Anne Fadiman

A study in the collision between Western medicine and the beliefs of a traditional culture focuses on a hospitalized child of Laotian immigrants whose belief that illness is a spiritual matter comes into conflict with doctors' methods.

A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down

Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction When three-month-old Lia Lee Arrived at the county hospital emergency room in Merced, California, a chain of events was set in motion from which neither she nor her parents nor her doctors would ever recover. Lia's parents, Foua and Nao Kao, were part of a large Hmong community in Merced, refugees from the CIA-run "Quiet War" in Laos. The Hmong, traditionally a close-knit and fiercely people, have been less amenable to assimilation than most immigrants, adhering steadfastly to the rituals and beliefs of their ancestors. Lia's pediatricians, Neil Ernst and his wife, Peggy Philip, cleaved just as strongly to another tradition: that of Western medicine. When Lia Lee Entered the American medical system, diagnosed as an epileptic, her story became a tragic case history of cultural miscommunication. Parents and doctors both wanted the best for Lia, but their ideas about the causes of her illness and its treatment could hardly have been more different. The Hmong see illness aand healing as spiritual matters linked to virtually everything in the universe, while medical community marks a division between body and soul, and concerns itself almost exclusively with the former. Lia's doctors ascribed her seizures to the misfiring of her cerebral neurons; her parents called her illness, qaug dab peg--the spirit catches you and you fall down--and ascribed it to the wandering of her soul. The doctors prescribed anticonvulsants; her parents preferred animal sacrifices.

Syrina

Discusses a sick child of Laotian immigrants whose beliefs conflict with Western medicine.

a Hmong child, her American doctors, and the collision of two cultures

The spirit catches you and you fall down

Truly brilliant. Became smarter as a result of reading this book 

Zoe Stricker

author seemed like an israel sympathizer which ruined the whole book especially the chapter where it was mentioned

i love hamtaro

jennifer 

Intense, sad, but important. Reminds me of the magic of books and their ability to bottle a lifetime of profound experiences. The events that spiraled were so sad and heartbreaking but everyone should read so it occurs as little as possible.

Paige mandia 

I absolutely loved this ethnography. It provided such interesting insight into the disparities between immigrant communities and western hospitals. It was so well written and very accessible to someone who has never read anthropological research before.

Melody Izard

I don’t remember ever hearing about the Hmong. But after reading this book, what I don’t know, I’m now curious enough to find out. Every conversation with my husband over the last several evenings as we’ve sat on our front porch enjoying the sunset has included some new fact about this Asian ethnic group or some new detail about the progression of Lia Lee’s illness.

In addition to an incredible story of the clash of western medicine with the Hmong belief system, with the central issue being a Hmong infant with epilepsy or qaug dab peg, which literally translates to “the spirit catches you and you fall down”, you also get a thoroughly researched overview with dibs and dabs of in depth information about the Hmong: Why they came to the US, how they lived in Laos, their relationship to opium, what they do with the placenta after each of their children’s birth, why they think American doctors eat the brains of Hmong patients, and what part Christians played in making the Hmong wary of the American Government. 

The writer is masterful in her ability to present both sides of this disturbing, sad story of how misdiagnosis, prejudice, obstinacy, poverty, and the lack of communication led to tragedy. Her incredible amount of research, both quantitative and qualitative is apparent and in fact is outlined in the last 40 or so pages of the book. I think this is a must read book for everyone.

Johanna Kenrick

I’ve passed this book before. It’s one of those intellectual best-sellers that sits on tables in the front of bookstores. I’ve picked it up, perused the pages, moved on. Somehow it really never held my attention. But after the enthusiastic recommendations of both a coworker and cousin, I finally picked it up. I’m so glad.

Anne Fadiman has a thoughtful tone that illustrates intense experiences without resorting to hyperbole and reviews historical events without devolving into a textbook. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down focuses on the journey of the Lees, a Hmong family that is resettled in Merced as refugees. When one of their children is diagnosed with epilepsy, the miscommunication between them and their Western doctors leads to tragedy and heartache.

In between chapters about the Hmong’s struggle, Fadiman reviews the turbulent and often tragic history of the Hmong people. Fadiman does not spell out any overt conclusions; her tone remains nonjudgmental and descriptive instead of preaching.

Nonetheless, the historical context paints a picture of an independent people. Additionally, Fadiman demonstrates how the qualities that allowed the Hmong to thrive in hostile environments backfire when thrown into the context of the American medical system. On the other side, while the doctors operate with the best of intentions, their inability to communicate with the Lees cause much of their hard-work to be in vain.

The indisputable takeaway is that without mutual understanding, our best intentions may go to waste.

Anne Fadiman’s descriptive and well-wrought book was one of the highlights of my non-fiction reading. Definitely recommended. Thought-provoking and engaging.

- A Better Bookshelf

香玫

This is the most devastating thing I’ve ever read. I need everyone on Earth to read this immediately

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures

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