The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman (reviewed by Emily TenCate)

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman is the factual tale of an extremely isolated tribal mountain people, the Hmong, who are driven from their homes in the Laotian mountains and eventually are relocated to America, where they are confronted with Western ideas, values, and science. The novel details the case of Lia Lee, an epileptic Hmong child. Hmong tradition believes that epilepsy is a condition where "the spirit catches you and you fall down," which refers to the spirit temporarily leaving the body to commune with other spirits. The Hmong regard this as a gift from the gods, and the afflicted are treated as royalty. When Lia's parents immigrate to California, though, and she has a severe grand mal seizure, her parents decide to take her to nearby Merced Medical Center.

The doctors on call instantly sedate the seizing child according to protocol, taking the parents' terrified silence as consent. The parents, frightened and confused, watch as their child is hooked up to foreign machines and injected with strange, colorful substances. They fear that these strange procedures might scare Lia's spirit and drive it away permanently. The hospital staff provides instructions for medications, but Lia's parents cannot understand them and turn to their own traditional methods of animal sacrifice and prayer. This goes on for a very long time because of the unrecognized communication gap, and Lia's condition deteriorates.

Finally, one social worker does recognize the real problem. She makes a concerted effort to teach Hmong young adults how to speak English and pursue higher learning which they can then bring back to their own community. It's a long and arduous process, but she's successful in coaching several young Hmong so that they are able to gain admission and successfully graduate medical school. They are finally able to explain Western science to their parents, relatives, and the entire Hmong community in a way that is compatible with their traditional beliefs.

Through the efforts of this lone woman, the growing Hmong refugee community in Southern California was able to integrate itself positively into Western society without losing its cultural identity.

I REALLY recommend this book; it's a fascinating window into a completely different culture and how its people overcame huge adversity and stereotyping.

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Yay, Emily, our first ever review of an adult non-fiction title! Click here to check our catalog to see if The Spirit Catches You and you Fall Down is on our shelves.

This book was selected by YALSA for their 2009 Outstanding Books for the College Bound lists. These lists cover a wide array of subjects and genres and the books on them are AMAZING. If you're feeling like reading some different, interesting, challenging, and great books (like this one!) try some selections off these lists!