The Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between. S. E. The doctors prescribed anticonvulsants; her parents preferred animal sacrifices. Description. 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: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. For those who did leave, the toughest part of. Fadiman turns her attention to Hmong history, surveying the origins of their time in Laos, where they dwelt in the mountains at high altitudes in which few other populations cared to live. 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. In response, Lia's eyes rolled up, her arms jerked over her head, and she fainted. He knew that Lia needed the medical support of the EMTs during transport. We're at the Lee's apartment and a txiv neeb has just arrived "to perform a healing ceremony for Lia" (19. Neil Ernst constantly questioned himself over whether his uncompromising standard of care had actually compromised Lia’s health. These questions are used to convey a patient. Though Lia's mother Foua Yang gives birth to Lia in the United States, she delivered 12 children in her native Laos. Lia's parents and her doctors both wanted what was best for Lia, but the lack of understanding between them led to tragedy. Lia neither died nor recovered. They haven't been back since. 540 Words3 Pages. 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. 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. There is a moment of final suspense when Nao Kao tries to take Lia from the hospital before she is discharged. The The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Theme Wheel is a beautiful super helpful visualization of where the themes occur throughout the text. read analysis of Fish Soup. In the 1980s, Lia was part of the Hmong population in America who were refugees from Laos. Lia 's epileptic crisis is over. She was in a "persistent vegetative state," able to breath, sleep, and cry, but showing no signs of self-aware. Preface. 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 essays are academic essays for citation. Chapter 2 introduces key facts about the Hmong, which place the Lees' behavior in a broader context. Upset because he "perceived the doctors' comments [. “I have always felt that the action most worth watching is not at the center of things but where edges meet. Chapter Summaries with Notes / Analysis. She slept in her parents’ bed a slight, silent husk. The book is about a young Hmong child named Lia Lee. The Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between Different. She's rushed to the hospital, where the doctors learn that the Lees are finally giving Lia the right amount of medication. 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. Chapter 15 - Gold and Dross. Although Lee and her family live in the United States, and thus receive medical care from Westerners, her family believes that Lee’s condition. A Summary of National Trends, Department of Health, Durham University, Department for Education. The Orphan. Summary. In “The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down,” Anne Fadiman provides us with her book about two different cultural worlds and how they collide. Illness had come when the wife of a wicked god named Nyong laid an egg full of dabs. Chapter 9 continues Lia's story, sharing events from both Lia's parents' and doctors' points of view. • Chapter 1 - Birth. Animal sacrifice, a reverent occasion for the Hmong, is more difficult in America but still part of Hmong American life. Shee Yee eventually transferred his powers to human tvix neebs, or shamans, who summon his spirit as they do his work. “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” began by setting the tone of the baffling multifaceted clashes that occurred in Merced, in Central California. Illness had come when the wife of a wicked. Jonas Vangay Character Analysis. The second student was a Hmong, who proceeded to speak about a recipe for fish soup. Her parents were newly arrived Hmong immigrants from Laos. Analysis Of Midterm: The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down 1960 Words | 8 Pages. A young Hmong man gave a presentation about how to make fish soup. . Many shamans—known as txiv neeb—use seizures to commune with the spirit realm. Foua Yang is a Hmong American woman living in Merced, California, with her husband Nao Kao Lee and their family. Lia's parents and her doctors both wanted what was best for Lia, but the lack of understanding between them led to tragedy. So at least there's that. Nao Kao gained weight and had high blood pressure, while Foua. Section Two: Chapters 5-8. New York: Macmillan. But the whole experience is a disaster—Lia even catches an infection at the hospital. 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. Personal and communal crises mirror one another in the plot. Fadiman begins by calling attention to a carton of cassette tapes she keeps beneath her desk. Nao Kao, Blia. Like their patients, they have biases. Analysis. Lia has another, even worse seizure three days before Thanksgiving, 1986. 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. 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 followingIn Hmong culture, however, epilepsy is known as qaug dab peg, which is translated as "the spirit catches you and you fall down" (that's right, the title). The The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down quotes below are all either spoken by Sukey Waller or refer to Sukey Waller. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. Fadiman relates a story told to her by a French professor who taught an intermediate class at Merced College. 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. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down essays are academic essays for citation. Chapter 17 - The Eight Questions. Chapter 17 - The Eight Questions (Cont. Qaug means to fall over, and peg means to catch. As Lia is being prepared for release, the doctors tell Nao Kao that she will probably die within weeks. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one: ). Lannamann, Taylor. by Monica Chiu, Ph. 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. She was in a "persistent vegetative state," able to breath, sleep, and cry, but showing no signs of self-aware. Dan is the first doctor to diagnose Lia as epileptic after seeing her in the throes of a seizure during her third visit to the hospital. Summary. Summary. 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. Unlike violence, death, and exile, Lia's medical catastrophe is not a tragedy the Lees expect. The Spirit catches you and you fall down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman presents a case study of a young Hmong girl, Lia, and her journey with Epilepsy in America. • Chapter 7 - Government Property. They also still celebrated only Hmong holidays, only practiced Hmong religion, and only ate Hmong food. 17-18 Ch. While their children take their father's clan name, Foua follows Hmong tradition and retains Yang—her original clan name—after marriage. 24). Unfortunately for Lia, her parents are in the same boat. Her siblings grew up around her, part of a close-knit family, some excelling in sports and others going to university. By these dictates, Laos was declared a neutral country. 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. They recognized the symptoms as qaug dab peg, "the. Although the assignment called for a five-minute speech, he spoke for forty-five minutes by starting from the very. Fadiman gives a survey of sacrificial events in Hmong culture,. Book Details. (Fadiman, 2012. Lia’s parents cared for her deeply, yet this arguable preventable tragedy still occurred. They spoiled her and treated her like a princess, believing that her epilepsy marked her as special and that she might someday. 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. Many Hmong people don't trust American doctors. Foua and Nao Kao knew when a seizure was coming on, because Lia knew. Terry drops a bomb on her—he believes that Lia had caught "septic shock" while at the hospital, which was the real cause of her health problems (17. Lia has another, even worse seizure three days before Thanksgiving, 1986. Fadiman presents Shee Yee as a symbol of the Hmong people. 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. A fun and humorous chapter by chapter summary broken into tasty tidbits that you can digest. “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. Ultimately, everything comes to a head when Lia's doctor, Neil Ernst, gets fed up with this lack of communication and sends Lia into a foster home. In 1993 social worker Jeanine Hilt dies unexpectedly. At the time of the war in Southeast Asia, they lived in Laos about 400 meters above sea-level. In the Hmong language the term for epilepsy is qaug dab peg. " In Hmong folklore a dab is an evil spirit that steals souls. 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. The narrator—Anne—reflects on her time with the Lees, a Hmong American family living in Merced, California. 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. 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. The Lee Children. Culture plays a major role in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. At the age of three months, Lia Lee had an epileptic seizure. The author of The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down. NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 1997. She remarks that, even though these recordings have already been transcribed. 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. • Preface. For the Hmong people,. Chapter 19: The Sacrifice. It won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, among other awards. Archives of . Jonas attended the most elite secondary school in Laos before eventually earning a master’s degree from a French university. The lack of understanding and communication lead to a medical tragedy for Hmong child Lia Lee. The Big One. Analysis. Get the summaries, analysis, and quotes you need. 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 aura, a sense of premonition common to all. Summary. There is a moment of final suspense when Nao Kao tries to take Lia from the hospital before she is discharged. • Chapter 4 - Do Doctors Eat Brains? • Chapter 5 - Take As Directed. Every other chapter shares some aspect of Hmong history or culture: food, clothing, language, family structure, birthing rituals, and so on. Language, religious beliefs, and ideas about parental authority all prevent the Lees and their doctors from understanding one another. [5] ): a Hmong child born in Merced, California, in 1982. Lia was admitted to MCMC seventeen times between the ages of eight months and four and a half years. To make matters worse, Fadiman writes, the Hmong believe that many Western medical practices run the risk of harming patients. 15-16 Ch. Read More. Martin is an eccentric intellectual with an I. 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. At the same time, it is considered. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” by Anne Fadiman. A feast of traditional beef dishes followed the ceremony. 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. 10). 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. At the hospital Lia's seizure becomes more violent, defeating all the EMTs' attempts to sedate her. Topic: Literature Words: 1378 Pages: 5 Jul 4th, 2022. 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. Lia ’s father and Foua ’s husband. Fadiman is also the author of two essay collections. 9). ''. This question calls for your opinion, there is no right or worng answer. She lay suspended in time, growing only a few inches, gaining little weight, always looking far younger than her age, while her six siblings grew up around her. 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. Nuland, The New Republic “ The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down changed how doctors see themselves and how they see their patients. Afterwards, Foua maintained that Lia got more and more sick because the doctors. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down essays are academic essays for citation. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Quiz 3. Fadiman continues to examine the arrival of the Hmong in California, rehashing some of her earlier ideas about xenophobia and welfare. S medical system battles with their traditional Hmong healing methods. Anne Fadiman celebrates the complexity and the individuality of the human interactions that make up the practice of medicine while simultaneously pointing out directions for change and breaking. “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. Chapter 10 - War. 17-18 Ch. Within moments following the door's closing, Lia's first seizure commenced. 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. Nao Kao gained weight and had high blood pressure, while Foua. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down The two cultures 1. ] as threats," Nao Kao grabs Lia and attempts to flee the hospital (13. The Lee family was convinced that the door's slamming had been so frightening as to make Lia's soul fly away. Do you feel the author was evenhanded in her presentation of Hmong culture and medical culture? 2. 11-12 Ch. Publisher's summary. He always called an ambulance when Lia had a seizure. ‘The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down’ is the literal translation of the Hmong terminology for an epileptic seizure. Seventeen years later Foua and Nao Kao have continued to resist. When the Lees left Laos, Foua explains, at least they hoped for a better future. She acted as if she didn't know people, and she could only speak a little. 17). In California's Central Valley agricultural town of Merced, Hmong Americans make up one fifth of the population. 31). These babies were born at home on a dirt floor. "--Linnea Lannon, The Detroit Free Press "This is a captivating riveting book--a must-read not only for medical professionals, anthropologists, and journalists, but for anyone. I like shorelines, weather fronts, international borders. Chapter 2 introduces key facts about the Hmong, which place the Lees' behavior in a broader context. Chapter Summaries with Notes / Analysis. Taylor, J. - both Foua and dad threaten to commit suicide in the period when Lia was in fostercare. The Hmong community in Merced grows even more distrustful of. When Fadiman ’s boyfriend visited her in Merced, Foua decided that she would help get her married. In one story, he offers his home to two sisters, one good and one snotty. Her full name is used only five times in the narrative. At this point, [Lia’s sister], who was three at the time, ran over to Lia and started banging her on the chest. Foua carried her in a large, embroidered nyias, or baby carrier, preferring it to the wheelchair provided by the Merced County Health Department. Lia was the fourteenth child of Foua Yang and Nao Kao Lee and arguably their favorite. The Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between. 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. medical school curricula. Makenzie Griffith EDSE 460 Denise Hitchcock 1 March 2018 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. Quag Dab Peg in Hmong culture is caused by a bad spirit (dab’s). 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 (1997) is an ethnography written by Anne Faidman. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down offers an insight into the clash of modern western medicine with the traditional methods and people of another culture, in this case the Hmong. Confronting “culture” in medicine's “culture of no . When Anne first meets Lia 's parents, Foua and Nao Kao, she's nervous as an outsider about gaining their trust. The Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between Different. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down (1997) is an ethnography written by Anne Faidman. ”. C. 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. Analysis. By ANNE FADIMAN. 19 - Afterword Symbols, Allegory and Motifs Metaphors and Similes Irony Imagery Cultural. Summary When three-month-old Lia Lee arrived at the county hospital emergency room in Merced, California, a chain of events was set in motion from which neither she nor her parents nor her doctors would ever recover. Home The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Q & A 1. 5 out of 5. 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. A tvix neeb performed the ritual chant with the cow's head sitting on the Lee's front stoop. The approximate English translation is "the spirit catches you and you fall down. 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 explores issues of culture, immigration, medicine, and the war in [Laos] with such skill that it's nearly impossible to put down. Adorbs! Foua, in particular, takes a strong interest in Anne's life. What had occurred was known as qaug dab peg in Hmong (translated as "the spirit catches you and you. Luckily, Lia ends up in the home of Dee Korda, a woman who fosters several children with special needs. 5-6 Ch. The Lee Children. 00 Carol A Redding, MA, is a member of the American Medical Writers Association and an InformationSummary. 10). A public health nurse who makes house calls to provide Lia with medical checkups after her final neurological crisis. Chapter. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down By Anne Fadiman Summary. Over two years after Lia's big seizure, she was still alive. They live in Portland for two years before moving to their current home in Merced, California. Chapter 13 Summary and Analysis. And it gets worse. We might not know much about the Lee children as individuals, but much like the von Trapps or the. “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. Yet again, however, the medical system has the power. At the age of three months, Lia Lee had an epileptic seizure. Lia's parents and her doctors both wanted what was best for Lia, but the lack of understanding between them led to tragedy. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down essays are academic essays for citation. When the Lees left Laos, Foua explains, at least they hoped for a better future. The London Observer called "Ex Libris" "witty. • Chapter 1 - Birth. This book reveals the tragic struggles between a doctor and patient because of. Looks like you're viewing this page on a mobile device. A Hmong community leader in Merced. 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. The spirit catches you and you fall down: a Hmong child, her American doctors, and the collision of two cultures. Chapter 17: The Eight Questions. 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. 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. Even though she had a dirt floor, she would have been very careful to never allow her to. 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. 5). You can use it for research and reference purposes to write your. The Lee family's journey was indeed terrible, but they and their fellow travelers hoped for a better life in the future. The colored dots and icons indicate which. Analysis. Although Jeanine works for the government, she manages to establish a connection with Nao Kao. Chapter 15 Quotes. 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,. This chapter jumps forward in time three years since the end of Chapter 13. The Lee's, a family that endured hardships, frustration, anger, confusion, and hope while living in the United State's of America. Her American doctors had a strict and rigorous. In her case, only Western medicine could've saved her father from colon cancer. Way to conquer, um, incorrect stereotypes about medicine. 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. 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. The narrative, told by Anne Fadiman, follows the trials and tribulations of the Lee family as the U. They knew the y wouldn’t approve of swidden agriculture and because the Hmong had sided with the French, they fear reprisals. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. Bill didn’t assign blame to Neil for not catching the sepsis. The Spirit Catches You Exam. Lia was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 1. the Hmong have established their own. Their selection of this town is largely because of the influence of Dang Moua, an energetic Hmong American businessman. 1-2 Ch. Contrary to the belief that the qualities of one side do not merge with those of the other, however, it. Previous Page | Table of Contents | Next. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is a book that highlights the struggles between two cultures in healthcare. 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. 3). I think people would really enjoy this book. 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. is our MonkeyNotes downloadable and printable book summary / study guide / booknotes / synopsis / analysis for "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down" by Anne Fadiman in PDF format. By the time Fadiman meets her. Neil and Peggy are great doctors, but Nao Kao and Foua are not big fans of their seemingly cold and uncaring demeanor. Ge, one of Nao Kao and Foua's daughters, dies after they arrive at a refugee camp in Thailand. 1. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down (1997) is an ethnography written by Anne Faidman. Cultural and geographical borders within any society are believed to create boundaries that limit similarities between those on opposite sides. Anne Fadiman. Summary. However, I have come to believe that her life was ruined not by septic shock or noncompliant parents but by cross. Anyway, this sparks a rebellion that goes on for centuries, until the Hmong finally retreat into the mountains. Fadiman is accurate and detailed in her digressions about the Hmong people and their history in China and Laos. ” At this point in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, the idea of right and wrong begins to blur. Fadiman, Anne. 1-2 Ch. Summary. This Hyperink Quicklet includes an overall summary, chapter commentary, key characters, literary themes, fun trivia, and recommended related readings. Lia Lees’ story shows the importance of communication in the medical profession dealing with different cultures. Chapter Summary for Anne Fadiman's The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, chapter 10 summary. Lia's older sister, Mai, is born in Thailand during this exodus. Meanwhile, Western medicine is based on the advancement of science and technology. These babies were born at home on a dirt floor. Share to Pinterest. At first they stay with relatives in Portland, Oregon. When Fadiman told Foua that she’d gotten engaged, Foua was not surprised at all. Over two years after Lia's big seizure, she was still alive. 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. The complicated politics surrounding this war reach back to the Geneva Accords of 1954, when Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam were recognized as independent states in what had been French Indochina. The Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between Different Groups. It was awarded many honors including: A Salon Book Award Winner Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for General Nonfiction Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Current Interest Boston Book Review 1997 Ann Rea Jewell Non-Fiction Prize A New York Times. In retrospect, Fadiman writes, he questioned this decision, but at the time he was steadfast in his belief that he was doing the right thing. In response, Lia's eyes rolled up, her arms jerked over her head, and she fainted. Lia was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 1. The spirit catches you and you fall down by Annie Fadiman is a story about Hmong girl named Lia Lee, who is epileptic. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” by Anne Fadiman. . The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance. Summary. The Lees placed her on the mat on the floor where they always placed her at these times. Fadiman writes that Lia was seven when she first met her, which was two years after she had entered a nonresponsive state (her doctors called this a “persistent vegetative state”). Fadiman is skeptical at first: the txiv neeb (shaman) is kinda goofy, and the whole solemnity of the thing is. Chapter 19: The Sacrifice. 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.