The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures (1997) by Anne Fadiman
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures (1997) by Anne Fadiman
This book is unique as it integrates a large number of social and cultural issues while examining the story of a girl with epilepsy. It demonstrates how the same events and processes are evaluated differently by the representatives of different cultures. The author does not impose her views on the readers and allows them to make their conclusions and interpretations.
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The review will concentrate on several levels of analysis:
- The first one refers to the story of Lia Lee presented in the book.
- The second one is the underlying assumptions present in American and Hmong cultures.
- The third one is a possibility of mutually beneficial cooperation of two different cultures and the principles that should be followed to enable it.
The book seems to provide a coherent philosophical system that can be extended and applied to a large number of social issues.
Author’s Credentials
The author of the discussed book is Anne Fadiman, a freelance journalist and the editor of The American Scholar (Konner, 1997). Fadiman is a well-recognized expert in her field. She specializes on the multi-cultural studies and the most urgent problems of the society. Therefore, the author provides reliable analysis of the situation and related issues as well as clarifies the scope of complementary problems that should be addressed in the near future, both by individuals and nations in general.
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Summary of the Book
It is reasonable to present briefly the major episodes and characteristics of the book under analysis. It centers on the life of Lia Lee (Fadiman, 2012). The problem comes from the fact that she is diagnosed with the strong form of epilepsy. However, the traditional Hmong culture perceives this issue differently in comparison with American one. As a result, the conflicts of cultures occur, and Lia Lee’s health tends to deteriorate. Lia’s family members consider that her illness makes her special, and she could even become a “shaman”. When they realize that her state of health is very problematic, they begin using the methods that are widespread among Hmong culture. They try to call back her soul and optimize her internal mental state in this way. However, these methods are inefficient as they do not address the essence of epilepsy symptoms.
Lia’s doctors who advocate the Western lifestyle and worldview adopt a pure rationalist position (Fadiman, 2012). They neglect the traditional views of Hmong culture as they consider them as being irrational and irrelevant. Although the doctors are motivated to provide the high-quality care, their neglect to cultural issues leads to new problems. In particular, the diagnosis is not formulated precisely and correctly from the very beginning due to the absence of interpreters. However, even when the diagnosis is specified, the doctors are unable to enforce the needed treatment as Lia’s family members do not share doctors’ principles and are unable to follow all the requirements. They are mostly concerned with the negative side effects and do not believe that doctors’ interventions could be efficient and lead to the desired results.
All these factors have contributed to the situation when her mental state starts to deteriorate. Jeanine Hilt, a social worker, proposes the way to organize the medication process which will allow her family to be reunited. However, the situation has not changed radically, and her brain dies. The doctors suggest that she will probably die in the near future. Her family take her home, and she is able to survive for the next twenty-six years. Although her mental state is very difficult and problematic, the care and attention of her family contribute to the positive results. Moreover, the Western doctors consider such impressive results to be impossible. The Hmong follow their rituals, and they help to improve the mental state of Lia even though it is difficult to explain from the perspective of the traditional medicine.
Author’s Thesis
Fadiman states that all cultures have their strengths and weaknesses. Moreover, every country can generate better outcomes for some categories of people. Therefore, it is important to respect all cultures and select the treatment strategy in accordance with the patient’s cultural beliefs and worldview (Fadiman, 2012). If the high level of cultural competence is achieved, the positive results may follow
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