The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures
by Anne Fadiman
Review this book!
The author tells the story of the Lees, a family of Hmong refugees in California whose epileptic baby daughter, Lia, is taken in hand by the Western medical establishment. The Lees believe that Lia's condition is caused by spirits called dabs, who had caught her and made her fall down. Her doctors want to treat her condition with sophisticated drugs, which her parents refuse to give her. In this sad tale of cultural misunderstanding, two incompatible worlds collide, with heart-wrenching consequences. Nominated for the 1998 PEN/Martha Albrand Award for First Nonfiction.
Editions of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
 |
ISBN |
Binding/Format Hardcover |
Publisher Farrar Straus & Giroux |
Date 1997 |
Price $9.63 |
 Used - Acceptable |
 |
ISBN |
Binding/Format Paperback |
Publisher Noonday Pr |
Date 1998 |
Price $3.00 |
Good |
Publisher Notes
Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, this brilliantly reported and beautifully crafted book explores the clash between a medical center in California and a Laotian refugee family over their care of a child--and the lack of understanding that led to tragedy.
Media Reviews
"[Fadiman] describes with extraordinary skill the colliding worlds of Western medicine and Hmong culture...yet she remains exquisitely attuned to the interconnectedness of things."
Review this book!
