After her first week teaching at a boarding school on the Navajo Reservation near Canyon de Chelly, young Erica Elliott almost leaves in despair, unable to communicate with the children or understand cultural cues. But once she starts learning the Navajo language, the people begin to trust her, taking her into their homes and ceremonies. As she is drawn deeper into Navajo life, Erica has a series of profound experiences with the people, animals, and spirits of Canyon de Chelly. Fulfilling a Navajo grandmother’s prophecy, she returns years later as a medical doctor to offer her services to Navajo patients.

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 taught rock climbing and mountaineering for Outward Bound and 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. She raised her son Barrett in this safe and happy environment. Known as the “Health Detective,” she treats mysterious and difficult-to-diagnose illnesses at her clinic within The Commons.

“What a wonderful book! Elliott’s voice mesmerized me. . . . Such an inspiring, life-affirming, yet tough tale, woven through with a strong drive to realize one’s life path. . .” 

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

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