The Spirit Catches You, and You Fall Down

Happy New Year!! Part of my new year’s relaxation involved reading The Spirit Catches You, and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. The book’s about a Hmong refugee family who emigrated to the US after the Vietnam War. The Lee family settled in Merced, a small farming town in the Central Valley. When the Lees discover that their 3-month old daughter, Lia, has severe epilepsy, parts of them rejoice—in the Hmong belief system, epileptic seizures (as we call them in the US) occur when the Spirit catches you, making you fall down. It's a gift.

Western doctors view Lia’s epilepsy differently…

The book’s a beautifully-written, nonfiction anthropological narrative that takes the reader on an exploration of the misunderstandings that often arise when two very different cultures meet. Both cultures are well-intentioned, but don’t “speak the same language,” literally and figuratively.

I encourage you to pick up a copy at a bookstore or library. It’s fascinating and provides insight into Lao, American, and Hmong culture.