The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down offers an insight into the clash of
modern western medicine with the traditional methods and people of another
culture, in this case the Hmong.
The non-fiction book offers a skillfully written depiction of the plight of the Lee
family, one of many Hmong refugees absorbed into the United States following
their allied involvement in the “silent war”.
A complex and detailed presentation of two disparate cultures without
preference for one over the other, Fadiman reveals the Lee family’s story with
the conscientious commitment of an anthropologist. An advocate for change, she
uses her skill as a writer to convey a sense of truth and understanding of the
Hmong within their adopted country. …show more content…
The reader bears witness to an
unintentional sacrifice of innocence at this junction between dissimilar cultural
and conflicting viewpoints. The language barrier exacerbates the situation.
The title The Spirit Catches you and You Fall Down is the translation from the
Hmong term for Lia’s illness quag dab peg. The Hmong believe that it is caused
when the soul flees the body and becomes lost. They view epilepsy with
ambivalence, understanding the potential danger yet proud of its status as an
illness of distinction-the first calling of a Shamanic healer.
Sadly, the final outcome for Lia is not good. Her mother clings to the hope that
she may see the return of Lia’s soul and witness her awaken from an irreversible
vegetative state. In retrospect, the American doctors realized that the medication
probably compromised Lia’s immunity allowing the bacillus that caused septic
shock to take hold. This resulted in seizures that ended in Lia’s catastrophic
outcome.
The writing is a testament to the enormous wealth of research that the writer
has undertaken, evident in the Notes on Sources and Bibliography. Encompassing
an historical overview of the Hmong’s journey from China to Laos and finally
modern western medicine with the traditional methods and people of another
culture, in this case the Hmong.
The non-fiction book offers a skillfully written depiction of the plight of the Lee
family, one of many Hmong refugees absorbed into the United States following
their allied involvement in the “silent war”.
A complex and detailed presentation of two disparate cultures without
preference for one over the other, Fadiman reveals the Lee family’s story with
the conscientious commitment of an anthropologist. An advocate for change, she
uses her skill as a writer to convey a sense of truth and understanding of the
Hmong within their adopted country. …show more content…
The reader bears witness to an
unintentional sacrifice of innocence at this junction between dissimilar cultural
and conflicting viewpoints. The language barrier exacerbates the situation.
The title The Spirit Catches you and You Fall Down is the translation from the
Hmong term for Lia’s illness quag dab peg. The Hmong believe that it is caused
when the soul flees the body and becomes lost. They view epilepsy with
ambivalence, understanding the potential danger yet proud of its status as an
illness of distinction-the first calling of a Shamanic healer.
Sadly, the final outcome for Lia is not good. Her mother clings to the hope that
she may see the return of Lia’s soul and witness her awaken from an irreversible
vegetative state. In retrospect, the American doctors realized that the medication
probably compromised Lia’s immunity allowing the bacillus that caused septic
shock to take hold. This resulted in seizures that ended in Lia’s catastrophic
outcome.
The writing is a testament to the enormous wealth of research that the writer
has undertaken, evident in the Notes on Sources and Bibliography. Encompassing
an historical overview of the Hmong’s journey from China to Laos and finally