Anne Fadiman

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down

4 stars (Wonderful and informative) - I read this book for a Religions course, but this is definitely something I would have read on my own. If I hadn't had any background on hunting and gathering cultures I think I would have had hard time understanding things like dabs. But already knowing helped me put my knowledge in persepective and appreciate it more now. I gave it only 4 stars because I enjoyed the story about Lia and her family. The parts about the war, although I understand there importance (on how Hmong didn't really want to come to America to begin with, and how the CIA used them for the war), I got a little tired of reading. I especially enjoyed the tales about the spirits like Shee Yee and Nyong. This is a good cultural book that will put you in your place the next time you encounted someone of another culture and judge them. The best/worst part was the end (the shaman going into the realm of the unseen). It was the first time I really got into the book in a sense I wouldn't have heard a fire alarm going off next to me. Fadiman wrote it beautifully. But it just stopped. I wish I knew the outcome of Lia. 5 stars (A Story of Unconditional Love) - There are many themes in this book-unconditonal love, cultural clashes and misunderstandings. The author does an excellant job of telling both sides of the issue-the medical establishment's frustration at what they perceive as noncompliant parents and the parent's frustration at what they perceive as people trying to take their child away. Fadiman alternates between the story of a family trying to do what they believe is right for their child and the medical care the child receives, and the history of the Hmong. The history is very well done, as is the entire book. 4 stars (WOW!) - This is quite a true story, which incorporates the history of the Hmung people's past in SE Asia to their relocation to the U.S. The book creates a feeling of frustration because of the Hmungs refusal to assimilat...
Farrar- Straus and Giroux :: Political Science-International Relations - General :: Medical-Ethics :: Medical & Nursing :: Health - General :: Anne Fadiman :: :: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down