The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
Item Description
Lia Lee was born in 1981 to a family of recent Hmong immigrants, and soon developed symptoms of epilepsy. By 1988 she was living at home but was brain dead after a tragic cycle of misunderstanding, overmedication, and culture clash: "What the doctors viewed as clinical efficiency the Hmong viewed as frosty arrogance." The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is a tragedy of Shakespearean dimensions, written with the deepest of human feeling. Sherwin Nuland said of the account, "There are no villains in Fadiman's tale, just as there are no heroes. People are presented as she saw them, in their humility and their frailty--and their nobility."
Product Details
- Author: Anne Fadiman
- Publication Date: 1998-09-28
- Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Product Group: Book
- Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Binding: Paperback, 352 pages
- Features:
- ISBN13: 9780374525644
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
- Package Dimensions:
- Dimensions: 820L x 560W x 110H
- Weight: 75
- List Price: $15.00
- ISBN: 0374525641
- ASIN: 0374525641
Customer Reviews
Average Amazon User Rating:
Eye Opening
2010-03-22
Reviewer: H. Walls
Not only is this an overall wonderful, if heart wrenching, story, it gives great insight into the Hmong community and culture, which makes us reconsider the way we look at and treat all cultures within our society. We forget or never realize the extent to which we assume our (Western) way is the right way with medicine, and tend to discredit other cultures ideas of healing/medicinal methods. Definitely changed the way I think about western medicine and immigrants.
Always great service
2010-03-19
Reviewer: Red Queen
Never a problem with this bookseller. Quality is as advertized or better--arrival is timely.
As described.
2010-02-16
Reviewer: Linda Wooddell
Book was for class and not entertainment - with that said - the item arrived as described.
A must read!
2009-11-18
Reviewer: Donna D. Brennan
Riveting story of the impact of culture on patients in the healthcare system. I feel that this should be required for all students in any healthcare related field, as well as all involved with children and parents of different cultures.
A read for all ages
2009-11-05
Reviewer: Elena Peters
One of my favorite books of all time. My Cultural Anthropology teacher had us read this book and I don't regret one minute of it. It's a very touching and compelling book. You will not want to put it down once you get going. I believe that it's a great read for all for it really opens your eyes up to another families culture and their intimate life. The knowledge you will acquire from this book is worth the time spent reading it. So buy it!
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