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. Chapter 19: The Sacrifice. It was awarded many honors including: A Salon Book Award Winner Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for General Nonfiction Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Current Interest Boston Book Review 1997 Ann Rea Jewell Non-Fiction Prize A New York Times. On December 18, 1980, Foua and Nao Kao Lee arrive in the United States with their six surviving children. What's crazier is that he does, and a mere week later. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down explores the clash between a small county hospital in California and a refugee family from Laos over the care of Lia Lee, a Hmong child diagnosed with severe epilepsy. The book is about a young Hmong child named Lia Lee. She remarks that, even though these recordings have already been transcribed. Her siblings grew up around her, part of a close-knit family, some excelling in sports and others going to university. Fadiman relates a story told to her by a French professor who taught an intermediate class at Merced College. The timeline below shows where the character Arthur Kleinman appears in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. But for Lia and her family, they had added barriers of being immigrants who speak no English, who cannot find jobs, and were exiled from their own country. On November 25, 1986, the day before Thanksgiving, Lia was eating as normal when she began to seize. • Chapter 6 - High-Velocity Transcortical Lead Therapy. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down tells the story of treating Lia’s epilepsy, examining her medical experience in Merced in order to consider divides between Hmong and American culture. When Lia returns home the family is overjoyed to have her in their beds once again. Fadiman notes that many Hmong believe spinal taps are “potentially crippling both in this life and in future lives. 9. Lia is the first Lee child born in an. Peggy Philp and Neil ErnstThe Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down study guide contains a biography of Anne Fadiman, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. One day, while at a school for children with special needs, Lia falls off a swing and has a major seizure. Share to Tumblr. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: Chapter 3 Summary & Analysis Next Chapter 4 Themes and Colors Key Summary Analysis Three months after her healthy birth, Lia. In retrospect, Fadiman writes, he questioned this decision, but at the time he was steadfast in his belief that he was doing the right thing. Writing both a literary profile and an in-depth ethnography, Fadiman devotes whole chapters to the history and context of the Hmong ethnic identity, which she characterizes as “independent, insular. Lia ’s mother and Nao Kao ’s wife. At this point, Fadiman focuses on the concept of immigration and assimilation. They first tried to flee in 1976, but were captured by Vietnamese soldiers and marched back to their village at gunpoint. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. For her part, Foua believes that Lia "missed [the. Lia neither died nor recovered. Lia has her first seizure when she is three months old. As an outsider, author Anne Fadiman is our gateway into these proceedings. The Lee family arrives in America in 1980. Explanation and Analysis: Unlock with LitCharts A +. She explains how, days after Lia came home. Although the assignment called for a five-minute speech, he spoke for forty-five minutes by starting from the very. Despite the careful installation of her soul during the hu plig ceremony, the noise of the door had frightened out of Lia’s body, and it became lost. By the time Fadiman meets her. Although Dee Korda turns out to be an amazing foster mother (and friend to the family), Lia's condition only worsens after being placed into foster care. Anyway, to everyone's surprise, it's one of the most effective campaigns the camp has. Acclaimed by reviewers, “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” won a National Book Critics Circle Award. The. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. On June 26, 1986, Lia—now considered a Dependent Child of the Juvenile Court—is removed from her home and placed in foster care for six months. Fadiman reminds readers that The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down was written in the 1990s and concerned itself with events that took place in the ’80s. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Her parents were newly arrived Hmong immigrants from Laos. Plot Summary & Analysis Themes Quotes Characters Symbols Theme Viz Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Spirit Catches You makes teaching easy. Although Dee follows "the anticonvulsant prescriptions to the letter," Lia continues to have seizures—more frequently than she did at home, in fact. We watch Lia, the little Hmong girl diagnosed with epilepsy, slowly fade from. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Fadiman brings up a program of eight questions designed by. " In Hmong folklore a dab is an evil spirit that steals souls. "The spirit catches you and you fall down" is the literal translation of the Hmong name for epilepsy, qaug dab peg. They haven't been back since. 1097/00001888-200106000-00012. Nonetheless, when she came back inside after watching the family sacrifice a pig in the parking lot, the room’s atmosphere had changed. It won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, among other awards. , 2002). Section One: Chapters 1-4; Section Two: Chapters 5-8; Section Three: Chapters 9-14; Section Four: Chapters 15-19; My Review and Takeaways;. Dee falls in love with Lia and cares for her like her own. Nao Kao, Blia. Lia becomes a minor celebrity at MCMC. The TV was off, a candle had. Neil Ernst. Culture plays a major role in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. The approximate English translation is "the spirit catches you and you fall down. There are still "tens of thousands" of Hmong in Laos (12. Meanwhile, Western medicine is based on the advancement of science and technology. Free Summary of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. In Fadiman’s unbiased book I learned that there are many cultural differences betweenThe Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down has been shown to facilitate important discussions about health disparities as well as serve as a teaching tool to better engage a broader dialogue (Fadiman, 1997; Lie et al. The book contains many Hmong phrases and many medical phrases, both unfamiliar to most readers. In response, Lia's eyes rolled up, her arms jerked over her head, and she fainted. Anne Fadiman’s book, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, tells the story of an epileptic Hmong child and her collision of two cultures. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. The journalist Anne Fadiman takes you through the maddeningly frustrating journey of a loving Hmong family and their dedicated western doctors. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is a book by Anne Fadiman about a Hmong family (the Lee’s) that moved to the United States. A free summary of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. Shee Yee escaped nine evil dab brothers by shapeshifting into various forms and eventually biting a in the testicles. Hmong residents ask her if American doctors eat the organs of dead patients. Neil is there when they bring Lia in for her first checkup. Bill Selvidge Character Analysis. In her case, only Western medicine could've saved her father from colon cancer. Many Hmong people don't trust American doctors. 10). They feared that the communists were more apt to threaten their autonomy. Published in 1997, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures is a remarkable masterpiece that feels just as significant today, more than 20 years after being published, for its commentary on cultural differences, social construction of illness, and most important of all. This article addresses the relationship between theory, narrative form, and teaching through a close critical. The author of The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1997. Free, fun, and packed with easy-to-understand explanations! The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. Though Lia 's mother Foua Yang gives birth to Lia in the United States, she delivered 12 children in her native Laos. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down study guide contains a biography of Anne Fadiman, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. To make matters worse, Fadiman writes, the Hmong believe that many Western medical practices run the risk of harming patients. He believed her fate was sealed, because everyone at MCMC focused entire on the seizures. The Lee family's journey was indeed terrible, but they and their fellow travelers hoped for a better life in the future. ABOUT THE BOOK Anne Fadiman's seminal work of nonfiction, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, examines the myriad difficulties and complications. Over two years after Lia's big seizure, she was still alive. They recognized the symptoms as qaug dab peg, "the. Illness had come when the wife of a wicked god named Nyong laid an egg full of dabs. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down explores the clash between a small county hospital in California and a refugee family from Laos over the care of Lia Lee, a Hmong child diagnosed with severe epilepsy. Dee is a gentle, kind person who devotes herself to caring for children. She grew only a few inches, gained only a little weight, and always looked younger than her age. Jeanine Hilt Character Analysis. Summary 1997 Winner, National Book Critics Circle Award - NonfictionThis Hyperink Quicklet is over 5,200 words and includes an overall summary, chapter commentary, key characters, literary themes, fun trivia, and recommended related readings. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Dee Korda Character Analysis. Writing both a literary profile and an in-depth ethnography, Fadiman devotes whole chapters to the history and context of the Hmong ethnic identity, which she characterizes as “independent, insular, antiauthoritarian, suspicious, stubborn, proud, choleric. ] as threats," Nao Kao grabs Lia and attempts to flee the hospital (13. Between the ages of 8 months and four and a half years, the Lees brought Lia to the hospital dozens of times. Menu About The Book; About The Author; Book Summary. Sukey’s business card read, in Hmong and Lao, “Fixer of Hearts. When he received the call, he "drove to MCMC as fast as he could" (11. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down frequently evokes Hmong history to illuminate the circumstances of Lia Lee ’s medical crisis. Between the ages of 8 months and four and a half years, the Lees brought Lia to the hospital dozens of times. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down tells the story of treating Lia’s epilepsy, examining her medical experience in Merced in order to consider divides between Hmong and American culture. Chapter 7: Government Property. Intensely researched and eloquently written, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down weaves sociology, history, medicine, and psychology into a tapestry that permanently raises the bar in literary journalism. According to Hmong folklore, Shee Yee, the sorcerer who had turned into a tiny red ant and bit the evil dab on the testicle, had spent many years fighting dabs and restoring health to the sick. If Lia Lee had been born in the highlands of northwest Laos, where her parents and twelve of her brothers and sisters were born, her mother. I think people would really enjoy this book. Lia's parents and her doctors both wanted what was best for Lia, but the lack of understanding between them led to tragedy. of 150 and a full-body tan from taking vacations at a nudist camp. They recognized the symptoms as qaug dab peg, "the. Dressing Fadiman up in traditional Hmong clothing, Foua presented her to her boyfriend, who thought she looked ridiculous. Brilliantly reported and beautifully crafted, The Spirit Catches You and You. 7-8 Ch. Share to Facebook. The next day, the Hmong brought their dogs in so fast that the health workers had their hands full. At the last minute, the wife changed her mind and cut the family down. By now, Lia has been seizing for almost two hours. The Hmong had always been Montagnards, mountain people. As in the previous chapter, Chapter 18 examines the idea of Western biomedicine as a culture or a system of learned beliefs and habits. ABOUT THE BOOK Anne Fadiman’s seminal work of nonfiction, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, examines the myriad difficulties and complications that arise when two radically. “ […. The Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between Different. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down (1997) is an ethnography written by Anne Faidman. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down (1997) is an ethnography written by Anne Faidman. 17-18 Ch. 2 pages at 400 words per page) It is no surprise that Fadiman obsessed over the idea that the gulf between Hmong culture and Western medicine might be “unbridgeable,” since the very aim of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is to examine the missed avenues of communication in a disastrous instance of cross-cultural misunderstanding. Both Hmong patients and Western doctors have biases about one another. At age three months Lia had had her first epileptic seizure—as the Lees put it, ``the spirit catches. The second student was a Hmong, who proceeded to speak about a recipe for fish soup. Cultural and geographical borders within any society are believed to create boundaries that limit similarities between those on opposite sides. When Lia Lee was about three months old, her older sister Yer slammed the front door. Adorbs! Foua, in particular, takes a strong interest in Anne's life. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Quotes Showing 1-30 of 44. She acted as if she didn't know people, and she could only speak a little. Personal and communal crises mirror one another in the plot. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down - Chapter 7 Summary & Analysis. The Lee's, a family that endured hardships, frustration, anger, confusion, and hope while living in the United State's of America. At the same time, it is considered. The book suggests no doctor can be completely impartial. June 6th, this time for six months. 3). A Summary of National Trends, Department of Health, Durham University, Department for Education. This Study Guide consists of approximately 38 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Lia was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 1. A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. She considers what she's learned while researching, writing, and hearing reader reactions. The s pirit catches you and you fall down is cited in 14 different citation styles, including MLA, APA, Chicago, Harvard, APA, ACS, and many others. They're only accessible on tablets, laptops, or desktop computers, so check them out on a compatible device. The Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between. A feast of traditional beef dishes followed the ceremony. Anne Fadiman's The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures (Noonday Press, 1997) is widely used in "cultural competence" efforts within U. Neil Ernst constantly questioned himself over whether his uncompromising standard of care had actually compromised Lia’s health. 1. They also established themselves as masterful opium farmers, though very few of them became addicts. Martin is an eccentric intellectual with an I. The little girl’s name is Lia Lee and she suffers from severe epilepsy at the very young age of 3 months. Quag Dab Peg in Hmong culture is caused by a bad spirit (dab’s). 11-12 Ch. Download. This Study Guide consists of approximately 38 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Find out what happens in our Chapter 1 summary for The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. He always called an ambulance when Lia had a seizure. It was awarded many honors including: A Salon Book Award Winner Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for General Nonfiction Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Current Interest Boston Book Review 1997 Ann Rea Jewell Non-Fiction Prize A New York Times. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. Explanation and Analysis: Unlock with LitCharts A +. Yes, including the pigs (after the sacrifice, that is). The teacher's language has a rational detachment similar to the tone of the medical notes on Lia 's case. 4. Fadiman is also the author of two essay collections. Lia Lee. Qaug means to fall over, and peg means to catch. They spoiled her and treated her like a princess, believing that her epilepsy marked her as special and that she might someday. The epileptic child whose tragic story illustrates the cultural divide between the Hmong and the American medical systems. Unlike violence, death, and exile, Lia's medical catastrophe is not a tragedy the Lees expect. When he received the call, he "drove to MCMC as fast as he could" (11. According to Chapter 6, medical school rarely equips doctors to deal with populations who believe physical illnesses have spiritual causes. If Lia had been born in Laos, her mother would have squatted on the floor and pulled the baby out of her womb with her own hands. Lia was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 1. Fadiman began writing while at Harvard University as a columnist for Harvard Magazine. Chapter 10 - War. Their advice was daunting and they felt her journey lacked promise. This Hyperink Quicklet includes an overall summary, chapter commentary, key characters, literary themes, fun trivia, and recommended related readings. Analysis. It might be the first time a book focusing on transcultural health care made it onto the New York Times best-seller list. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down 1. Martin Kilgore Character Analysis. Chapter 10 describes a defining moment in Hmong history, working together with the defining crisis in Lia 's life that dominates Chapter 11 . This essay, "Cultural Conflicts in Fadiman’s “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down”" is published exclusively on IvyPanda's free essay examples database. Dialect obstructions and conviction framework contrasts kept Lia from accepting ideal care, despite the fact that both her family and the specialists did their closest to perfect to help. Though Lia 's mother Foua Yang gives birth to Lia in the United States, she delivered 12 children in her native Laos. Write a 350-word summary of the chapter that includes the following: Identify the historical events or cultural practices in your selected chapter. This question calls for your opinion, there is no right or worng answer. The Orphan. On the other hand, Epilepsy is referred to as a neurological. One case involving the Lees' young. Preface. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down was her first novel, published in 1997. Previous. Their character proceeded from that. 1-2 Chapter 1: Birth Lia. In California's Central Valley agricultural town of Merced, Hmong Americans make up one fifth of the population. Dan is the first doctor to diagnose Lia as epileptic after seeing her in the throes of a seizure during her third visit to the hospital. Fadiman gives a survey of sacrificial events in Hmong culture,. In 2700 B. Her record nearly always noted the communication difficulties brought about by language differences. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. Lia ’s father and Foua ’s husband. A family practice resident at Merced Community Medical Center who is interested in Hmong culture. New York: Macmillan. Chapter 14 The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: Chapter 15 Summary & Analysis Next Chapter 16 Themes and Colors Key Summary Analysis Fadiman writes that Lia. She grew only a few inches, gained only a little weight, and always looked younger than her age. Answering a question posed to her by a bigoted gas station clerk, she determines (in retrospect) that the reason the Hmong chose to settle in Merced has to do with Dang Moua, a local Hmong entrepreneur and businessman who was at one time a clerk-typist at the. Her family celebrated by sacrificing a cow and inviting many relatives to rejoice with them. Throughout The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Fadiman often references the Hmong’s maximalist worldview, which takes into account all aspects of life and seeks to acknowledge the interconnectedness of all things. The family would have called in a txiv neeb, a Hmong shaman or traditional healer, if any difficulties arose. MonkeyNotes Study Guides Download Store-Downloadable Study Guides/Book Summary,Book Notes,Notes,Chapter Summary/Synopsis. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. Chapter 13 represents the falling action of Lia's story as the family adjusts to the reality of her fate. She notes the “uphill battle” the Lees faced in converting their apartment—with its humming refrigerator and fluttering TV screen—into a tranquil, spiritual atmosphere. Luckily, Lia ends up in the home of Dee Korda, a woman who fosters several children with special needs. 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. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance. Many shamans—known as txiv neeb—use seizures to commune with the spirit realm. The aura, a sense of premonition common to all. Members of 14 Hmong clans live in Merced. However, I have come to believe that her life was ruined not by septic shock or noncompliant parents but by cross. Book review for Social and Cultural Perspectives of Public HealthThe timeline below shows where the character Yer Lee appears in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. These babies were born at home on a dirt floor. Open Preview. The way the content is organized and presented is seamlessly smooth, innovative, and comprehensive. In Hmong culture, epilepsy is known as "quag dab peg," which means "the spirit catches you and you fall down" (3. From the period of spring and summer 1986, around the time of her fourth birthday, Peggy Philp noted in Lia’s chart – nothing interesting – but for the Lees it was one of the richest periods in Lia’s life. When Lia first returned home from her time in foster care, everyone was elated. The narrator—Anne—reflects on her time with the Lees, a Hmong American family living in Merced, California. The blogs will allow students to react to and reflect on each section's reading, keep track of Hmong. Lia was born in 1982 in Merced, California. While Lia has a United States birth certificate that includes a time and date. Integration and Assimilation Theme Analysis. In which I celebrate Nonfiction November by discussing my favorite nonfiction book of all time, Anne Fadiman's The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down--the. This chapter is so intriguing, because it presents not only the frustrations of the Hmong with American medicine, but also the terrible stress it created within the medical staff. She was interested in investigating the circumstances surrounding Lia's health care but was warned by fellow colleagues. They also knew, in the midst of their grief for their infant daughter, that people. They knew the y wouldn’t approve of swidden agriculture and because the Hmong had sided with the French, they fear reprisals. Buy Study Guide About The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Summary Character List Glossary Themes Quotes and Analysis Ch. A pediatrician who specializes in hematology and child development, she is—like her husband—a motivated person who is most interested in discovering the truth. The little girl’s name is Lia Lee and she suffers from severe epilepsy at the very young age of 3 months. Nonetheless, he asked her to marry him. 17). They're disoriented and confused by new appliances like refrigerators, toilets, and electrical devices. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is the story of a Hmong Family, the Lees, their journey to America, and their struggles following their immigration. Every other chapter shares some aspect of Hmong history or culture: food, clothing, language, family structure, birthing rituals, and so on. Incredibly driven and willing to seek out the truth even if it unearths his own mistakes, Neil eventually comes to. Summary See All. Makenzie Griffith EDSE 460 Denise Hitchcock 1 March 2018 Midterm: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down It is a story about a family who shows so much loyalty to their traditions and cultures, but it clashes with the strict American “norm” and creates conflict. During this time, one of their eight children became ill and died. Although The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down may sound like the debut album from an obscure EDM artist, this little non-fiction book has changed the world in more ways than one. Her siblings grew up around her, part of a close-knit family, some excelling in sports and others going to university. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” by Anne Fadiman. By 400 C. ”. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Get the summaries, analysis, and quotes you need. Lia has another, even worse seizure three days before Thanksgiving, 1986. 5 out of 5 stars 4. In the Lees' view, Lia's soul had fled her body and become lost. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is the riveting narrative of a showdown between modern American medicine and ancient Hmong beliefs, a blow-by-blow account. The London Observer called "Ex Libris" "witty. The first chapters introduce the Hmong: both the family who suffers the book's tragedy, and the people as a whole. Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 154 (12), 1277. After graduating in 1975, she wrote for a variety of publications, including Harper's, Life magazine, and The New York Times. Chapter 9 continues Lia's story, sharing events from both Lia's parents' and doctors' points of view. Nonetheless, she manages to remain reasonably neutral, not blaming any of Lia’s doctors personally nor Lia’s parents, but rather the aforementioned idea that the cultural “gulf” is “unbridgeable. Her parents assumed the noise of the door had caused her soul to flee. . On the day before Thanksgiving, Lia had a mild runny nose, but little appetite. ''. Fadiman’s interpreter, or—in Sukey Waller ’s words—“cultural broker. May Ying is a twenty year old clerk-typist at the Merced County Office of Refugee Services when Fadiman first meets her. Ge, one of Nao Kao and Foua's daughters, dies after they arrive at a refugee camp in Thailand. A little girl who is part of Merced, California’s population of Hmong immigrants. ISBN-13: 9780374533403. The snotty sister insults him, calling him dirty and ridiculing his poverty. Anne updates readers on the book's key figures. Lia was admitted to MCMC seventeen times between the ages of eight months and four and a half years. You can use it for research and reference purposes to write your. Fadiman writes that Lia was seven when she first met her, which was two years after she had entered a nonresponsive state (her doctors called this a “persistent vegetative state”). The spirit catches you and you fall down: a Hmong child, her American doctors, and the collision of two cultures. Their selection of this town is largely because of the influence of Dang Moua, an energetic Hmong American businessman. Anne Fadiman’s ethnography . Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” by Anne Fadiman. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. By studying miscommunication between Hmong patients and their American doctors, Fadiman demonstrates that many cross-cultural misunderstandings hinge on a disconnect between the two parties’. The story told in ''The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down,'' by Anne Fadiman, a freelance journalist and the newly named editor of The American Scholar, is that of Lia Lee, born on July 19, 1982, in the Merced Community Medical Center. Fadiman’s plot revolves around Lia, a Hmong girl born with severe epilepsy, and the. On May 2, 1985, Child Protective Services (CPS) placed Lia in temporary foster care for two weeks, after which she returned home. By Monica Chiu, PhD University of New Hampshire Hmong. Chapters 5-8: In the second section of the book, the reader meets Neil and Peggy, married pediatricians who are incredibly hard working and see the light at the end of the tunnel with Lia’s case. Lia Lee was three months old when she suffered her first epileptic seizure. There is a moment of final suspense when Nao Kao tries to take Lia from the hospital before she is discharged. C. 10). Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. She had epilepsy and struggled with American medicine because she did not speak English. 1-2 Ch. Who now lives in America, but still manages to head a rebel group. 1 Why did Nao Kao call an ambulance the night of Lia's big seizure? He thought that arriving in an ambulance would cause the doctors to pay more attention to Lia. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. Fadiman begins by calling attention to a carton of cassette tapes she keeps beneath her desk. In this miniscule event, two cultures with completely conflicting ideas came together to form a union. Chapter 11 - The Big One. Things go from bad to worse. Lia's older sister, Mai, is born in Thailand during this exodus. ) The Hmong had their own reasons for defending the Royal Lao government, and thus, collaborating with the United States. The Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between Different Groups. Anne Fadiman wrote a nonfiction book entitled The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, which is the story of a young Hmong girl named Lia Lee who had epilepsy. E. Chapter 12 Summary: “Flight”. ) When the author took Selvidge’s information to Neil Ernst, he said that if he’d thought that Lia was septic, he would have done a lumbar puncture. • Chapter 1 - Birth. Medical, Racist, and Colonial Constructions of Power: Creating the Asian American Patient and the Cultural Citizen in Anne Fadiman’s . The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down essays are academic essays for citation. For more than two years, her doctors had been. These stragglers form several rebel groups, one of which is led by Vang Pao. Lia at the age of three months began to seize, the family had diagnosed her with qug dab peg which also means the spirit. Chapter 13 represents the falling action of Lia's story as the family adjusts to the reality of her fate. The. 5). Next. Answering a question posed to her by a bigoted gas station clerk, she determines (in retrospect) that the reason the Hmong chose to settle in Merced has to do with Dang Moua, a local Hmong entrepreneur and businessman who. Two cultural assumptions rise to the surface of this section: the first is that the Hmong eat dogs and cats; the second assumption is that Americans only care about money and thus would be unperturbed by the sight of a severed cow’s head on a doorstep as long as the cow had been fairly purchased. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down tells the story of Lia Lee, a Hmong child with epilepsy, whose tragic demise reveals the dangers of a lack of cross-cultural communication in the medical profession. The spirit catches you and you fall down by Annie Fadiman is a story about Hmong girl named Lia Lee, who is epileptic. Foua's husband Nao Kao attended each birth. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down tells the story of Lia Lee, a Hmong child with epilepsy, whose tragic downfall reveals the dangers of a lack of cross-cultural communication in the medical profession. The Lee family knew that the noise had awakened a dab, an evil spirit who stole Lia's soul. Foua and Nao Kao grow to distrust American medicine almost completely. At the age of three months, Lia had her first seizure caused by the sound of a door. The Lees knew immediately what had happened. 15-16 Ch. "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. We're at the Lee's apartment and a txiv neeb has just arrived "to perform a healing ceremony for Lia" (19. Lia's older sister, Mai, is born in Thailand during this exodus. As Lia is being prepared for release, the doctors tell Nao Kao that she will probably die within weeks. Do you feel the author was evenhanded in her presentation of Hmong culture and medical culture? 2. At the time of the war in Southeast Asia, they lived in Laos about 400 meters above sea-level. Lia Lee suffered from seizures and eventually becomes vegetative for the rest of her life. Compared to the polite and nonintrusive methods of the txiv neeb s, American doctors' methods are frightening. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance. Nao Kao and Foua are devastated. Lia's parents and her doctors both wanted what was best for Lia, but the lack of understanding between them led to tragedy. by Monica Chiu, Ph. Summary. Chapter 10 - War (Cont. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman is an analysis of Western medicine and traditional Hmong medicine in the treatment of a young child with severe epilepsy in Merced, California. She grew only a few inches, gained only a little weight, and always looked younger than her age. While working at a Hmong refugee camp in Thailand, Conquergood hosted a parade "led by three important characters from Hmong folktales" that also conveyed some very useful medical information (4. These questions are used to convey a patient. The Sacrifice. • Chapter 2 - Fish Soup. Yikes.