Anne Fadiman’s book The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, tells the story of the clashing of cultures between the Hmong culture and Western culture through the lens of medicine. Fadiman’s plot revolves around Lia, a Hmong girl born with severe epilepsy, and the tales of Hmong culture, allowing the reader to understand the actions of Lia and other Hmong, like her parents, as their culture heavily influences their beings. Thus I propose that this book remain a summer reading requirement as the book contains a unique correlation of culture and medicine, the themes are straightforward to analyze and provides a gradual preparation for the incoming year.
The book itself consists of an interesting format, switching back and forth between plot …show more content…
Rye Country Day does not offer any classes related to the world of medicine, the closest thing that comes to mind is the anatomy and physiology class, however that course has a focus on the body, not medicine. As a result this book became the first instance in which medicine was presented to me through school. Not only did the book provide detail on the science behind Lia’s condition, but on the significance of medicine in our culture and obviously that of Hmong culture. Hence this book stood out to me among other books in the various English curriculums at Rye Country Day as it presented not only a non-fictional approach, but a sense that education was being delineated in a multifaceted manner. The reality is that in the past English curriculums of Rye Country Day, the various novels have tended to blend into one another; The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is the diversity missing from those curriculums. (Need quotation in this …show more content…
The angle of importance communication and cultural communication at that, taken in this book is directly unintentionally pointed at the majority in the United States, citizens with whom English is their native language. In the bubble that is Rye Country Day it is easy to forget the happenings of the world that surrounds, thus creating a gap between students realization of their privilege of being in the majority. Thereby this book was eye opening, and more importantly mind opening in proving the importance of language and culture. This is most clearly seen in Dr. Dave Schneider’s impression of the Lee family, “The language barrier was the most obvious problem, but not most important. The biggest problem was the cultural barrier. There is a tremendous difference between dealing with the Hmong and dealing with anyone else. An infinite difference” (69). This cultural barrier prevented the Lees from keeping custody of Lia as they failed to comprehend the importance of providing Lia with her medication. The consequences of the barriers on the Lees enact the contemplation of one’s own privilege in knowing the most common language. Thus the emphasis on the significance of culture and the barriers it creates opens the mind of the reader, and provides a different education than that tested in
The book itself consists of an interesting format, switching back and forth between plot …show more content…
Rye Country Day does not offer any classes related to the world of medicine, the closest thing that comes to mind is the anatomy and physiology class, however that course has a focus on the body, not medicine. As a result this book became the first instance in which medicine was presented to me through school. Not only did the book provide detail on the science behind Lia’s condition, but on the significance of medicine in our culture and obviously that of Hmong culture. Hence this book stood out to me among other books in the various English curriculums at Rye Country Day as it presented not only a non-fictional approach, but a sense that education was being delineated in a multifaceted manner. The reality is that in the past English curriculums of Rye Country Day, the various novels have tended to blend into one another; The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is the diversity missing from those curriculums. (Need quotation in this …show more content…
The angle of importance communication and cultural communication at that, taken in this book is directly unintentionally pointed at the majority in the United States, citizens with whom English is their native language. In the bubble that is Rye Country Day it is easy to forget the happenings of the world that surrounds, thus creating a gap between students realization of their privilege of being in the majority. Thereby this book was eye opening, and more importantly mind opening in proving the importance of language and culture. This is most clearly seen in Dr. Dave Schneider’s impression of the Lee family, “The language barrier was the most obvious problem, but not most important. The biggest problem was the cultural barrier. There is a tremendous difference between dealing with the Hmong and dealing with anyone else. An infinite difference” (69). This cultural barrier prevented the Lees from keeping custody of Lia as they failed to comprehend the importance of providing Lia with her medication. The consequences of the barriers on the Lees enact the contemplation of one’s own privilege in knowing the most common language. Thus the emphasis on the significance of culture and the barriers it creates opens the mind of the reader, and provides a different education than that tested in