There is a moment of final suspense when Nao Kao tries to take Lia from the hospital before she is discharged. Chapter 10 - War (Cont. We might not know much about the Lee children as individuals, but much like the von Trapps or the. Chapter 15: Gold and Dross. Nao Kao Lee Character Analysis. Having immigrated with Foua and the rest of their family to America from Laos, Nao Kao is a devoted father who advocates strongly for Lia, often allowing his strong temper and stubborn disposition to dominate the interactions he has with doctors and social. For their part, the Lees respond by doing something even more powerful—making Jeanine a part of the family. The Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between Different Groups. As a writer, Fadiman herself moves in and out of her scenes; in some moments, she describes her conversations with Lia ’s. One night, Foua tells Anne about their life back in Laos. 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. Foua's husband Nao Kao attended each birth. At the hospital Lia's seizure becomes more violent, defeating all the EMTs' attempts to sedate her. Neil and Peggy are great doctors, but Nao Kao and Foua are not big fans of their seemingly cold and uncaring demeanor. Lia has her first seizure when she is three months old. Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction . On November 25, 1986, the day before Thanksgiving, Lia was eating as normal when she began to seize. From the creators of SparkNotes. Fadiman’s interpreter, or—in Sukey Waller ’s words—“cultural broker. 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 2 introduces key facts about the Hmong, which place the Lees' behavior in a broader context. The Hmong traditionally lived high in the mountains of Laos, where they practiced agriculture and. When Lia Lee was about three months old, her older sister Yer slammed the front door. When the Lees left Laos, Foua explains, at least they hoped for a better future. ) Citation. Lia is the first Lee child born in an. Her siblings grew up around her, part of a close-knit family, some excelling in sports and others going to university. “Don’t do that, there’s a good boy,” said Martin, addressing the little girl in English, of which she did not speak a word. A shaman might spend. However, he now wonders if it might have been better to keep Lia's prescriptions more consistent so that her parents could more easily comply and so that they would. Print Word PDF. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is a 1997 nonfiction book by American journalist Anne Fadiman. Fadiman came to Merced in 1988 after hearing that the hospital was experiencing a swath of cultural misunderstandings and miscommunications with the Hmong community. From the creators of SparkNotes. Many of Li’s healthcare providers, especially Neil Ernst and Peggy Philip, worked hard to help Lia. "The spirit catches you and you fall down" is the literal translation of the Hmong name for epilepsy, qaug dab peg. Fadiman continues to examine the arrival of the Hmong in California, rehashing some of her earlier ideas about xenophobia and welfare. Then he hears that Vang Pao (remember, the rebel group guy) is planning to buy land in Merced. At this point, [Lia’s sister], who was three at the time, ran over to Lia and started banging her on the chest. 19 - Afterword Symbols, Allegory and Motifs Metaphors and Similes Irony Imagery Cultural. The Spirit Catches you and you fall down. 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. Lia Lee. 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. Shee Yee escaped nine evil dab brothers by shapeshifting into various forms and eventually biting a in the testicles. Her record nearly always noted the communication difficulties brought about by language differences. 1 March 2018. Lia Lee. Thing weren't quite so rosy when he "used to live in Richmond, Virginia" (16. One day, while at a school for children with special needs, Lia falls off a swing and has a major seizure. 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. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down 1. Talking to Fadiman later, she and her husband tried to describe what it was like to see Lia in such a terrible state. Intensely researched and eloquently written, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down weaves sociology, history, medicine, and psychology into a tapestry that permanently raises the bar in literary journalism. Nonetheless, when she came back inside after watching the family sacrifice a pig in the parking lot, the room’s atmosphere had changed. 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. This question calls for your opinion, there is no right or worng answer. Integration and Assimilation Theme Analysis. Quag Dab Peg in Hmong culture is caused by a bad spirit (dab’s). 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. 1-2 Chapter 1: Birth Lia. Chapters 5-8: In the second section of the book, the reader meets Neil and Peggy, married pediatricians who are incredibly hard working and see the light at the end of the tunnel with Lia’s case. Summary 1997 Winner, National Book Critics Circle Award - NonfictionThis Hyperink Quicklet is over 5,200 words and includes an overall summary, chapter commentary, key characters, literary themes, fun trivia, and recommended related readings. She had epilepsy and struggled with American medicine because she did not speak English. Her siblings grew up around her, part of a close-knit family, some excelling in sports and others going to university. In hindsight, Lionel Rosenblatt, the former United States Refugee. In the Lees' view, Lia's soul had fled her body and become lost. 17). 9). 1. Illness had come when the wife of a wicked god named Nyong laid an egg full of dabs. Personal and communal crises mirror one another in the plot. She was in a "persistent vegetative state," able to breath, sleep, and cry, but showing no signs of self-aware. Three months after her healthy birth, Lia went into a seizure after her older sister Yer loudly slammed the apartment door. The Hmong had always been Montagnards, mountain people. By these dictates, Laos was declared a neutral country. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1997. Fadiman begins by calling attention to a carton of cassette tapes she keeps beneath her desk. Acclaimed by reviewers, “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” won a National Book Critics Circle Award. The way the content is organized and presented is seamlessly smooth, innovative, and comprehensive. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. Many of Li’s healthcare providers, especially Neil Ernst and Peggy Philip, worked hard to help Lia. The next day, the Hmong brought their dogs in so fast that the health workers had their hands full. Nothing like medical problems and totally opposite cultures to show you how messed up things. 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. This free study guide is stuffed with the juicy details and. "TheBestNotes on The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down ". by Monica Chiu, Ph. The best study guide to The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down on the planet, from the creators of SparkNotes. They haven't been back since. Nao Kao, Blia. Back then the dude worked eighteen hours a day and still couldn't make ends meet. Beginning in infancy,. Because the Lees—like most Hmongs—came to the United States to escape war-torn Laos, their relationship to assimilation is complicated. MonkeyNotes Study Guides Download Store-Downloadable Study Guides/Book Summary,Book Notes,Notes,Chapter Summary/Synopsis. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down (1997) is an ethnography written by Anne Faidman. MLA (8th ed. The Spirt Catches You and You Fall Down follows the true story of a healthcare battle between a hospital in California and a Hmong refugee family from Laos escaping the Vietnam war over the care of their little girl in 1982. Previous. Her family however believed her illness was caused by soul loss (Fadiman 21). 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). A Hmong mother, Foua took it upon herself to perform a marriage ceremony for the author of “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down”, Anne Fadiman. 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. Unlike violence, death, and exile, Lia's medical catastrophe is not a tragedy the Lees expect. The Hmong religion permeates the Lees' life. 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. . Summary. 2) Title alert! Again, it's important to remember that epilepsy isn't necessarily a bad thing in Hmong culture. They live in Portland for two years before moving to their current home in Merced, California. Dan is devoted to learning about the Hmong people, even inviting various Hmong. It might be the first time a book focusing on transcultural health care made it onto the New York Times best-seller list. 15-16 Ch. These questions are used to convey a patient. 5). S. New York: Macmillan. Share to Facebook. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” by Anne Fadiman. 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. Due to the diligent research and interviewing by the author, the reader is privy to all. The Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between Different. James Naas . Social Media Book Review by Chirag Mitra ,No 18533168,MPH&MHA, Social And cultural Perspectives of Health,La Trobe university,Summary and Analysis of Chapter 14 of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. • Preface. 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. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down Book Report. 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. ”. The little girl’s name is Lia Lee and she suffers from severe epilepsy at the very young age of 3 months. Read the Review. Neil apologizes to Nao Kao and Foua with tears in his eyes—Foua thanks and hugs him, while Nao Kao remains cold. Pediatricians Neil Ernst and Peggy Philp—the doctors in charge of Lia's case—keep detailed notes on her condition over the years. The Orphan. They call her condition qaug dab peg or "the spirit catches you and you fall down. qaug dab peg--the spirit catches you and you fall down--and ascribed it to the wandering of her soul. Meanwhile, Western medicine is based on the advancement of science and technology. 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. Chapter 10 describes a defining moment in Hmong history, working together with the defining crisis in Lia 's life that dominates Chapter 11 . Analysis. Get all the key plot points of Anne Fadiman's The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down on one page. These babies were born at home on a dirt floor. The Lees thought Lia had been taken from them to punish them for noncompliance. However, I have come to believe that her life was ruined not by septic shock or noncompliant parents but by cross. 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. Her parents call an ambulance, fearing the doctors won't give her immediate attention otherwise. In response, Lia's eyes rolled up, her arms jerked over her head, and she fainted. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman Buy Study Guide The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Summary and Analysis of Ch. The Big One. She explains how, days after Lia came home. Two men slaughter the pig, and the txiv neeb marks Lia with the pig's blood to protect her from dabs, or evil spirits. Lia Lee suffered from seizures and eventually becomes vegetative for the rest of her life. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance. Her medical chart from this time describes her as a female Hmong child well known to the facility. Many of Li’s healthcare provi. Read More. Free Summary of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Lia can sense when her seizures are coming. 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. At this point, [Lia’s sister], who was three at the time, ran over to Lia and started banging her on the chest. The teacher's language has a rational detachment similar to the tone of the medical notes on Lia 's case. Although The Spirit Catches You is all about Lia, there's not much actually about Lia within its. When he received the call, he "drove to MCMC as fast as he could" (11. Free, fun, and packed with easy-to-understand explanations! The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. This essay, "Cultural Conflicts in Fadiman’s “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down”" is published exclusively on IvyPanda's free essay examples database. The Lee family was convinced that the door's slamming had been so frightening as to make Lia's soul fly away. Bill is a veteran of the Peace Corps with a passion for learning about other cultures, and he was once the chief resident at MCMC. Purpose In this small-scale study, we pre-supposed that The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down wouldThe 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 blogs will allow students to react to and reflect on each section's reading, keep track of Hmong. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down explores issues of culture, immigration, medicine, and the war in [Laos] with such skill that it's nearly impossible to put down. They recognized the symptoms as qaug dab peg, "the. Analysis. Nao Kao gained weight and had high blood pressure, while Foua. The teacher's suggestion appears in the narrative as a contrast to the tragic events in May's life. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures Anne Fadiman, 1997 Farrar, Straus and Giroux 368 pp. Chapter 17: The Eight Questions. As…. She was interested in investigating the circumstances surrounding Lia's health care but was warned by fellow colleagues. The little girl’s name is Lia Lee and she suffers from severe epilepsy at the very young age of 3 months. At the age of three months, Lia Lee had an epileptic seizure. 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. Way to conquer, um, incorrect stereotypes about medicine. By Monica Chiu, PhD University of New Hampshire Hmong. 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 Hmong culture, epilepsy is known as ‘quag dab peg,’ which means ‘The spirit catches you and you fall down’ (Fadiman, 2012, p. Summary. • Chapter 1 - Birth. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1997. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down frequently evokes Hmong history to illuminate the circumstances of Lia Lee ’s medical crisis. 540 Words3 Pages. The narrator—Anne—reflects on her time with the Lees, a Hmong American family living in Merced, California. 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. 9). These folktales often serve to illustrate some aspect of the character of the Hmong people. When Lia was around three months old, her older sister Yer slammed a door and Lia had her first seizure. The book is about a young Hmong child named Lia Lee. As Lia is being prepared for release, the doctors tell Nao Kao that she will probably die within weeks. Luckily, Lia ends up in the home of Dee Korda, a woman who fosters several children with special needs. To make matters worse, Fadiman writes, the Hmong believe that many Western medical practices run the risk of harming patients. “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. Vangay explains that for a Hmong, unlike an American, "it is never everyone for himself" (247). 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. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down frequently evokes Hmong history to illuminate the circumstances of Lia Lee ’s medical crisis. Summary. A family practice resident at Merced Community Medical Center who is interested in Hmong culture. But the families—who don't trust hospitals or medical staff—are skeptical of her. They spoiled her and treated her like a princess, believing that her epilepsy marked her as special and that she might someday. In The Spirit Catches You, we witness a bona fide communication breakdown after Nao Kao and Foua Lee—two Hmong refugees who can't speak English—bring their daughter Lia to a hospital to treat her epilepsy. Seventeen years later Foua and Nao Kao have continued to resist. When he tosses two water buffalo horns on the floor and they land flat side down he knows the spirits have arrived. 19 - Afterword Symbols, Allegory and Motifs Metaphors and Similes Irony Imagery Cultural. You'd think Saran Wrap would be less tough to navigate than, say, a brick wall. When Lia was three months old her older sister Yer slammed the front door. Plot Summary & Analysis Themes Quotes Characters Symbols Theme Viz Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Spirit Catches You makes teaching easy. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down essays are academic essays for citation. It has sold almost 900,000 copies, according to its publisher, Farrar, Straus. Her worst seizures advance to status epilepticus—when she seizes for minutes at a time without regaining consciousness. 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. 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. The Big One. The Afterword was written in 2012, 15 years after the book was first published in 1997. Chapter 2 introduces key facts about the Hmong, which place the Lees' behavior in a broader context. In 1985 Mao Thao, a Hmong American woman, visits Ban Vinai—a refugee camp in Thailand. The book contains many Hmong phrases and many medical phrases, both unfamiliar to most readers. 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. Neil admitted that, after all of his efforts and the building of tension before her cataclysmic seizure, he. Since the seizure happens right after her older sister Yer slams the door, the Lees think the loud noise startled Lia's soul and made it flee her body. Summary. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down Book Report. The Spirit Catches You Exam. Her older sister, Yer, slammed the front door of the Lees’ apartment. Get all the key plot points of Anne Fadiman's The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down on one page. 3-4 Ch. Lia ’s mother and Nao Kao ’s wife. Chapter 15: Gold and Dross. The journalist Anne Fadiman takes you through the maddeningly frustrating journey of a loving Hmong family and their dedicated western doctors. 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. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. In 2700 B. A little girl who is part of Merced, California’s population of Hmong immigrants. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down essays are academic essays for citation. Her American doctors had a strict and rigorous. On December 18, 1980, Foua and Nao Kao Lee arrive in the United States with their six surviving children. Foua carried her in a large, embroidered nyias, or baby carrier, preferring it to the wheelchair provided by the Merced County Health Department. Although Dee follows "the anticonvulsant prescriptions to the letter," Lia continues to have seizures—more frequently than she did at home, in fact. Yikes. The Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between Different. Lia has another, even worse seizure three days before Thanksgiving, 1986. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” by Anne Fadiman. 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. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down essays are academic essays for citation. In this union, an American was celebrating an event in a Hmong way, truly a collision of. • Chapter 4 - Do Doctors Eat Brains? • Chapter 5 - Take As Directed. When Lia first returned home from her time in foster care, everyone was elated. Anyway, this sparks a rebellion that goes on for centuries, until the Hmong finally retreat into the mountains. Plot summary. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down The two cultures 1. Yet again,. The s pirit catches you and you fall down is cited in 14 different citation styles, including MLA, APA, Chicago, Harvard, APA, ACS, and many others. D. S. The phrase indicates the way the Lees, a deeply spiritual Hmong American family, think of. Chapter 9 Summary and Analysis. It has sold almost 900,000 copies, according to its publisher, Farrar, Straus. • Chapter 7 - Government Property. 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. That is why it is so important to establish an appropriate contact to avoid a situation similar to Lia’s problem. 20). Summary. Overall. The mood declined, however, when the Lees realized how Lia's mental capacity had declined. When she was forcibly taken into a foster home, word spread throughout the Hmong community, reinforcing the idea that American doctors are not to be trusted. Like many shamanic cultures, the Hmong believe that the condition serves as the gateway between our world and the. Summary. " LitCharts. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance. 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. If Lia had been born in Laos, her mother would have squatted on the floor and pulled the baby out of her womb with her own hands. When the Lee's settled in the United States Foua gave birth to a baby girl named Lia. CPS workers arrived at the Lee house with Sue Xiong , a Hmong interpreter whom. When the Lees refuse to give in to their doctors' demands they demonstrate the historical. . It won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, among other awards. 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 timeline below shows where the character Sue Xiong appears in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. “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. 1. NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 1997. 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. Qaug means to fall over, and peg means to catch. In-depth explanations of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down's themes. 0 5 Stars 1,365 4 Stars 425 3 Stars 149. - both Foua and dad threaten to commit suicide in the period when Lia was in fostercare. Lia was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 1. Neil and Peggy 's son receives a cancer diagnosis, and Peggy and Foua mourn together, bonding over the pain of having a sick child. Despite living alone on the margins of society, however, the Orphan is actually clever, courageous, resilient, and a. By now, Lia has been seizing for almost two hours. In the Fall of 1986, Lia had a terrible seizure and needed to be. The narrative, told by Anne Fadiman, follows the trials and tribulations of the Lee family as the U. 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. In this miniscule event, two cultures with completely conflicting ideas came together to form a union. She was the only one in her family to be born outside of Laos. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman is a critically acclaimed book describing the importance of understanding cultural influence on health care and health outcomes. Every other chapter shares some aspect of Hmong history or culture: food, clothing, language, family structure, birthing rituals, and so on. • Chapter 1 - Birth. 24). 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. These babies were born at home on a dirt floor. Lia is the first Lee child born in an. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down (1997) is an ethnography written by Anne Faidman. Naturally, they go through some serious culture shock. ” At this point in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, the idea of right and wrong begins to blur. Analysis. 368 pp. ISBN-13: 9780374533403. Reviews Book Excerpts Media About the Author Reading Guide. By 400 C. Explanation and Analysis: Unlock with LitCharts A +. The Lee family arrives in America in 1980. 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. Lia was born in 1982 in Merced, California. Explanation and Analysis: Unlock with LitCharts A +. Fadiman’s plot revolves around Lia, a Hmong girl born with severe epilepsy, and the. It was the most terrible of cultural clashes. Anne Fadiman wrote a nonfiction book entitled The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, which is the story of a young Hmong girl named Lia Lee who had epilepsy. • Chapter 6 - High-Velocity Transcortical Lead Therapy. “Lia was almost seven. Chapter 19: The Sacrifice. Unlike her fellow. ”. When Peggy first saw Lia after the girl’s return from Fresno, she was heartbroken: Lia was hardly alive. What's crazier is that he does, and a mere week later. The narrator—Anne—reflects on her time with the Lees, a Hmong American family living in Merced, California. Foua's husband Nao Kao attended each birth. Fadiman relates a story told to her by a French professor who taught an intermediate class at Merced College. The Lees placed her on the mat on the floor where they always placed her at these times. 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. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is a book by Anne Fadiman about a Hmong family (the Lee’s) that moved to the United States. . Chapter 12 shows violence, starvation, and death became normalized for Hmong refugees in a way few Americans can understand. 9. In response, Lia's eyes rolled up, her arms jerked over her head, and she fainted. 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. 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. They haven't been back since. Nao Kao and Foua arrived at Children’s Valley Hospital after Lia and were troubled to learn about the spinal tap that had been inserted. 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. Chapter Summaries with Notes / Analysis. ] as threats," Nao Kao grabs Lia and attempts to flee the hospital (13. As Lia is being prepared for release, the doctors tell Nao Kao that she will probably die within weeks. Lia ’s foster mom and Tom Korda ’s wife. Lia was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 1. That doesn't mean they love her any less, however—she's still their "anointed one" (15. Lia, on the other hand, is born in sunny Merced, California on July 19, 1982 (yes, we've flash. In California's Central Valley agricultural town of Merced, Hmong Americans make up one fifth of the population. Chapter. Anne Fadiman, 1997. 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. Lia ’s father and Foua ’s husband. Hmong residents ask her if American doctors eat the organs of dead patients. Jeanine takes thorough notes about Lia’s circumstances, notes that Fadiman draws upon extensively to illustrate the specifics of the young girl’s story. Nao Kao is preparing "spirit money"—pieces of paper. Her seizures normally lasted only a few minutes, but when she didn't get. He believed her fate was sealed, because everyone at MCMC focused entire on the seizures. eight hours in a Hmong home while an American doctor demanded the patient come to the hospital where the. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down frequently evokes Hmong history to illuminate the circumstances of Lia Lee ’s medical crisis. The The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down quotes below are all either spoken by Sukey Waller or refer to Sukey Waller. Yikes. The Orphan is one of the recurring characters in Hmong folktales. ‘The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down’ is the literal translation of the Hmong terminology for an epileptic seizure. CHAPTER ONE. Menu About The Book; About The Author; Book Summary. Brilliantly reported and beautifully crafted, The Spirit Catches You and You. The even-numbered explanatory chapters often begin or end with a Hmong folktale illustrating an important aspect of the culture. OCLC. Compared to the polite and nonintrusive methods of the txiv neeb s, American doctors' methods are frightening. 13-14 Ch. Nao Kao and Foua had always carried Lia to the hospital before, but Nao Kao. 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. While considered by some to be an illness, seizures are actually seen as a good thing. I like shorelines, weather fronts, international borders. . 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 snotty sister insults him, calling him dirty and ridiculing his poverty. Clapsaddle, Diane.