The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
by Anne Fadiman
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Book Summary Information
Author: Anne FadimanEdition: Paperback
Published: 1998-09-28
ISBN: 0374525641
Number of pages: 352
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Book Reviews of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
Book Review: remarkably even-handed treatment of a difficult subject
Summary: 5 Stars
I found this story about the clash between the culture of western medicine and the culture of eastern shamanism to be so moving and fascinating that I practically managed to read the whole thing in one day. The fact that the Lees and their daughter's western doctors both were so strongly committed to Lia's welfare made the story all the more heart-breaking. It is hard to believe that Fediman manages to avoid obviously picking sides. The Lees are not backward savages, and the doctors aren't cold-blooded automatons. Both are loving, caring people, who simply aren't prepared to deal with the foreigness of the other's culture. Her fairness in addressing both sides of the issue makes it easier for the reader to see that this is not a story of someone being right or wrong, but a story an inability to compromise. After reading the book and knowing the final outcome of Lia's treatment, I still cannot find it in my heart to blame either the doctors, who could not countenance giving Lia different (and in their minds inferior) treatment, or her parents, who were convinced that the medicine was hurting her.
My only critisism is that some of the chapters that deal with the history of the Hmong in Laos interrupt a story that has too much momentum to afford that interruption.
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