Review of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
Author(s):
Hinton, Jennifer L.
Format:
Book review
Citation:
Therapeutic Recreation Journal, Volume 39, Issue 1 (2005). pp. 88-93.
Language:
English
Abstract:
Reviews the book "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down" by A. Fadiman (1997). The bulk of the story revolves around a Lee family and their daughter Lia, who has epilepsy, and the family's relationship with the American medical community. Many of the chapters focus on the strength and traditions of the Hmong culture. The Hmong words for "the spirit catches you and you fall down" are quag dab peg. If we were to translate this phrase into a Western medical diagnosis, it would simply be "epilepsy." On the other hand, it is also seen as an illness that causes the Lees to feel a sense of pride. In Hmong culture, people with epilepsy often become shamans, otherwise known as a txiv neeb. Not only are examples given of how the Hmong have difficulty understanding the United States and its cultural habits-and the culture shock-induced anxiety and depression that many Hmong acquire as a result of it-but we also learn that the citizens of the United States have also had a difficult time understanding and accepting the Hmong. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)