Tuesday, August 31, 2010

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down

Anne Fadiman has written a book that sheds light on such an important topic. Immigrants - how do we assimilate them into our culture fairly and tenderly?? She tackles this with much thought and research in her book: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. It truly is a heart-wrenching story - the true story of Lia, a very young Hmong child, that is living with her family in the U.S. and has severe medical issues that cause her to visit the hospital monthly, if not sometimes weekly. Doctors are baffled, communication is tough, and tensions are high between parents and doctors. It is an honest read - a bit slow at times for me as there was a lot of medical jargon - but I am glad I kept reading. There is hope and it is a book that truly gets you thinking....

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