The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is a cautionary tale of a Hmong family trying to navigate the western medical system in order to help their daughter, Lia, who has been diagnosed with epilepsy. The book demonstrates the tragic consequences that can occur due to a lack of cross-cultural understanding and communication in the medical world and the rigidity of Western doctors when caring for patients who hold different beliefs than their own.
Fadiman was inspired to study the topic after Bill Selvidge, a college friend and chief resident of family practice at MCMC, mentioned his Hmong patients. He described them as incredibly interesting but notoriously difficult to work with as...
