The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Summary
Anne Fadiman

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Overview

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman explores the story of the miscommunication between the Lee family and the doctors attempting to treat Lia Lee. Immigrants to America, Nao Kao, Foua, and their thirteen children are assigned to live in California where Foua gives birth to a fourteenth child named Lia. Lia is diagnosed with epilepsy and her condition eventually deteriorates to the point where she is paralyzed and brain dead. The book uses Lia’s case to show the need for cross-cultural training and empathy in medical schools.