Two men slaughter the pig, and the txiv neeb marks Lia with the pig's blood to protect her from dabs, or evil spirits. The doctors prescribed anticonvulsants; her parents preferred animal sacrifices. Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 154 (12), 1277. They retaliated against the. They also still celebrated only Hmong holidays, only practiced Hmong religion, and only ate Hmong food. Upset because he "perceived the doctors' comments [. Lia can sense when her seizures are coming. 2 pages at 400 words per page) It is no surprise that Fadiman obsessed over the idea that the gulf between Hmong culture and Western medicine might be “unbridgeable,” since the very aim of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is to examine the missed avenues of communication in a disastrous instance of cross-cultural misunderstanding. Chapter 17 - The Eight Questions (Cont. 1 March 2018. Illness had come when the wife of a wicked god named Nyong laid an egg full of dabs. Her seizures normally lasted only a few minutes, but when she didn't get. She remarks that, even though these recordings have already been transcribed. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. Anyway, to everyone's surprise, it's one of the most effective campaigns the camp has. Luckily, Lia ends up in the home of Dee Korda, a woman who fosters several children with special needs. These folktales often serve to illustrate some aspect of the character of the Hmong people. • Chapter 1 - Birth. Need help on characters in Anne Fadiman's The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down? Check out our detailed character descriptions. But the families—who don't trust hospitals or medical staff—are skeptical of her. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ” Analysis. 11-12 Ch. Lia was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 1. Unlike her fellow Americans (Dee not included, obvs), this social worker falls in love with Lia and her family, making their plight her personal crusade. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down essays are academic essays for citation. • Chapter 4 - Do Doctors Eat Brains? • Chapter 5 - Take As Directed. Ultimately, everything comes to a head when Lia's doctor, Neil Ernst, gets fed up with this lack of communication and sends Lia into a foster home. Hmong medicine consists of herbs and shamanism, a practice that interacts with the spiritual world. Chapter Summaries with Notes / Analysis. Jeanine Hilt. The fact that it has a divine nature to them and the fact that the doctors see it only as a disease to be either cured or controlled foreshadows problems yet to come between the 2 cultures. Now we know where the overbearing-and-oppressive idea comes from. Both Hmong patients and Western doctors have biases about one another. Lia Lee began suffering seizures at a young age and was diagnosed with epilepsy by American doctors. After graduating in 1975, she wrote for a variety of publications, including Harper's, Life magazine, and The New York Times. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down 1. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down tells the story of treating Lia’s epilepsy, examining her medical experience in Merced in order to consider divides between Hmong and American culture. While working at a Hmong refugee camp in Thailand, Conquergood hosted a parade "led by three important characters from Hmong folktales" that also conveyed some very useful medical information (4. “I have always felt that the action most worth watching is not at the center of things but where edges meet. On the day before Thanksgiving, Lia had a mild runny nose, but little appetite. 5 Running Head: The Spirit Catches You and you Fall Down contributied to the developed of postcolonial theory. Though they eventually figure that stuff out, they never make too big. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. ''. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down study guide contains a biography of Anne Fadiman, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. The Lee Children. Like many shamanic cultures, the Hmong believe that the condition serves as the gateway between our world and the. 5 out of 5. CHAPTER ONE. Dee falls in love with Lia and cares for her like her own. Fadiman considers the fact that the Hmong view health concerns as not only relating to the body, but also relating to everything else in their lives. eight hours in a Hmong home while an American doctor demanded the patient come to the hospital where the. Anne Fadiman’s ethnography . Peggy Philp and Neil ErnstThe Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down study guide contains a biography of Anne Fadiman, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Explanation and Analysis: Unlock with LitCharts A +. 10). The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance. Peggy Philp. taboo: against blood tests, spinal taps, surgery, anesthesia, and autopsies— the basic tools of modern medicine— seemed like self-defeating ignorance. Dan is devoted to learning about the Hmong people, even inviting various Hmong. In Hmong culture, epilepsy is known as ‘quag dab peg,’ which means ‘The spirit catches you and you fall down’ (Fadiman, 2012, p. At first they stay with relatives in Portland, Oregon. The next day, the Hmong brought their dogs in so fast that the health workers had their hands full. Lia began having epileptic seizures when she was about three months old. 13-14 Ch. 20). In this miniscule event, two cultures with completely conflicting ideas came together to form a union. Description. Book Details. A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. From the creators of SparkNotes. Seventeen years later Foua and Nao Kao have continued to resist. In the 1980s, Lia was part of the Hmong population in America who were refugees from Laos. Read More. You can use it for research and reference purposes to write your. of 150 and a full-body tan from taking vacations at a nudist camp. For her part, Foua believes that Lia "missed [the. medical school curricula. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down essays are academic essays for citation. Martin Kilgore Character Analysis. Share to Reddit. Between the ages of 8 months and four and a half years, the Lees brought Lia to the hospital dozens of times. Fadiman is also the author of two essay collections. A young Hmong man gave a presentation about how to make fish soup. For more than two years, her doctors had been. “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” by Anna Fadiman tells the story of Lia Lee, a Hmong child with epilepsy, whose life could have been different if only her family was caught up in western medicine. Fadiman began writing while at Harvard University as a columnist for Harvard Magazine. 1997 Winner, National Book Critics Circle Award - Nonfiction. “Don’t do that, there’s a good boy,” said Martin, addressing the little girl in English, of which she did not speak a word. In 1985 Mao Thao, a Hmong American woman, visits Ban Vinai—a refugee camp in Thailand. The doctors believe epilepsy is a pathological process in the brain, while the family believe “the spirit catches you and you fall down”. The even-numbered explanatory chapters often begin or end with a Hmong folktale illustrating an important aspect of the culture. Chapter 12 shows violence, starvation, and death became normalized for Hmong refugees in a way few Americans can understand. Lia’s doctors ascribed her seizures to the misfiring of her cerebral neurons; her parents called her illness, qaug dab peg–the spirit catches you and you fall down–and ascribed it to the wandering of her soul. This chapter focuses on Lia’s birth and all the Hmong customs that went along with the birth of any child. Dan Murphy Character Analysis. ”. One of Lia ’s primary doctors, and Neil Ernst ’s wife. At this point, [Lia’s sister], who was three at the time, ran over to Lia and started banging her on the chest. , 2002). Lannamann, Taylor. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down Book Report. She acted as if she didn't know people, and she could only speak a little. Preface. This book reveals the tragic struggles between a doctor and patient because of. Neil is there when they bring Lia in for her first checkup. Get the summaries, analysis, and quotes you need. The Lees placed her on the mat on the floor where they always placed her at these times. To make matters worse, Fadiman writes, the Hmong believe that many Western medical practices run the risk of harming patients. Menu About The Book; About The Author; Book Summary. Publisher's summary. OCLC. Chapter 5: Take as Directed. They also knew, in the midst of their grief for their infant daughter, that people. Chapter 10 describes a defining moment in Hmong history, working together with the defining crisis in Lia 's life that dominates Chapter 11 . The author of The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down. In one story, he offers his home to two sisters, one good and one snotty. Summary. According to Hmong folklore, Shee Yee, the sorcerer who had turned into a tiny red ant and bit the evil dab on the testicle, had spent many years fighting dabs and restoring health to the sick. Meanwhile, Western medicine is based on the advancement of science and technology. Nonetheless, when she came back inside after watching the family sacrifice a pig in the parking lot, the room’s atmosphere had changed. By ANNE FADIMAN. Makenzie Griffith EDSE 460 Denise Hitchcock 1 March 2018 Midterm: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down It is a story about a family who shows so much loyalty to their traditions and cultures, but it clashes with the strict American “norm” and creates conflict. Shee Yee eventually transferred his powers to human tvix neebs, or shamans, who summon his spirit as they do his work. She's rushed to the hospital, where the doctors learn that the Lees are finally giving Lia the right amount of medication. Bill didn’t assign blame to Neil for not catching the sepsis. Many of Li’s healthcare providers, especially Neil Ernst and Peggy Philip, worked hard to help Lia. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down Analysis. Lia was born in 1982 in Merced, California. Compared to the polite and nonintrusive methods of the txiv neeb s, American doctors' methods are frightening. Birth. She was the only one in her family to be born outside of Laos. A Review By Will Connolly. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down explores the clash between a small county hospital in California and a refugee family from Laos over the care of Lia Lee, a Hmong child diagnosed with severe epilepsy. In the Hmong language the term for epilepsy is qaug dab peg. 9. Previous. "Sooo much more helpful than SparkNotes. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down tells the story of Lia Lee, a Hmong child with epilepsy, whose tragic demise reveals the dangers of a lack of cross-cultural. Analysis. " LitCharts. Analysis. At the time of the war in Southeast Asia, they lived in Laos about 400 meters above sea-level. 24). While working at a Hmong refugee camp in Thailand, Conquergood hosted a parade "led by three important characters from Hmong folktales" that also conveyed some very useful medical information (4. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Despite living alone on the margins of society, however, the Orphan is actually clever, courageous, resilient, and a. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down explores the clash between a small county hospital in California and a refugee family from Laos over the care of Lia Lee, a Hmong child diagnosed with severe epilepsy. Summary. Chapter 10 - War (Cont. Though Anne often wants to take the Hmongs' side in all of this, even she must admit that Western medicine can be truly life-changing. From the period of spring and summer 1986, around the time of her fourth birthday, Peggy Philp noted in Lia’s chart – nothing interesting – but for the Lees it was one of the richest periods in Lia’s life. Downloadable / Printable Version. Contrary to the belief that the qualities of one side do not merge with those of the other, however, it. The Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between Different. 3-4 Ch. The book also details Hmong culture, history, and their life as refugees. Her siblings grew up around her, part of a close-knit family, some excelling in sports and others going to university. Nao Kao, Blia. “ […. Ge, one of Nao Kao and Foua's daughters, dies after they arrive at a refugee camp in Thailand. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down study guide contains a biography of Anne Fadiman, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. There are interesting frictions and incongruities in these places, and often, if you stand at. Her siblings grew up around her, part of a close-knit family, some excelling in sports and others going to university. In Anne Fadiman’s book, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, two cultures clash with each other in the struggle to save Lia Lee, a Hmong child refugee with severe epilepsy. . Integration and Assimilation Theme Analysis. If Lia Lee had been born in the highlands of northwest Laos, where her parents and twelve of her brothers and sisters were born, her mother. When Anne first meets Lia 's parents, Foua and Nao Kao, she's nervous as an outsider about gaining their trust. The spirit catches you and you fall down: a Hmong child, her American doctors, and the collision of two cultures Acad Med. On November 25, 1986, the day before Thanksgiving, Lia was eating as normal when she began to seize. Neil Ernst. Unlike violence, death, and exile, Lia's medical catastrophe is not a tragedy the Lees expect. When he received the call, he "drove to MCMC as fast as he could" (11. When Lia Lee's sister slammed the front door to their Merced, California, apartment, Lia experienced her first in several years of increasingly severe seizures. As Lia is being prepared for release, the doctors tell Nao Kao that she will probably die within weeks. Fadiman writes that Lia was seven when she first met her, which was two years after she had entered a nonresponsive state (her doctors called this a “persistent vegetative state”). Fish Soup Symbol Analysis. Lia's older sister, Mai, is born in Thailand during this exodus. 2) Title alert! Again, it's important to remember that epilepsy isn't necessarily a bad thing in Hmong culture. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is a book that highlights the struggles between two cultures in healthcare. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Free, fun, and packed with easy-to-understand explanations! The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. The first paragraph focuses on why Lia’s birth is so different than her siblings. Denise Hitchcock. When the United States military withdrew from Laos, former North Vietnamese forces came in to occupy the villages. Hmong residents ask her if American doctors eat the organs of dead patients. The London Observer called "Ex Libris" "witty. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: Chapter 3 Summary & Analysis Next Chapter 4 Themes and Colors Key Summary Analysis Three months after her healthy birth, Lia. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. S. Summary. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down examines the ways in which people cling to various strongly-held tenets set forth by their cultures. Hmong’s believe dab’s steal souls and cause sick illnesses. So at least there's that. Her parents were newly arrived Hmong immigrants from Laos. This Hyperink Quicklet includes an overall summary, chapter commentary, key characters, literary themes, fun trivia, and recommended related readings. Lia 's family celebrates her permanent return home in April 1986 by sacrificing a cow. Chapter Summaries with Notes / Analysis. 15-16 Ch. Her record nearly always noted the communication difficulties brought about by language differences. 368 pp. When Fadiman told Foua that she’d gotten engaged, Foua was not surprised at all. 1-2 Chapter 1: Birth Lia. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is the poignant story of a young Hmong girl suffering from epilepsy who is caught in the cultural chasm between her family and her. Open Preview. Her parents, Nao Kao and Foua, were Hmong refugees from Laos who. LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. . Anne Fadiman. Recorded on these tapes are the many conversations she had with American doctors and the Lee family, who came to the United States from Laos as refugees in 1980. As a way of coping with the grief and uncertainty of Lia ’s medical complications, both the Lee family and MCMC’s team of doctors try to assign blame. 00 Carol A Redding, MA, is a member of the American Medical Writers Association and an InformationSummary. 4. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down tells the story of Lia Lee, a Hmong child with epilepsy, whose tragic demise reveals the dangers of a lack of cross-cultural communication in the medical profession. Plot Summary & Analysis Themes Quotes Characters Symbols Theme Viz Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Spirit Catches You makes teaching easy. Lia’s doctors ascribed her seizures to the misfiring of her cerebral neurons; her parents called her illness, qaug dab peg–the spirit catches you and you fall down–and ascribed it to the wandering of her soul. A doctor living in Merced who invites Fadiman to meet his Hmong patients. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down frequently evokes Hmong history to illuminate the circumstances of Lia Lee ’s medical crisis. Chapter 15 Quotes. When Lia returns home the family is overjoyed to have her in their beds once again. She went to. Answering a question posed to her by a bigoted gas station clerk, she determines (in retrospect) that the reason the Hmong chose to settle in Merced has to do with Dang Moua, a local Hmong entrepreneur and businessman who. Chapter 3: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down When Lia Lee was about three months old, her older sister Yer slammed the front door. Lia, on the other hand, is born in sunny Merced, California on July 19, 1982 (yes, we've flash. Some of these perceptions are. Back then the dude worked eighteen hours a day and still couldn't make ends meet. The narrative, told by Anne Fadiman, follows the trials and tribulations of the Lee family as the U. , a Chinese emperor named Hoang-ti decrees that any Hmong convicted of a crime will be castrated. ) When the author took Selvidge’s information to Neil Ernst, he said that if he’d thought that Lia was septic, he would have done a lumbar puncture. In this union, an American was celebrating an event in a Hmong way, truly a collision of. Lia Lee. ] as threats," Nao Kao grabs Lia and attempts to flee the hospital (13. The author recalled her introduction to Hmong culture and the Lee family. One case involving the Lees' young. Chapter 13 represents the falling action of Lia's story as the family adjusts to the reality of her fate. Fadiman's father is Clifton. However, the Lees become discouraged when they notice Lia's verbal skills have regressed. Illness had come when the wife of a wicked god named Nyong laid an egg full of dabs. Taylor, J. In 2700 B. Now we know where the overbearing-and-oppressive idea comes from. Nao Kao and Foua were right! To make sense of all this, Anne turns to a series of eight questions coined by Harvard psychiatrist Arthur Kleinman. Every other chapter shares some aspect of Hmong history or culture: food, clothing, language, family structure, birthing rituals, and so on. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down frequently evokes Hmong history to illuminate the circumstances of Lia Lee ’s medical crisis. Chapter 15 - Gold and Dross. The second student was a Hmong, who proceeded to speak about a recipe for fish soup. The non-fiction book offers a skillfully written depiction of the plight of the Lee family, one of many Hmong refugees absorbed into the United States followingIn Hmong culture, however, epilepsy is known as qaug dab peg, which is translated as "the spirit catches you and you fall down" (that's right, the title). The Lee family's journey was indeed terrible, but they and their fellow travelers hoped for a better life in the future. ISBN: 0-374-52564-1. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 24 Nov 2023. 5-6 Ch. "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Fadiman’s interpreter, or—in Sukey Waller ’s words—“cultural broker. Download. Nao Kao gained weight and had high blood pressure, while Foua. Yes, including the pigs (after the sacrifice, that is). • Chapter 7 - Government Property. This chapter explains how the Hmong figured into the Vietnam War and American troops fighting there. However, he now wonders if it might have been better to keep Lia's prescriptions more consistent so that her parents could more easily comply and so that they would. Print Word PDF. Lia ’s father and Foua ’s husband. Animal sacrifice, a reverent occasion for the Hmong, is more difficult in America but still part of Hmong American life. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down essays are academic essays for citation. We might not know much about the Lee children as individuals, but much like the von Trapps or the. ”. The epileptic child whose tragic story illustrates the cultural divide between the Hmong and the American medical systems. S medical system battles with their traditional Hmong healing methods. Share to Twitter. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down (1997) is an ethnography written by Anne Faidman. • Chapter 2 - Fish Soup. 3-4 Ch. It was awarded many honors including: A Salon Book Award Winner Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for General Nonfiction Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Current Interest Boston Book Review 1997 Ann Rea Jewell Non-Fiction Prize A New York Times. While commonplace in Hmong culture, Americans are uncomfortable with the idea of ritual sacrifice, especially when it is in the public domain. Many Hmong people don't trust American doctors. "--Linnea Lannon, The Detroit. She grew only a few inches, gained only a little weight, and always looked younger than her age. Dan Murphy. ''. For their part, the Lees respond by doing something even more powerful—making Jeanine a part of the family. Lia Lee Character Analysis. Summary. Chapter 9 - A Little Medicine and a Little Neeb. Nonetheless, he asked her to marry him. 1. A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. Even worse, the Hmong have lost their prized "self-sufficiency" (10. When Lia Lee was about three months old, her older sister Yer slammed the front door. Chapter. She notes the “uphill battle” the Lees faced in converting their apartment—with its humming refrigerator and fluttering TV screen—into a tranquil, spiritual atmosphere. In contrast to the Western view, the condition is actually considered a blessing—many shamans, known as txiv neeb, use their seizures to take "journeys into the realm of the unseen" (3. The timeline below shows where the character Sue Xiong appears in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1997 A modern. Writing both a literary profile and an in-depth ethnography, Fadiman devotes whole chapters to the history and context of the Hmong ethnic identity, which she characterizes as “independent, insular. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. 5). Nonetheless, he asked her to marry him. Yet again, however, the medical system has the power. Social Media Book Review by Chirag Mitra ,No 18533168,MPH&MHA, Social And cultural Perspectives of Health,La Trobe university,Summary and Analysis of Chapter 14 of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. Analysis. It's a bad scene. Writing both a literary profile and an in. The Spirt Catches You and You Fall Down follows the true story of a healthcare battle between a hospital in California and a Hmong refugee family from Laos escaping the Vietnam war over the care of their little girl in 1982. Over two years after Lia's big seizure, she was still alive. ) The Hmong had their own reasons for defending the Royal Lao government, and thus, collaborating with the United States. Chapter 17: The Eight Questions. Section One: Chapters 1-4; Section Two: Chapters 5-8; Section Three: Chapters 9-14; Section Four: Chapters 15-19; My Review and Takeaways;. Summary. Luckily, Lia ends up in the home of Dee Korda, a woman who fosters several children with special needs. 10). At the last minute, the wife changed her mind and cut the family down. E. Nao Kao gained weight and had high blood pressure, while Foua. Lia's parents and her doctors both wanted what was best for Lia, but the lack of understanding between them led to tragedy. Lia Lee was born in central California’s Merced Community Medical Center (MCMC) in July 1982. When Lia was three months old her older sister Yer slammed the front door. We learn that the Hmong have very different birthing traditions; that they believe in evil spirits called ‘dabs’; and these spirits can steal that they believe a baby’s soul. Get all the key plot points of Anne Fadiman's The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down on one page. 47352453. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. . Analysis. Looks like you're viewing this page on a mobile device. Like. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down Book Report. Yikes. Then he presents spirit-money to thank the pig for its sacrifice. Three months after her healthy birth, Lia went into a seizure after her older sister Yer loudly slammed the apartment door. S medical system battles with their traditional Hmong healing methods. Read the Review. This chapter is so intriguing, because it presents not only the frustrations of the Hmong with American medicine, but also the terrible stress it created within the medical staff. While considered by some to be an illness, seizures are actually seen as a good thing. This Study Guide consists of approximately 38 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. On the other hand, Epilepsy is referred to as a neurological. Exactly what every hospital needs. This blog will be a long-term project lasting the duration of the novel, with students needing to make entries about each reading section. As Lia is being prepared for release, the doctors tell Nao Kao that she will probably die within weeks. (Fadiman, 2012. Summary. Her parents assumed the noise of the door had caused her soul to flee. Talking to Fadiman later, she and her husband tried to describe what it was like to see Lia in such a terrible state. She was interested in investigating the circumstances surrounding Lia's health care but was warned by fellow colleagues. Jeanine Hilt Character Analysis. Though Lia 's mother Foua Yang gives birth to Lia in the United States, she delivered 12 children in her native Laos. If a Hmong walked into a doctor’s office complaining of a stomachache, she says, he may actually be “complaining that the entire universe was out of balance. qaug dab peg--the spirit catches you and you fall down--and ascribed it to the wandering of her soul. Previous Page | Table of Contents | Next. read analysis of Fish Soup. It might be the first time a book focusing on transcultural health care made it onto the New York Times best-seller list. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Introduction. In The Spirit Catches You, we witness a bona fide communication breakdown after Nao Kao and Foua Lee—two Hmong refugees who can't speak English—bring their daughter Lia to a hospital to treat her epilepsy. In hindsight, Lionel Rosenblatt, the former United States Refugee. These stragglers form several rebel groups, one of which is led by Vang Pao. LitCharts LLC, 18 Sep 2017. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down study guide contains a biography of Anne Fadiman, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. A shaman might spend. The author begins this chapter with the assertion, “I do not know if Lia would be able to walk and talk today had she been treated by Arthur Kleinman instead of by Neil Ernst and Peggy Philp. And it gets worse. It tells the story of Lia Lee, a Hmong girl with severe epilepsy, and her family’s journey with managing the condition and the cultural barriers that posed great challenges in Lia’s care. In the presentation, he spent forty-five minutes painstakingly detailing the entire process, from choosing the right kind of hook to go fishing to preparing. The journalist Anne Fadiman takes you through the maddeningly frustrating journey of a loving Hmong family and their dedicated western doctors. Pediatricians Neil Ernst and Peggy Philp—the doctors in charge of Lia's case—keep detailed notes on her condition over the years.