest and has given
workshops at various venues, including Esalen and Omega Institute.
Find her online at:
Author website: https://www.medicineandmiraclesinthehighdesert.com/
Professional
website: http://www.ericaelliottmd.com/
Blog site: https://www.musingsmemoirandmedicine.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ericamelliott
Book Review by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto
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!!
and a little bit about me before we look at the other dates in this lovely blog tour...
Crystal is the office manager, council secretary, financial secretary, and musician at her church, birth
mother, Auntie, babywearing mama, business owner, active journaler, writer and blogger, Blog Tour Manager with WOW! Women on Writing, Press Corp teammate for the DairyGirl Network, Unicorn Mom Ambassador, as well as a dairy farmer. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and their five youngest children, two dogs, four little piggies, a handful of cats and kittens, horses Darlin' and Joker, pony Miss Maggie May, and over 250 Holsteins.
You can find Crystal milking cows, riding horses, and the occasional unicorn (not at the same time), taking the ordinary and giving it a little extra (making it extraordinary), blogging and reviewing books here, and at WOW! Women On Writing - Crystal is dedicated to turning life's lemons into lemonade and she has never (not once) been accused of being normal!
-- Blog Tour Dates
July 13th @ The Muffin
What goes better
in the morning than a muffin? Join us at the WOW blog to celebrate the launch
of author Erica Elliott's Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert. You can
read an interview with the author and enter to win a copy of the book.
https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/
July 15th @ A Writer's Life
Visit Caroline's
blog today and you can read her review of Medicine
and Miracles in the High Desert.
https://carolineclemmons.blogspot.com/
July 17th @ CK Sorens' Blog
Stop by Carrie's
blog and you can read her review of Erica Elliott's Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert.
July 20th @ Memoir Revolution
Read
Jerry Waxler's essay "Losing Yourself to Find Yourself," inspired by
Erica Elliott's memoir Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert.
https://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/
July 22nd @ A Storybook World
Visit Deirdra's
blog today where she spotlights Medicine
and Miracles in the High Desert.
http://www.astorybookworld.com/
July 26th @ Michelle Cornish's Blog
Visit Michelle's
blog and you can read her review of Medicine
and Miracles in the High Desert.
https://www.michellecornish.com/blog
August 1st @ Deborah Zenha-Adams
Visit Deborah's
blog today and you can read her insights into Erica Elliott's Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert.
http://www.deborah-adams.com/dzas-blog/
August 3rd @ Memoir Writer's Journey
Visit Kathleen's
blog today and you can read her review of Medicine
and Miracles in the High Desert.
August 4th @ Beverely A. Baird's Blog
Visit Bev's blog
and you can read her review of Medicine
and Miracles in the High Desert.
http://beverleyabaird.wordpress.com/
August 7th @ The New England Book Critic
Visit Victoria's
blog today and you can read her review of Medicine
and Miracles in the High Desert.
https://thenewenglandbookcritic.com/
August 7th @ Books, Beans, and Botany
Visit Ashley's
blog today and you can read a review of Medicine
and Miracles in the High Desert.
https://booksbeansandbotany.com/
August 8th @ Boots, Shoes, and Fashion
Stop by Linda's
blog and read her review of Medicine and
Miracles in the High Desert.
http://bootsshoesandfashion.com/
August 10th @ Fiona Ingram's blog
Fiona will be
featuring author Erica Elliott's memoir Medicine
and Miracles in the High Desert.
http://fionaingramauthor.blogspot.com/
August 13th @ To Write or Not to Write
Visit Sreevarsha's
blog and read her review of Medicine and
Miracles in the High Desert
https://sreevarshasreejith.blogspot.com/
August 14th @ Bookworm Blog
Visit Anjanette's
blog and read her review of Medicine and
Miracles in the High Desert.
https://bookworm66.wordpress.com/
August 14th @ BringOnLemons with Crystal Otto
Visit Crystal's blog and read her review of Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert.
http://bringonlemons.blogspot.com/
August 15th @ Strength 4 Spouses
Visit Wendi's blog
today and you can read her review of Medicine
and Miracles in the High Desert.
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