Double Doll
Turning Myself Upside Down
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The title, Double Doll: Turning Myself Upside Down, comes from a pivotal experience in my life. I was only eight-years-old when I received a rag doll with a Navajo face and body on one end, an Anglo body on the other. The doll became a symbol for my journey into the world of the Navajo and the manifestation of a childhood prayer, Please God, turn me upside down and make me an Indian.
My story is divided into three parts. The first two chronicle the early years that led to a life-changing event and the formation of a new business with a mission to, “Promote American Arts through the Sale of Amish Quilts and Navajo Weavings.” The last section tells of a learning time for me—lifelong customs and habits had to be replaced with the mores of a new culture. I share with you experiences that tested and, in some cases, shattered the core belief systems that had been my foundation for more than fifty years. Through intimate relationships built among the Navajo, I was forced to examine my own “world order” only to find those guiding principles were flawed.
My journey started on the Navajo Reservation at the age of eight. Along the way my life was turned upside-down multiple times.
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About the Book
“A breathtaking tale of risk, vision, and wisdom, Sharleen Daugherty’s Double Doll leads us from the pressure cooker of Wall Street to the big skies of the Navajo Nation. Like the Navajo weavings the book celebrates, Daugherty intertwines issues of race, class, and gender against a backdrop of heartbreaking beauty.”
—Robert Wilder, author of
Daddy Needs a Drink
“My relationship with Ms. Daugherty has gone on for over one hundred years. From writer’s coach to deep friend, we have traveled together ... Her cross-culture journey, and her insistence on finding the core of that adventure, are recorded in this trilogy. Hers is the Beauty Way of a strong woman willing to dare.”
—Michael Thunder, writer’s coach
“Writing a memoir requires the ability to face the truth and to share it with a strong voice that tells the story with heart and dignity. Sharleen Daugherty has done this and more in the first book of her memoir trilogy, Double Doll. Her story brings both the beauty of the Southwest and the complexity of its people to life. Wonderfully written, this book should not be missed!”
—Marcia Rosen, author of
My Memoir Workbook
About the Author
Sharleen Daugherty was eight when she received a rag doll with a Navajo face on one end and an Anglo face on the other. This doll became a symbol of her journey into the Navajo world—the manifestations of a childhood prayer: Please God, turn me upside down and make me an Indian.