Seasons of the Enemies

About the Book

Delve into the land of the Dineh, the Navajo, in the turbulent 1860s, in this Season of the Enemies as the Dineh, the People, are attacked and harassed on every side by the Spaniards of New Mexico, the United States Army, and surrounding tribes. Watch them fight for their very survival, for their homeland, and maintain their way of life under the constant duress of the military campaigns led by the famous Kit Carson and others. Experience the burning time and the in-depth and highly researched battles between the Dineh and her enemies. In this Seasons of the Enemies, the author takes us into this extraordinarily descriptive volume that illuminates the history of the Dineh, the grueling and greedy operations of their Anglo enemies, and their despicable and unjust treatment at the hands of the US government. Via Strong Horse Man, the main character, and his clan, we experience the daily lifestyle as well as little known religious rituals of the Dineh. Comparable to the Trail of Tears of the Cherokee experience, Seasons of the Enemies sets itself apart as the must-read and definitive treatment of Navajo history during this period.Once you start this book, you won’t want to put it down; and then you’ll want more after your read is finished.

About the Author

Sharon Leslie Gearhart grew up in the rolling hills of Southern Illinois where education, human virtue, and family roots were paramount. One of thirteen children, she attended a one-room school house for her first four elementary years and later graduated in a class of twelve from Alto Pass Community High School. Attending Southern Illinois University as an undergraduate and graduate student, she received a BS in Sec. Ed. in 1973 and an MS Ed. in 1982. With a two-year stint in the US Army as a second lieutenant in between her degrees, she then taught six years in rural (Gorham) Ilinois before moving west to teach on the Navajo Indian Reservation. There she taught second, sixth, junior high, high school classes, and junior college classes during her twelve-year tenure. While on the Reservation, she earned her certificate in teaching English as a second language (University of Phoenix, ’93) and took graduate courses from the University of Utah, Northern Arizona University and University of Southern Utah. She taught evening junior college classes for Northland Pioneer College, Navajo Community College, and the College of Eastern Utah before returning to the Anglo world. Seasons of the Enemies was written during her tenure as a remedial reading teacher at Monument Valley High School in Kayenta, Arizona. This book expresses her knowledge of and innate respect for the Dineh and their history. She’s enjoyed writing since she was a child. She now resides in the Phoenix area along with her ten-year-old rescued blind Pekinese, Sophie, where she continues to write and serves as an officer with the Scots of the West Valley.