Denise Hitchcock. Their advice was daunting and they felt her journey lacked promise. Adorbs! Foua, in particular, takes a strong interest in Anne's life. 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. D. Summary. Animal sacrifice, a reverent occasion for the Hmong, is more difficult in America but still part of Hmong American life. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down essays are academic essays for citation. Three months after her healthy birth, Lia went into a seizure after her older sister Yer loudly slammed the apartment door. Nonetheless, he asked her to marry him. They live in Portland for two years before moving to their current home in Merced, California. Although Dee follows "the anticonvulsant prescriptions to the letter," Lia continues to have seizures—more frequently than she did at home, in fact. Lia's treatment is complicated by Nao Kao's and Foua's inability to speak English, making it all but impossible to communicate with her doctors. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down (1997) is an ethnography written by Anne Faidman. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down Book Report. They are animists who believe spiritual forces affect the natural world. 2. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. 4. This book reveals the tragic struggles between a doctor and patient because of. 17). As a metaphor for this, she tells a story about a young Hmong man who, in a presentation. . As a writer, Fadiman herself moves in and out of her scenes; in some moments, she describes her conversations with Lia ’s. Her parents, Nao Kao and Foua, were Hmong refugees from Laos who. The Hmong see illness and 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. Her full name is used only five times in the narrative. The author begins this chapter with the assertion, “I do not know if Lia would be able to walk and talk today had she been treated by Arthur Kleinman instead of by Neil Ernst and Peggy Philp. 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. (approx. Their journey in The Spirit Catches You reveals a great deal about the challenges they face—and they benefits they enjoy—as the younger generation of Hmong-American immigrants. While commonplace in Hmong culture, Americans are uncomfortable with the idea of ritual sacrifice, especially when it is in the public domain. The Big One. Although The Spirit Catches You is all about Lia, there's not much actually about Lia within its. Her father is furious, while her mother is devastated. 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. Yikes. When two cultures collide in defending their beliefs on western medicines versus spiritual practices, the life of a young Hmong girl hangs in the balance in Anne Fadiman’s 1997 book, The Spirit. They retaliated against the. Animal sacrifice, a reverent occasion for the Hmong, is more difficult in America but still part of Hmong American life. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” by Anne Fadiman. The Lees endured the trauma of migrating on foot from Laos to Thailand, but Lia 's mother Foua says Lia's illness is more painful. What listeners say about The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Average customer ratings. He wondered which would have been more discriminatory - to deprive Lia of optimal care that any other child would have received or fail to tailor her treatment in such a way that the. Over two years after Lia's big seizure, she was still alive. Aside from the medical parts, which are described carefully and objectively, and without portioning any blame, this book is a very touching story of a family coping with adversity in a brave and dignified. Her first book, "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down," is an account of the unbridgeable gulf between a family of Hmong refugees and their American doctors. Regardless, both parents still blame the hospital for Lia's condition. Even though she had a dirt floor, she would have been very careful to never allow her to. Lia's story becomes the story of the Hmong people, the doctor-patient connection in Western medicine, and the immigrant experience in the United States. Because Foua and Nao Kao continued their pattern of noncompliance by neglecting to properly administer the drugs again, she was once more taken away on June 6th, this time for six months. Print Word PDF. She remarks that, even though these recordings have already been transcribed. These stragglers form several rebel groups, one of which is led by Vang Pao. 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. Chapter 1. Fadiman begins the chapter with an autobiography that May, one of Lia’s sisters, writes for a school assignment about her family’s experience fleeing Laos in 1979. The Spirit Catches You Exam. When Fadiman told Foua that she’d gotten engaged, Foua was not surprised at all. The Lee family were. A conversation and reading with Anne Fadiman, author of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors and The Collision of Tw. Unlike violence, death, and exile, Lia's medical catastrophe is not a tragedy the Lees expect. A social worker who works closely with Lia and the Lee family. The story starts with the Lee’s forced immigration to America and talks about Lia being born with epilepsy. It has sold almost 900,000 copies, according to its publisher, Farrar, Straus. Free Summary of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Section One: Chapters 1-4; Section Two: Chapters 5-8; Section Three: Chapters 9-14; Section Four: Chapters 15-19; My Review and Takeaways;. 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. Lia neither died nor recovered. 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. • Preface. He is interested in Hmong culture, though his attempts to connect with the. …. Her worst seizures advance to status epilepticus—when she seizes for minutes at a time without regaining consciousness. Her parents assumed the noise of the door had caused her soul to flee. Dan Murphy. health care and the Hmong in California. When the Lees left Laos, Foua explains, at least they hoped for a better future. [5] ): a Hmong child born in Merced, California, in 1982. Book Details. A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. ISBN-13: 9780374533403. On the day before Thanksgiving, Lia had a mild runny nose, but little appetite. Unlike other doctors, Fadiman points out, Neil Ernst remained unbending in his care for Lia, ultimately unwilling to compromise the quality of his services to accommodate Foua and Nao Kao ’s beliefs or abilities. The Lees thought Lia had been taken from them to punish them for noncompliance. 4. It tells the story of Lia Lee, a Hmong girl with severe epilepsy, and her family’s journey with managing the condition and the cultural barriers that posed great challenges in Lia’s care. Peggy Philp Character Analysis. The TV was off, a candle had. In her case, only Western medicine could've saved her father from colon cancer. 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. Summary. A young Hmong man gave a presentation about how to make fish soup. 11-12 Ch. 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. This case study illustrates and analyzes the tension an ESL science teacher encountered when his science curriculum came into conflict with the religious and cos-mological beliefs of one of his Hmong immigrant students. medical school curricula. A little girl who is part of Merced, California’s population of Hmong immigrants. Share to Pinterest. Lia was admitted to MCMC seventeen times between the ages of eight months and four and a half years. Fadiman gives a survey of sacrificial events in Hmong culture,. of 150 and a full-body tan from taking vacations at a nudist camp. One day, while at a school for children with special needs, Lia falls off a swing and has a major seizure. 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. Luckily, Lia ends up in the home of Dee Korda, a woman who fosters several children with special needs. In Hmong culture, epilepsy is known as ‘quag dab peg,’ which means ‘The spirit catches you and you fall down’ (Fadiman, 2012, p. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down frequently evokes Hmong history to illuminate the circumstances of Lia Lee ’s medical crisis. 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. As Lia is being prepared for release, the doctors tell Nao Kao that she will probably die within weeks. Foua and Nao Kao immediately suspected what happened: the loud sound so frightened their daughter that her soul fled her body, a phenomenon known to them as quag dab peg, meaning the spirit catches you and you fall down. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down essays are academic essays for citation. Plot Summary & Analysis Themes Quotes Characters Symbols Theme Viz Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Spirit Catches You makes teaching easy. 31). Her record nearly always noted the communication difficulties brought about by language differences. “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” is the story of a Hmong family living in Merced, California and their Daughter, Lia, who has severe epilepsy. 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 Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1997 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. Neil admitted that, after all of his efforts and the building of tension before her cataclysmic seizure, he. Though Anne often wants to take the Hmongs' side in all of this, even she must admit that Western medicine can be truly life-changing. 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. Like many shamanic cultures, the Hmong believe that the condition serves as the gateway between our world and the. What had occurred was known as qaug dab peg in Hmong (translated as "the spirit catches you and you. Illness had come when the wife of a wicked god named Nyong laid an egg full of dabs. The TV was off, a candle had. Chapter 7 - Government Property. Analysis. Foua and Nao Kao learned to recognize the signs signaling the onset of Lia's seizures, such as twitching. They preferred it to the pediatric wheelchair. Yer, Lia’s older sister, slammed a door which triggered Lia’s first seizure. Chapter Summaries Chart. At this point, Fadiman finally goes beyond merely suggesting that doctors ask their Hmong patients what they believe is happening to them. She would have been live longer with little illness in her body, she would have lived a happier life if the communication barriers got fixed from the start. One case involving the Lees' young. Chapter 13 represents the falling action of Lia's story as the family adjusts to the reality of her fate. Lia Lee was three months old when she suffered her first epileptic seizure. Hmong Studies Journal, 2004-05, 5: 1-36. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. There is a moment of final suspense when Nao Kao tries to take Lia from the hospital before she is discharged. In response, Lia's eyes rolled up, her arms jerked over her head, and she fainted. Chapter 3: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. As Lia is being prepared for release, the doctors tell Nao Kao that she will probably die within weeks. For more than two years, her doctors had been. Every other chapter shares some aspect of Hmong history or culture: food, clothing, language, family structure, birthing rituals, and so on. 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. Archives of . The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down was her first novel, published in 1997. E. Children as young as ten are forced into military service. 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. Between the ages of eight months and four and a half years, Lia was admitted to MCMC seventeen times and made more than one hundred out patient visits to the ER and the Family Practice Center. 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. 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. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is a tragic true story written by Anne Fadiman, who spent over five years in the middle of a fight between Hmong culture and American medicine. Chapter 1 - Birth. “I have always felt that the action most worth watching is not at the center of things but where edges meet. It was the most terrible of cultural clashes. Print Word PDF. Dee Korda Character Analysis. Fadiman’s interpreter, or—in Sukey Waller ’s words—“cultural broker. Her medical chart from this time describes her as a female Hmong child well known to the facility. By 400 C. While considered by some to be an illness, seizures are actually seen as a good thing to the Hmong culture. Like Shee Yee, they are courageous and tenacious, and will fight or flee rather than surrender. Summary. Unlike her fellow. Though Lia 's mother Foua Yang gives birth to Lia in the United States, she delivered 12 children in her native Laos. 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. Chapter 9 Summary and Analysis. At the last minute, the wife changed her mind and cut the family down. Summary. The Lee Children. On the one hand, the Lees had every right to exercise their beliefs. Chapter 19: The Sacrifice. Read the Review. The doctors believe epilepsy is a pathological process in the brain, while the family believe “the spirit catches you and you fall down”. 5-6 Ch. A fun and humorous chapter by chapter summary broken into tasty tidbits that you can digest. She went to Merced after hearing reports of misunderstandings between medical staff and Hmong patients at the county hospital—the Merced Community Medical Center (MCMC). The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down frequently evokes Hmong history to illuminate the circumstances of Lia Lee ’s medical crisis. 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. Lia Lee suffered from seizures and eventually becomes vegetative for the rest of her life. Neil is at home when Lia arrives at the hospital. “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” by Anna Fadiman tells the story of Lia Lee, a Hmong child with epilepsy, whose life could have been different if only her family was caught up in western medicine. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. For those who did leave, the toughest part of. Summary. Although Lee and her family live in the United States, and thus receive medical care from Westerners, her family believes that Lee’s condition. Quag Dab Peg in Hmong culture is caused by a bad spirit (dab’s). In Anne Fadiman’s book, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, two cultures clash with each other in the struggle to save Lia Lee, a Hmong child refugee with severe epilepsy. When Lia was around three months old, her older sister Yer slammed a door and Lia had her first seizure. Dan Murphy Character Analysis. Lia neither died nor recovered. 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 for their most prized possession, their daughter. She slept in her parents’ bed a slight, silent husk. • Chapter 3 - The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Back then the dude worked eighteen hours a day and still couldn't make ends meet. Lia was the fourteenth child of Foua Yang and Nao Kao Lee and arguably their favorite. A Review By Will Connolly. Fadiman continues to examine the arrival of the Hmong in California, rehashing some of her earlier ideas about xenophobia and welfare. On the other hand, Epilepsy is referred to as a neurological. Lia, on the other hand, is born in sunny Merced, California on July 19, 1982 (yes, we've flash. Lia's treatment was complex—her anticonvulsant prescriptions changed 23 times in four years—and the Lees were sure the medicines were bad for their. LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Find out what happens in our Chapter 1 summary for The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. 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. 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. Fadiman, Anne. Analysis. 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. 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. At the age of three months, Lia Lee had an epileptic seizure. She grew only a few inches, gained only a little weight, and always looked younger than her age. After graduating in 1975, she wrote for a variety of publications, including Harper's, Life magazine, and The New York Times. When he received the call, he "drove to MCMC as fast as he could" (11. They're only accessible on tablets, laptops, or desktop computers, so check them out on a compatible device. Anne updates readers on the book's key figures. ” Analysis. Lia did not die, nor did she recover. Chapter 12 Summary: “Flight”. Yet again,. Many of Li’s healthcare providers, especially Neil Ernst and Peggy Philip, worked hard to help Lia. S. The book The Spirit Catches You and You Fall down by Anne Fadiman is one of the highlights of the Hmong culture and the challenges socializing a family from Laos faces in American society. The mood declined, however, when the Lees realized how Lia's mental capacity had declined. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. 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. The phrase indicates the way the Lees, a deeply spiritual Hmong American family, think of. In California's Central Valley agricultural town of Merced, Hmong Americans make up one fifth of the population. 1997 Winner, National Book Critics Circle Award - Nonfiction. 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. They also knew, in the midst of their grief for their infant daughter, that people. Lia was carried by Foua or another older member of the family on the back in a nyias, an apron shaped baby carrier that Foua had embroidered and ornamented with bright colors and fuzzy pink pom-poms. "Sooo much more helpful than SparkNotes. Lia's older sister, Mai, is born in Thailand during this exodus. In response, Lia's eyes rolled up, her arms jerked over her head, and she fainted. Like. Chapter 7: Government Property. Nao Kao, Blia. Chapter 19: The Sacrifice. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down essays are. Now, instead of living off the land, they're forced to rely on American food drops to survive. From the creators of SparkNotes. 45. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Quiz 3. Writing both a literary profile and an in. When Lia came home in 1986, Nao Kao and Foua held a sacrificial ceremony in which they killed a cow. Between the ages of 8 months and four and a half years, the Lees brought Lia to the hospital dozens of times. 2001 Jun;76(6):620-1. The even-numbered explanatory chapters often begin or end with a Hmong folktale illustrating an important aspect of the culture. Though Lia's mother Foua Yang gives birth to Lia in the United States, she delivered 12 children in her native Laos. “ […. Because the Lees—like most Hmongs—came to the United States to escape war-torn Laos, their relationship to assimilation is complicated. 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. 3). . And it gets worse. On December 18, 1980, Foua and Nao Kao Lee arrive in the United States with their six surviving children. At this point, [Lia’s sister], who was three at the time, ran over to Lia and started banging her on the chest. She remains in a persistent vegetative state for the rest of her life, with a functioning brain stem but little awareness of or response to her environment. A feast of traditional beef dishes followed the ceremony. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” by Anne Fadiman. They call her condition qaug dab peg or "the spirit catches you and you fall down. Foua and Nao Kao learned to recognize the signs signaling the onset of Lia's seizures, such as twitching. The Story Catches You and You Fall Down: Tragedy, Ethnography, and "Cultural Competence" Anne Fadiman's The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures (Noon-day Press, 1997) is widely used in "cultural competence" efforts within U. …. 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. medical school curricula. A shaman might spend. Lia was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 1. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. Neil and Peggy are great doctors, but Nao Kao and Foua are not big fans of their seemingly cold and uncaring demeanor. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is a sad, beautiful, complicated story that is ostensibly about a tragedy that arose from a clash of cultures, but is really about the tragedy of human beings. 1-2 Ch. 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. C. Lia was born in 1982 in Merced, California. Martin is an eccentric intellectual with an I. 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. The Spirit Catches you and you fall down. Acclaimed by reviewers, “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” won a National Book Critics Circle Award. In 1985 Mao Thao, a Hmong American woman, visits Ban Vinai—a refugee camp in Thailand. Lia has another, even worse seizure three days before Thanksgiving, 1986. Chapter 9 continues Lia's story, sharing events from both Lia's parents' and doctors' points of view. Brilliantly reported and beautifully crafted, The Spirit Catches You and You. 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. In one story, he offers his home to two sisters, one good and one snotty. At age three months Lia had had her first epileptic seizure—as the Lees put it, ``the spirit catches you and you fall down. After working as a computer analyst in Paris, he relocated to Merced because he believed it was his “moral responsibility” to help his people in. Analysis. The narrator—Anne—reflects on her time with the Lees, a Hmong American family living in Merced, California. ''. NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 1997. Talking to Fadiman later, she and her husband tried to describe what it was like to see Lia in such a terrible state. " In Hmong folklore a dab is an evil spirit that steals souls. The book also details Hmong culture, history, and their life as refugees. At this point, [Lia’s sister], who was three at the time, ran over to Lia and started banging her on the chest. Yikes. Lia's parents and her doctors both wanted what was best for Lia, but the lack of understanding between them. 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. 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. The spirit catches you and you fall down: a Hmong child, her American doctors, and the collision of two cultures. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. The journalist Anne Fadiman takes you through the maddeningly frustrating journey of a loving Hmong family and their dedicated western doctors. ISBN: 0-374-52564-1. Lia Lee began suffering seizures at a young age and was diagnosed with epilepsy by American doctors. They recognized the resulting symptoms as quag dab peg, which means "the spirit catches you and you fall down. 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. 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. Unfortunately, she couldn’t save their only son or her husband. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down essays are academic essays for citation. Chapter 2 introduces key facts about the Hmong, which place the Lees' behavior in a broader context. Chapter 17 - The Eight Questions (Cont. They also established themselves as masterful opium farmers, though very few of them became addicts. Fish Soup Symbol Analysis. 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. Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction . The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Anne Fadiman, 1997. Chapter 15 Quotes. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down is a work of literary nonfiction that chronicles the life and medical troubles of Lia Lee, a young girl from Merced, California. 9). Chapter 5: Take as Directed. 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. 1). The Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between Different. For their part, the Lees respond by doing something even more powerful—making Jeanine a part of the family. Foua and Nao Kao knew when a seizure was coming on, because Lia knew. Foua. Chapter 12 shows violence, starvation, and death became normalized for Hmong refugees in a way few Americans can understand. 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. Talking to Fadiman later, she and her husband tried to describe what it was like to see Lia in such a terrible state. Foua carried her in a large, embroidered nyias, or baby carrier, preferring it to the wheelchair provided by the Merced County Health Department. 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. 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. Birth. On May 2, 1985, Child Protective Services (CPS) placed Lia in temporary foster care for two weeks, after which she returned home. Although the assignment called for a five-minute speech, he spoke for forty-five minutes by starting from the very. They haven't been back since. 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. sacrificed a pig and chickens, sometimes they want to do it in the hospital. After much debate, a lot of planning, and a ton of help from Jeanine Holt, the doctors finally agree. Chapter Summaries Chart. “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” is the story of a Hmong family living in Merced, California and their Daughter, Lia, who has severe epilepsy. 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. The family would have called in a txiv neeb, a Hmong shaman or traditional healer, if any difficulties arose. - both Foua and dad threaten to commit suicide in the period when Lia was in fostercare. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” by Anne Fadiman. the Hmong have established their own. Young Lia’s health is at risk when the. Explain the meaning of the book's title. Share to Tumblr. 18). Language, religious beliefs, and ideas about parental authority all prevent the Lees and their doctors from understanding one another. Birth. Analysis. Analysis. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. Downloadable / Printable Version. “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” is the story of a Hmong family living in Merced, California and their Daughter, Lia, who has severe epilepsy. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 1997. On November 25, 1986, Lia has a severe seizure at home. ''. The narrative, told by Anne Fadiman, follows the trials and tribulations of the Lee family as the U. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down Book Report. Nothing like medical problems and totally opposite cultures to show you how messed up things. " The word dab refers to a soul-stealing spirit. 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. The family has two pigs to sacrifice—one for them and one for Lia—as well as a host of tasty Hmong food. The blogs will allow students to react to and reflect on each section's reading, keep track of Hmong. Then he hears that Vang Pao (remember, the rebel group guy) is planning to buy land in Merced.