"When a person is ill, a song is sung to heal. For this to be effective, that person must let the song sink into her body and allow it to penetrate to even the cellular level of her being. In a sense she must breath it in," writes Dr. Lori Arviso Alvord, the first woman in her Navajo tribe to ever learn and practice the discipline of surgery. Throughout this fascinating memoir written with Elizabeth Cohen Van Pelt, the author makes references to the healing power of song and chanting as part of the Navajo philosophy of "Walking in Beauty." On this path, "illness and healing alike come from maintaining strong and healthy relationships in every aspect of our lives."

Raised in a small town on an Indian reservation, Dr. Alvord attends Dartmouth followed by Stanford University Medical School. There she walks in two very different worlds as she tries to meld modern science with ancient tribal ways. Her first job is working as a surgeon at the Gallup Indian Medical Center serving a Navajo Reservation and surrounding area. There she is saddened by all the people who suffer from gall bladder diseases and alcoholism. She also writes about the mystery virus in the Four Corners region of the Southwest. With marriage and the birth of her first child, Dr. Alvord is buoyed by the ceremonies of her people. She is now serving as Associate Dean of Student and Minority Affairs at Dartmouth Medical School.