Reviewed by Monique Prince, Undergraduate Services Librarian
In the years since this book was published in 1997, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman has become required reading in many medical and nursing programs. It is a well-researched and impartial look at the clash between American health care providers and immigrants from Eastern cultures. Tragedy is set in motion when a Hmong family who had immigrated from Laos to Merced, California takes their infant daughter to the emergency room during a seizure. Her American doctors diagnose Lia Lee with severe Epilepsy while her parents attribute the seizures to qaug dab peg, or "the spirit catches you and you fall down." While Western medicine focuses on healing bodily problems through medicine and physical treatments, the Hmong prefer animal sacrifices and shamanism, as they believe spiritual healing will correct the physical symptoms. Language barriers, cultural differences, and misunderstandings about medicine doses lead to more confusion and problems as both sides struggle to care for Lia. This book highlights the importance of understanding immigrant cultures and the beliefs about illness and treatment that inform different worldviews.
