The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman
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Book Reviews of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
Book Review: Sad but true story of western medicine and immigrant culture
Summary: 5 Stars
I was floored by the difficulties met by both the Hmong immigrants and the healthcare professionals treating them. Language and culture barriers that existed beyond translators. Who are we as Americans to judge a culture we do not understand. Easy read. Really enjoyed.Book Review: Spirit catches you
Summary: 4 Stars
I enjoyed this book a lot because it conveyed to me the strength of a community and their fight to never give up. It made me aware of how ignorant people can be and how frustrating a communication barrier can be especially when people are saying basically the same thing but don't understand that. This Hmong family loved and cared for their daughter so much and never believed for a second that she wasn't worth it. Many times the family was told that their daughter was going to die but they never lost hope. The Lia's family never stopped caring and that's what family should always do. It made me realise that people in our society may give up too soon on people who were in the Lee's situation. This book teaches the value of life.Book Review: Nonfiction that captivates like a novel
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is incredibly well-written and researched. I understand Ann Fadiman spent years with the family of this Hmong girl, and hours doing candid interviews with her medical providers and leaders in the Hmong California community. A must-read for people working in medical settings, and social workers who work with immigrants, but a great read for anyone.Book Review: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
Summary: 5 Stars
A sad, but enlightening insight into the cultural clashes between immigrants, in this case the Hmong from Laos, and our Western medical system. Shows the strengths and the weaknesses of our own medical system, the limits of a doctor who probably thought beforehand that he could solve anything. Gives a unique perspective of what immigrants go through and the power of cultural and family traditions. A great read overall, hard to put down.Book Review: Well written...but some conclusions are just wrong!
Summary: 4 Stars
This was a fascinating book. I enjoyed it and I learned a lot. I think the author didn't come to some conclusions which were painfully obvious. She continued to keep the theme of a culture that was impenetrable and would not change, even after thousands of years of persecution. What about after a few years of commercialism? It is only a matter of time before 2nd and 3rd generation Hmong will be completely assimilated into American culture. You could already see the signs when Fadiman described what the Lee children were doing now. Soccer, medical school, western music. It is inevitable. It is easy to keep a culture untouched for so long when you live in obscurity in the mountains with almost no interchange with the outside world. But when you put a TV in your house, the whole world is right there everyday. Now, the parents may not understand the language, but the kids sure do, and it will affect them. Twenty years from now, the shaman will be in the phone book and you can hire them perform at a kids birthday party, or there will be a class at the local community center on "Reconnecting to your Hmong Roots, all you need to learn in 8 weeks", just like the Native Americans, or learning hula dancing. When society is so connected by technology, you cannot live on a cultural island. I just don't believe it can happen.