While their children take their father's clan name, Foua follows Hmong tradition and retains Yang—her original clan name—after marriage. The Lees' story takes on a more reflective mood in Chapters 15 and 17–18. 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. Shee Yee escaped nine evil dab brothers by shapeshifting into various forms and eventually biting a in the testicles. 11-12 Ch. 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. Dressing Fadiman up in traditional Hmong clothing, Foua presented her to her boyfriend, who thought she looked ridiculous. Chapter 17: The Eight Questions. Although Jeanine works for the government, she manages to establish a connection with Nao Kao. 7-8 Ch. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Introduction. The Lees thought Lia had been taken from them to punish them for noncompliance. Fadiman rounds out the Lees ’ family story by detailing their escape from Laos. . Summary: 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. Open Preview. Summary Of A Spirit Catches. These questions are used to convey a patient. Her siblings grew up around her, part of a close-knit family, some excelling in sports and others going to university. 5 out of 5. The Afterword was written in 2012, 15 years after the book was first published in 1997. Her record nearly always noted the communication difficulties brought about by language differences. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. The book has been heavily criticized for various biases, sympathies, and. The narrator—Anne—reflects on her time with the Lees, a Hmong American family living in Merced, California. She acted as if she didn't know people, and she could only speak a little. ” OCLC. For their part, the Lees respond by doing something even more powerful—making Jeanine a part of the family. On November 25, 1986, Lia has a severe seizure at home. In her case, only Western medicine could've saved her father from colon cancer. They retaliated against the. Foua and Nao Kao knew when a seizure was coming on, because Lia knew. June 6th, this time for six months. The doctors prescribed anticonvulsants; her parents preferred animal sacrifices. It’s no surprise, then, that things have changed in the fifteen years that have elapsed between the book’s last chapter and this afterword. Anne Fadiman’s The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures is a non-fiction exploration of culture and medicine that tells the tragic story of the Lee family and their daughter Lia, an epileptic Hmong girl. Read More. 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. Lia’s parents cared for her deeply, yet this arguable preventable tragedy still occurred. The book chronicles the experiences of the Lee. 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. Last updated by jill d #170087 6 years ago 5/31/2017 11:19 AM. A doctor living in Merced who invites Fadiman to meet his Hmong patients. The teacher's language has a rational detachment similar to the tone of the medical notes on Lia 's case. The Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between Different. . Nao Kao Lee Character Analysis. 11-12 Ch. She was interested in investigating the circumstances surrounding Lia's health care but was warned by fellow colleagues. Nao Kao gained weight and had high blood pressure, while Foua. In the presentation, he spent forty-five minutes painstakingly detailing the entire process, from choosing the right kind of hook to go fishing to preparing. Dee falls in love with Lia and cares for her like her own. 19 - Afterword Symbols, Allegory and Motifs Metaphors and Similes Irony Imagery Cultural. Over two years after Lia's big seizure, she was still alive. Produced in April 2012 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, this copy of The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman affords 368 pages of first-rate lessons. 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. When the United States military withdrew from Laos, former North Vietnamese forces came in to occupy the villages. • Chapter 7 - Government Property. Recorded on these tapes are the many conversations she had with American doctors and the Lee family, who came to the United States from Laos as refugees in 1980. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down essays are academic essays for citation. Now, instead of living off the land, they're forced to rely on American food drops to survive. Fadiman’s interpreter, or—in Sukey Waller ’s words—“cultural broker. The first paragraph focuses on why Lia’s birth is so different than her siblings. 13-14 Ch. It was the most terrible of cultural clashes. Chapter 12 shows violence, starvation, and death became normalized for Hmong refugees in a way few Americans can understand. 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 followingChapter 2 - Fish Soup. However amusing the novel was from a literary standpoint, the. Print Word PDF. Anne Fadiman, 1997. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. ” 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. Even things we take for granted like electricity and refrigeration are new to them. It won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, among other awards. ) Citation. Do you feel the author was evenhanded in her presentation of Hmong culture and medical culture? 2. Analysis. Writing both a literary profile and an in. The Lees believed Lia had been returned to them because foster care had made her sicker; Neil and Peggy felt that foster care had improved her condition. From the creators of SparkNotes. Kindle Edition. The family has two pigs to sacrifice—one for them and one for Lia—as well as a host of tasty Hmong food. The office in his home—where Fadiman stays while conducting her research—is full of ethnographies of. • Chapter 2 - Fish Soup. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. Villages are destroyed wholesale. Summary. “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. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. S medical system battles with their traditional Hmong healing methods. 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. 47352453. Chapter 19: The Sacrifice. Analysis. CPS sends Lia to foster parents Dee and Tom Korda. Summary. Vangay explains that for a Hmong, unlike an American, "it is never everyone for himself" (247). Some of these perceptions are. Neil and Peggy called CPS for child abuse but they learned from a. 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. In response, Lia's eyes rolled up, her arms jerked over her head, and she fainted. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures is a 1997 book by Anne Fadiman that chronicles the. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. 1-2 Ch. Due to the diligent research and interviewing by the author, the reader is privy to all. Lia, on the other hand, is born in sunny Merced, California on July 19, 1982 (yes, we've flash. Reviews Book Excerpts Media About the Author Reading Guide. . 19 - Afterword Symbols, Allegory and Motifs Metaphors and Similes Irony Imagery Cultural. 17-18 Ch. We learn that the Hmong have very different birthing traditions; that they believe in evil spirits called ‘dabs’; and these spirits can steal that they believe a baby’s soul. The Lees knew immediately what had happened. The The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down lesson plan is designed to help teachers and educators plan classroom activities and instruction. Is there any way that Lia's story could've ended differently? What other possible outcomes could you imagine? What historical factors contribute to the Hmongs' tendency toward insular communities? How does Anne Fadiman's status as an American impact her view of the story?The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. In an intermediate French class at Merced College, the students were asked to give a five-minute oral report in French. We might not know much about the Lee children as individuals, but much like the von Trapps or the. Exactly what every hospital needs. But the whole experience is a disaster—Lia even catches an infection at the hospital. Overall. 368 pp. , 2002). Chapter 10 describes a defining moment in Hmong history, working together with the defining crisis in Lia 's life. And it gets worse. In the 1980s, Lia was part of the Hmong population in America who were refugees from Laos. • Chapter 6 - High-Velocity Transcortical Lead Therapy. Lannamann, Taylor. Her parents call an ambulance, fearing the doctors won't give her immediate attention otherwise. After hearing more good things about Cali from his brother, Dang Moua buys a cheap car. 13-14 Ch. At age three months Lia had had her first epileptic seizure—as the Lees put it, ``the spirit catches you and you fall down. Her parents, Nao Kao and Foua, were Hmong refugees from Laos who. We watch Lia, the little Hmong girl diagnosed with epilepsy, slowly fade from. Meanwhile, Western medicine is based on the advancement of science and technology. 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. 7-8 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. “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. At the hospital Lia's seizure becomes more violent, defeating all the EMTs' attempts to sedate her. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. 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. Foua and Nao Kao grow to distrust American medicine almost completely. Their advice was daunting and they felt her journey lacked promise. Lia was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 1. . ''. Chapter 7: Government Property. “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 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 closes with a neeb ceremony—a Hmong religious ritual meant to bring Lia's soul back to her body after a big seizure leaves her officially brain-dead. One day, while at a school for children with special needs, Lia falls off a swing and has a major seizure. Need help on characters in Anne Fadiman's The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down? Check out our detailed character descriptions. As a metaphor for this, she tells a story about a young Hmong man who, in a presentation during his French class, spent forty. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Detailing copious Cultural subjects, the author of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down 1st Edition (978-0374533403) strove to write an ultimate text on the field of Social. 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. 99 $ 3. She explains that Foua and Nao Kao, like many older Hmongs, didn’t speak any English after 17 years of living in the United States. Lia's parents and her doctors both wanted what was best for Lia, but the lack of understanding between them led to tragedy. 1-2 Ch. “I have always felt that the action most worth watching is not at the center of things but where edges meet. , a Chinese emperor named Hoang-ti decrees that any Hmong convicted of a crime will be castrated. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down tells the story of treating Lia’s epilepsy, examining her medical experience in Merced in… read analysis of Lia Lee. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down provides a link to and a stimulus for consideration of cultural competence and the context for students to understand why and how talking about cultural customs and traditions in the health care setting should be valued. 13-14 Ch. Nao Kao and Foua are devastated. The The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down lesson plan is designed to help teachers and educators plan classroom activities and instruction. Fadiman is skeptical at first: the txiv neeb (shaman) is kinda goofy, and the whole solemnity of the thing is. 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 next day, the Hmong brought their dogs in so fast that the health workers had their hands full. The timeline below shows where the character Terry Hutchinson appears in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Join Now Log in Home Lesson Plans The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: Day 4: Vocabulary Quiz Day 4 The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Lesson Plan Vocabulary Quiz Join Now to View Premium Content. Pediatricians Neil Ernst and Peggy Philp—the doctors in charge of Lia's case—keep detailed notes on her condition over the years. 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. LitCharts LLC, 18 Sep 2017. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. Get all the key plot points of Anne Fadiman's The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down on one page. Print Word PDF. Section One: Chapters 1-4; Section Two: Chapters 5-8; Section Three: Chapters 9-14; Section Four: Chapters 15-19; My Review and Takeaways;. . " -Melvin Konner, The New York Times Book Review "An. medical school curricula. Analysis. Lia’s parents and her doctors both wanted what was best for Lia, but the lack of. Analysis. When Lia Lee was about three months old, her older sister Yer slammed the front door. 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. of 150 and a full-body tan from taking vacations at a nudist camp. The author of The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down. 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. 5-6 Ch. Asked by snow b #1261881. Martin is an eccentric intellectual with an I. Arthur Kleinman Character Timeline in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. 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. Fadiman presents Shee Yee as a symbol of the Hmong people. Cultural and geographical borders within any society are believed to create boundaries that limit similarities between those on opposite sides. Join Now Log in Home Lesson Plans The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: Day 5: Crossword Puzzle Day 5 The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Lesson Plan Crossword Puzzle Join Now to View Premium Content. The author recalled her introduction to Hmong culture and the Lee family. The 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. By now, Lia has been seizing for almost two hours. A free summary of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. One of the recurring themes of Anne Fadiman’s novel The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is the cultural unawareness that is present, not only the American perspective, but the Hmong perspective as well. Fadiman relates a story told to her by a French professor who taught an intermediate class at Merced College. For example, the Hmong maintain that each person contains a finite amount of blood, so any blood extraction is viewed as dangerous. Lia has another, even worse seizure three days before Thanksgiving, 1986. 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). Summary. I like shorelines, weather fronts, international borders. Foua Yang is a Hmong American woman living in Merced, California, with her husband Nao Kao Lee and their family. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. 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. These stragglers form several rebel groups, one of which is led by Vang Pao. Illness had come when the wife of a wicked god named Nyong laid an egg full of dabs. 14). The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down essays are academic essays for citation. • Preface. Upset because he "perceived the doctors' comments [. 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. 1. 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. It's a Hmong classic. Lia ’s foster mom and Tom Korda ’s wife. No matter how hard he tries, Neil just can't get on Nao Kao and Foua's level. The. When the Lees left Laos, Foua explains, at least they hoped for a better future. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down frequently evokes Hmong history to illuminate the circumstances of Lia Lee ’s medical crisis. Like their patients, they have biases. Everything was a spiritual problem. You'd think Saran Wrap would be less tough to navigate than, say, a brick wall. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. 15-16 Ch. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 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. At this point in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, the idea of right and wrong begins to blur. Lia was the fourteenth child of Foua Yang and Nao Kao Lee and arguably their favorite. 7-8 Ch. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. Her record nearly always noted the communication difficulties brought about by language differences. 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 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. In The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, the professionals lacked cultural understanding and let their generalizations create biases. Three months after her healthy birth, Lia went into a seizure after her older sister Yer loudly slammed the apartment door. Yet again, however, the medical system has the power. Dee Korda Character Analysis. Chapter. 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. Answers: 1. …. 7-8 Ch. There are interesting frictions and incongruities in these places, and often, if you stand at. Chapter 12 Summary: “Flight”. Summary See All. Unlike her fellow. 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. Lia's older sister, Mai, is born in Thailand during this exodus. 3-4 Ch. It's a bad scene. Lia neither died nor recovered. Lia's older sister, Mai, is born in Thailand during this exodus. Chapter 10 - War. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance. Dee notices Lia's homesickness and nurtures her. Personal and communal crises mirror one another in the plot. $3. . 13-14 Ch. Chapter 13 represents the falling action of Lia's story as the family adjusts to the reality of her fate. Although this book has been incorporated into standard curriculum in the university and medical school training settings, consideration of how The Spirit. Peggy Philp. CHAPTER ONE. Talking to Fadiman later, she and her husband tried to describe what it was like to see Lia in such a terrible state. She remarks that, even though these recordings have already been transcribed. Members of 14 Hmong clans live in Merced. 1. When the Lee's settled in the United States Foua gave birth to a baby girl named Lia. The Lee family knew that the noise had awakened a dab, an evil spirit who stole Lia's soul. The Lee family were. The aura, a sense of premonition common to all. Culture, or the learned beliefs, values, and behaviors of social groups, leads to major misunderstandings in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. She grew only a few inches, gained only a little weight, and always looked younger than her age. 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. That doesn't mean they love her any less, however—she's still their "anointed one" (15. 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. We might not know much about the Lee children as individuals, but much like the von Trapps or the Brady Bunch, they work best in a pack. Nao Kao and Foua were right! To make sense of all this, Anne turns to a series of eight questions coined by Harvard psychiatrist Arthur Kleinman. This chapter jumps forward in time three years since the end of Chapter 13. Why do you think the author included them? 3. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down written by Ann Fadiman is about a Hmong child, Lia Lee, that has epilepsy. 2001 Jun;76(6):620-1. 10). At age three months Lia had had her first epileptic seizure—as the Lees put it, ``the spirit catches you and you fall down. Over two years after Lia's big seizure, she was still alive. Clapsaddle, Diane. Chapter 3: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Free, fun, and packed with easy-to-understand explanations! The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. Her full name is used only five times in the narrative. When Lia was three months old her older sister Yer slammed the front door. On the one hand, the Lees had every right to exercise their beliefs. 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 Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is the poignant story of a young Hmong girl suffering from epilepsy who is caught in the cultural chasm between her family and her rationalist American doctors. 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 Lee Character Analysis. In 1973, 150,000 members of the Hmong ethnicity—the Lees included—were forced from their homes after "their country fell to communist forces" (1. Join Now Log in Home Lesson Plans The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: Teacher Guide: About the Author Teacher Guide The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Lesson Plan About the Author. 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. Lia Lee. At this point, [Lia’s sister], who was three at the time, ran over to Lia and started banging her on the chest. Cultural Clash and Medical Misunderstanding. Chapter 5: Take as Directed. 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. 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. Summary. They now treat illnesses in their family at home. 99. ”. The narrative, told. On the other hand, though, their failure to administer Lia’s medications had seemingly measurable negative results, meaning that Neil was equally entitled to wield his. When Anne first meets Lia 's parents, Foua and Nao Kao, she's nervous as an outsider about gaining their trust. 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 by Anne Fadiman Buy Study Guide The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Quotes and Analysis Dan had no way of knowing that. When Lia was three months old her older sister Yer slammed the front door. sacrificed a pig and chickens, sometimes they want to do it in the hospital. 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 The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down lesson plan is designed to help teachers and educators plan classroom activities and instruction. The London Observer called "Ex Libris" "witty. Fadiman notes that family obligations sometimes put enormous demands on people, such as Jonas Vangay, a community leader who lived with his wife, his three children, his two brothers and their wives, and his brothers' ten children. They haven't been back since. Fadiman continues to examine the arrival of the Hmong in California, rehashing some of her earlier ideas about xenophobia and welfare. Her older sister, Yer, slammed the front door of the Lees’ apartment. Dr. 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. At 3 months old she started showing signs of severe epilepsy. Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for 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. Description. Lia Lee suffered from seizures and eventually becomes vegetative for the rest of her life. 1). Summary. A little girl who is part of Merced, California’s population of Hmong immigrants. This moving chronicle of a very sick girl,The The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down lesson plan is designed to help teachers and educators plan classroom activities and instruction. • Chapter 3 - The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. 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. 1097/00001888-200106000-00012. The Hmong had always been Montagnards, mountain people. 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. 5). Many shamans—known as txiv neeb—use seizures to commune with the spirit realm. Lia, who suffered from severe epilepsy, was constantly jostled by two conflicting forces. Anne updates readers on the book's key figures. Thing weren't quite so rosy when he "used to live in Richmond, Virginia" (16. She. They are animists who believe spiritual forces affect the natural world. Qaug means to fall over, and peg means to catch. At the time of the war in Southeast Asia, they lived in Laos about 400 meters above sea-level. Things go from bad to worse. The Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between. Two men slaughter the pig, and the txiv neeb marks Lia with the pig's blood to protect her from dabs, or evil spirits. Get the summaries, analysis, and quotes you need. They recognized the symptoms as qaug dab peg, "the. S medical system battles with their traditional Hmong healing methods. Chapter 7 - Government Property. 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 Orphan is one of the recurring characters in Hmong folktales. Previous Page. The The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down lesson plan is designed to help teachers and educators plan classroom activities and instruction. Chapter 7: Government Property. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down essays are academic essays for citation. They're disoriented and confused by new appliances like refrigerators, toilets, and electrical devices. When he tosses two water buffalo horns on the floor and they land flat side down he knows the spirits have arrived. 17-18 Ch. When the Lee's settled in the United States Foua gave birth to a baby girl named Lia. Unfortunately for Lia, her parents are in the same boat. Foua Lee Character Analysis. Chapter 13 Summary and Analysis.