Analysis Of The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down By Anne Fadiman

Throughout reading of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman one cannot help but notice the different themes that plays an integral role in understanding the book. This book is an intriguing read and Fadiman wrote in a cultural appropriation context and it was clear from the background give about the Hmong culture that I was an investigative research method type of book. Fadiman gave readers a clear insight about lives of the Hmong and how culture plays a vital role in how one perceives health (sickness) etc. Fadiman also highlighted both perspective of the patient and doctors concerning health issues.

To understand the reading one, have to understand and be able to identify the themes emphasized in the book. One of the main

Lia the last and favorite of the Lees children. She was diagnosed with Epilepsy. Epilepsy according to the Epilepsy foundation it “is a chronic disorder, the hallmark of which is recurrent, unprovoked seizures. Many people with epilepsy have more than one type of seizure and may have other symptoms of neurological problems as well”. (PR Newswire, Sept 1, 2014.) Epilepsy is one of the neurological illness that can be very disturbing and debilitating. The Hmong’s acknowledged the symptoms of epilepsy as qaug dab peg, "the spirit catches you and you fall down," with the spirit considered to be a soul-snatching dab. Among the Hmong culture, the illness led to an understanding and creativity in the medical field and the universe. Therefore, Anne Fadiman argues, that most epileptics turn to shamans for assistance; this where the cultural differences and conflicts

Reading about the Hmong’s involvement in the Vietnam War expands my knowledge about how involved hey were in combat. The write lets the reader know that they were considered to be refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos and how widespread the rebels operated against the communists. After learning about those events one can understand why so many of the Hmong fled from their native lands to seek asylum in America. The background was great to have because I believe the reader can be able to empathize with Foua and Nao Kao and to better able to understand their culture and how their culture determined how and why they were resistant to the MCMC treatment for Lia. An overwhelming majority of the Hmong wanted to leave Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam not to take a slice of the American Dream, but to simply save their life and the lives of their