Anne Fadiman’s poignant book, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, delves into the tragic consequences that arise due to the result of cultural discord and misunderstanding. The novel follows the story of Lia Lee, the fourteenth child of Foua Yang and Nao Kao Lee. One story line exhibits the life of a young girl named Lia Lee and her family as they live as immigrants in the U.S, and the other story line displays the Hmong heritage history. Thus I propose that this book remain a summer reading requirement as the…, Critical Book Review (The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down), Born in the United States to Hmong immigrants from Laos (that didn’t speak English), Fadiman describes the Lee’s (along with thousands of other Hmong) experience, interchangeable lack of communication and understanding between them and Americans. In response, Lia's eyes rolled up, her arms jerked over her head, and she fainted. Find out what happens in our Chapter 1 summary for The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. Written by Anne Fadiman, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is a novel that details a story of cultural barriers, knowledge, family, and hope amidst challenging circumstances. The Lees were Hmong, part of a Southeast Asian mountain-dwelling ethnic group who were persecuted for their … Spring 2016 LitCharts Teacher Editions. “Communication is cited as a contributing factor in 70% of healthcare mistakes, leading to many initiatives across the healthcare settings to improve the way healthcare professionals communicate. There are 288 pages in this book. So, they are “among the 150,000 Hmong who have fled Laos since their country fell to communist forces in 1975” (Fadiman 5). Social Work 350 While Anne Fadiman rightly asserts in her novel The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures that the tragedy of Lia Lee, a Hmong bounded epileptic child of Laos natives, was a result of cross-cultural misunderstanding; I feel that she does not sufficiently explore the role of language and translation serving as factors of psychosocial and cultural aspects of medical diagnosis and the overall confrontation of … Written by Jennie. The Lees are a Hmong family. While, a person shares with another is an example of culture. Cultural Competency The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Summary and Analysis of Ch. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down examines the ways in which people cling to various strongly-held tenets set forth by their cultures. There are two different stories happening in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down 1004 Words | 5 Pages. Written by Anne Fadiman, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is a novel that details a story of cultural barriers, knowledge, family, and hope amidst challenging circumstances. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis … The book was written by Anne Fadiman, a journalist with some serious pedigree. Acclaimed by reviewers, “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” won a National Book Critics Circle Award. Like Fadiman, Sacks explores the role of the doctor/patient relationship in contemporary medicine. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down tells the story of Lia Lee. The stark contrast in beliefs, values, and cultures between Lia’s parents and those of the physicians tending to Lia eventually snowballed into…, Fadiman’s The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down addresses experiences and decisions we may all relate to in some degree through the narrative of a journalist. 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