...Praise for The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down “Fadiman describes with extraordinary skill the colliding worlds of Western medicine and Hmong culture.” —The New Yorker “This fine book recounts a poignant tragedy…It has no heroes or villains, but it has an abundance of innocent suffering, and it most certainly does have a moral…[A] sad, excellent book.” —Melvin Konner, The New York Times Book Review “An intriguing, spirit-lifting, extraordinary exploration of two cultures in uneasy coexistence…A wonderful aspect of Fadiman’s book is her even-handed, detailed presentation of these disparate cultures and divergent views—not with cool, dispassionate fairness but rather with a warm, involved interest that sees and embraces both sides of each issue…Superb, informal cultural anthropology—eye-opening, readable, utterly engaging.” —Carole Horn, The Washington Post Book World “This is a book that should be deeply disturbing to anyone who has given so much as a moment’s thought to the state of American medicine. But it is much more…People are presented as [Fadiman] saw them, in their humility and their frailty—and their nobility.” —Sherwin B. Nuland, The New Republic 3/462 “Anne Fadiman’s phenomenal first book, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, brings to life the enduring power of parental love in an impoverished refugee family struggling to protect their seriously ill infant daughter and ancient spiritual traditions from the tyranny of welfare bureaucrats and intolerant...
Words: 134140 - Pages: 537
...Grand Canyon University: HLT 324 V November 15, 2014 Abstract The importance of knowing your culture and where you come from can help you understand other people’s culture. This can also aid in improving how you work and what you can do. Being aware of what you are will also help prevent chaos between the patient and healthcare staffs. Being aware and mind sufficient will help one to open one’s eyes to see things in a different perspective such area where nutrition is at a high-risk. Researching the different cultural problems and identifying solutions will assist the writer to comprehend their way of life and lifestyles. High Risk Nutritional Practice There are many health care risks that we are unaware of. We need to research and figure out what we need to do. How do we prepare others in a high-risk nutrition situation? The healthcare physicians will continue to look forward to discuss the cultures that are identified and the solutions to their various problems. Chinese Heritage The Chinese heritage is a culture that is difficult to determine their health risk factors. One case the writer believes to be a high health risk among the Chinese heritage is smoking in the men and teenagers. Smoking has killed millions of people each year and yet these numbers are still rising. The second high risk factor known to the Chinese culture is drinking alcohol. Alcohol consumption has known to increase in men than women. Chinese women do...
Words: 2936 - Pages: 12
...family. He snarls at Janovich's sermon. At his house, in an immigrant-dominated neighborhood, people throng for the after-funeral lunch. Downstairs in the basement, Walt's grandkids look through an old army chest and see pictures of Walt during the Korean War and a medal. They quickly put them back and shut the chest as Walt passes through. Upstairs, he walks slowly and grumpily through the crowd and refuses help from his grand-daughter, Ashley (Dreama Walker). He goes outside with his dog, Daisy (probably the only creature he seems to like), and sees guests going into the house next door, which is inhabited by a Hmong family. He spits in disgust. He catches Ashley smoking in the garage next to his car. She asks him about it and he tells her it's a 1972 Gran Torino. Rather inappropriately, she asks about stuff she can have when he dies. He stalks off, wordlessly. A Hmong kid from next door, Thao Vang Lor (Bee Vang), comes over to ask for jumper cables, but Walt insults him and slams the door in his face. Father Janovich comes over to speak to Walt, but Walt demands he call him "Mr. Kowalski". Janovich tells him that Dorothy had asked him to look after Walt after she passed. Dorothy wanted Walt to go for Confession. Irritated, Walt confesses that he only went to church because of Dorothy and has no interest in attending Confession to...
Words: 2802 - Pages: 12
...misunderstandings between cultures and the importance of cultural competence. The story focuses on a Hmong refugee family from Laos living in Merced, California when one of it’s younger members, Lia, is diagnosed with epilepsy. The Hmong people believe they are protectors of their own souls and that people afflicted with epilepsy have a sacred ability to travel to the spirit realm to protect their spirit from the dab, or malevolent spirits. Because of this, Hmong epileptics are seen as people to be revered fighting a noble battle. This conflicts with western medicine and created a war between Lia’s doctors and family that kept her from receiving the care she needed. At four years old, Lia developed status epilepticus and hit her head. She went into septic shock in the hospital and suffered brain-death. Her parents chose not to remove her from life support. The overarching theme of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down was that lack of cultural competence can kill. Fadiman wrote, “I have come to believe that her life was ruined not by septic shock or noncompliant parents but by cross-cultural misunderstanding” (p.262). Lia’s parents almost never followed the doctor’s...
Words: 1097 - Pages: 5
...tug-of-war. Ms. Fadiman very distinctly illustrates how the collision of two cultures indirectly led to the demise of a little seven- year old girl. I did not expect the story to end with Lia Lee in a persistent vegetative state. I was very excited when I first started the book, but I soon became rather depressed with the lack of compassion of people towards the Hmong in general throughout the book. I am not certain whether I am now more culturally aware now, but I was very frustrated by the lack of respect given to the Hmong by the people in the city of Merced and the doctors and nurses comments about the Lees. Three Major Themes Evident in the Book: A: Cultural Understanding An important thread running throughout this book is cultural understanding. Americans, including the medical professionals in Merced and Valley Children’s Hospital are depicted as very insensitive to the ways of the Hmong people. Anne Fadiman, while acutely aware of the physicians’ frustrations in providing medical care for those individuals with very radically different worldviews was able to at least urge the physicians to acknowledge the families realities. The Hmong have been fighting against many different peoples over centuries, being forced from their beloved China into Laos, then into Thailand, and then the United States. The Hmong people throughout history have had little need to assimilate to other cultures because they have lived...
Words: 3587 - Pages: 15
...course website. 1. What do you think of traditional Hmong birth practices (pp. 3-5)? Compare them to the techniques used when Lia was born (p. 7). How do Hmong and American birth practices differ? 2. Over many centuries the Hmong fought against a number of different peoples who claimed sovereignty over their lands; they were also forced to emigrate from China. How do you think these up-heavals have affected their culture? What role has history played in the formation of Hmong culture? 3. Dr. Dan Murphy said, "The language barrier was the most obvious problem, but not the most important. The biggest problem was the cultural barrier. There is a tremendous difference between dealing with the Hmong and dealing with anyone else. An infinite difference" (p. 91). What does he mean by this? 4. The author says, "I was struck...by the staggering toll of stress that the Hmong exacted from the people who took care of them, particularly the ones who were young, idealistic, and meticulous" (p. 75). Why do you think the doctors felt such great stress? 5. Dr. Neil Ernst said, "I felt it was important for these Hmongs to understand that there were certain elements of medicine that we understood better than they did and that there were certain rules they had to follow with their kids' lives. I wanted the word to get out in the community that if they deviated from that, it was not acceptable behavior" (p. 79). Do you think the Hmong understood this message? Why or why not? What do you think...
Words: 946 - Pages: 4
...Critical Analysis of a Literary Work By Debbie Cresta Submitted to, Brian Foxworth, in partial fulfillment of HCE604 Ethics for Nurse Leaders Regis University December 5, 2013 Critical Analysis of a Literary Work When looking over the topics of choice, one book stood out among the rest. The ethical dilemma was clearly spelled out for anyone to see. Things are not always what they seem to be, they are not often black and white and at times require that we take our time to really examine our choices and how we come to reach them. Although there are many ethical dilemmas within the content of the story and some may be very hard to pin down, finding just one specific health care ethical issue to talk about can be considered a daunting task. First we must understand that the word ethics means different things to different people and that in reality its very definition can describe their own version of moral philosophy. It is conceivably much harder to understand the issues between what is right and what is wrong, the problems that may exist between ethics and morality, one’s integrity and the many existing belief systems. It is not as simple as black or white or what constitutes good behavior as oppose to bad. We must remember that one man’s poison may be another’s choice of practicing healing methods. We must remember that we live in world that has vast cultural belief systems, ethical values, and religious beliefs, therefore we must practice our western medicine without...
Words: 2894 - Pages: 12
...The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down (1997) is an ethnography written by Anne Faidman. 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. Lia was diagnosed with epilepsy during infancy. Her family’s opinion was that the condition was a spiritual gift. Lia’s parents, Nao Kao and Foua, were wary of the American medical system, preferring to care for Lia in the Hmong way. Throughout the considerable conflict surrounding her care, Lia continued to have seizures; at the age of 4 ½, after a particularly devastating episode of status epilepticus, she slipped into a persistent vegetative state that would last...
Words: 1289 - Pages: 6
...THE STATE OF HMONG-AMERICAN STUDIES (A BIBLIOGRAPHIC ESSAY) By Mark E. Pfeifer, PhD Director, Hmong Resource Center, Saint Paul Editor, Hmong Studies Journal Introduction In the newly published volume Hmong/Miao in Asia, Chiang Mai: Silkworm Books, co-editor Nicholas Tapp provides an insightful essay “The State of Hmong Studies: An Essay on Bibliography” which traces the temporal development of research on the Hmong and assesses some of the key works within the interdisciplinary realm of Hmong Studies. Tapp’s essay is very valuable as an overview of the growth of Hmong Studies research based in Asia. Unfortunately, the sections of his piece pertaining to Hmong-American Studies, are, as he himself acknowledges, dated as they are heavily focused on publications from the 1980s and early 1990s. It is the purpose of the present short essay to provide the reader with an assessment of recent developments in Hmong-American Studies and some insights about certain research areas that need further development in the field. Health and Medicine Hmong-American Studies research has grown dramatically since the early 1990s. The Hmong Resource Center library in Saint Paul now possesses more than 150 dissertations/theses and 450 journal articles pertaining to HmongAmericans (as opposed to Hmong in Asia and other countries). The vast majority 1 of these works have been published since 1994. There are certain fields within Hmong-American Studies that have seen very important...
Words: 1179 - Pages: 5
...Maryia Astapenka COMP 110.N82 Ms. Muzyk At home essay #3 November 17, 2015 Gran Torino Films are an integral part of our visual culture. They are a reflection of our traditions and our myths. Film's ability to create the illusion of life and reality makes them an extremely powerful medium. In their essay "Reading and Writing about Movies," Jonathan Silverman and Dean Rader highlight the idea, "that movies use various techniques to manipulate audiences" (322), because "directors employ music, lighting, special effects, and clever editing to help make their movies more powerful"(322). To have a better understanding of the film's theme, we have to watch it critically, reading the meaning between the lines. It is possible to do paying attention...
Words: 920 - Pages: 4
...Chan Alexander AAS210 Essay 3 The aftermath of the Vietnam War forced over 1 million Vietnamese and Cambodian refugees to leave their homes in order to look for asylum within other nations. The domestic and international policies that ensued resulted in high forms of racialization of these refugees. Firstly, and to me the gravest form of racialization was a general ethnic racialization of all refugees by many of the refugee’s fellow Eastern Asiatic countries. Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and the Philippines began refusing many of the “second wave” of refugees based on the fact that they did not want to receive anymore refugees within those, as their refugee camps began to fill; many times not even restocking their boats or giving bare minimums before forcing refugee ships to re-sail into the sea where it is estimated that more then half died. The Hmong who did flee faced political racialization by the Laotian government, as they were ostracized by their government for their aiding of the U.S. in the Laotian civil war. The Laotian government specifically rooted out any Hmong possible, while forcing many of which into their own internment camps, in which did not survive, all this while the Laotian government forced many others of the Hmong into hiding, in fear of similar resentment and treatment. Although originally received well, the “boat people” who landed in America were labeled outcast as reminders of an unpopular war in which they had lost...
Words: 539 - Pages: 3
...Name: Tutor: Course: Date: Asian Immigration to the United States Most American immigrants are thought to be people who are escaping civil war or poverty and are generally perceived to be with little or no education. While there are some Asians who they indeed fit this image, it is worth noting that there exists another group of Asian immigrants who are well educated and they have skilled or professional occupational backgrounds. This essay majorly looks into the American connection which led to mass immigration from Asia after World War II. It is worth noting that prior to the 1940s, the only Asian region where America had dominance was the Philippines, which was an American colony since 1898 (Cheng and Liu 74). The advent of the Second World War changed this economic and configuration as the U.S interests seeped into regions where previously they exercised little influence. Progressively, wartime involvement affected the political and economic alignments which occurred after the post-war period. When the war ended, the Soviet Union and America became interlocked in a political supremacy war. This turf led to a chain of wars which involved the two countries, but the wars were fought in regions that belonged to neither, mostly in the Southeast Asia like Vietnam. The economic and political elites, alongside the ordinary people who were fleeing from the war created a notable group of Asian immigrants to America. Due to its dominating role in the area, the United States became...
Words: 971 - Pages: 4
...2 Understanding Diversity in the Classroom CHAPTER LEARNING GOALS After you study this chapter, you will be able to: 1. Explain the importance of understanding classroom diversity. 2. Explain the different group and individual sources of diversity. 3. Describe approaches to teaching in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms. 4. Explain the provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. 5. Explain the characteristics of students with exceptionalities. 6. Describe the role of the teacher in the inclusive classroom. Imagine You Are the Teacher It Is The First Teaching year at Lincoln Elementary School for Ms. Branson. She has 30 fifth-graders of whom 13 are girls and 17 are boys, 12 participate in the free and reduced lunch program, 5 are English language learners, and 4 have individualized education programs (IEPs). As she plans her lesson on paragraph writing, she is trying to keep the special needs of each of her students in mind. Because Jessica has a hearing impairment, Ms. Branson decides to make a written outline that includes the important parts of a paragraph and examples of good and bad paragraphs. She also decides to go over the outline several times because Fred and Alex have a reading disability. In her plan, there is also a note to herself to find a bigger pencil and wide-lined paper for Suzy, who requires these modifications according to her IEP. Based on past writing experiences, she expects Monica to finish writing her paragraph...
Words: 31653 - Pages: 127
...Instructor’s Manual and Test Bank to accompany A First Look at Communication Theory Sixth Edition Em Griffin Wheaton College prepared by Glen McClish San Diego State University and Emily J. Langan Wheaton College Published by McGrawHill, an imprint of The McGrawHill Companies, Inc., 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. Copyright Ó 2006, 2003, 2000, 1997, 1994, 1991 by The McGrawHill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. The contents, or parts thereof, may be reproduced in print form solely for classroom use with A First Look At Communication Theory provided such reproductions bear copyright notice, but may not be reproduced in any other form or for any other purpose without the prior written consent of The McGrawHill Companies, Inc., including, but not limited to, in any network or other electronic storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance learning. PREFACE Rationale We agreed to produce the instructor’s manual for the sixth edition of A First Look at Communication Theory because it’s a first-rate book and because we enjoy talking and writing about pedagogy. Yet when we recall the discussions we’ve had with colleagues about instructor’s manuals over the years, two unnerving comments stick with us: “I don’t find them much help”; and (even worse) “I never look at them.” And, if the truth be told, we were often the people making such points! With these statements in mind, we have done some serious soul-searching about the texts that so many teachers—ourselves...
Words: 159106 - Pages: 637
...Frequent Errors in English Grammar: Articles and Possessive Markers Keiko Muto-Humphrey 1. Introduction During past decade or so, The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) has been making increasing efforts to shift the focus of EFL pedagogy from “correctness and accuracy” in English to “communicative ability” (MEXT 1998). In response to this, much emphasis has been placed on students’ ability to express themselves orally in class. This has, however, had the (undesired) effect of grammar and lexis being minimised in schools. We are now at a stage whereby the overwhelming majority of students enter universities with an insufficient knowledge of grammar and lexis. This paper will examine two error patterns committed by Japanese studying English as a second language: the genitive markers of/’s indicating possession; and the English article system a/an/the. The former is concerned with the misuse of the English preposition of, which I consider to originate in the L1. The analysis shown below manifests that it is difficult for Japanese students to distinguish between of and ’s: a comparison of this will ensue. The latter originates in the misuse/overgeneralisation of learning strategies: the usage of articles: a/an/the. The Japanese language lacks an article system, making this, “one of the greatest problems for Japanese learners [and this] is vividly revealed in the high frequency of mistakes,...” (Kimizuka 1968:78). After analysing the two...
Words: 7244 - Pages: 29
