The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1997

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

What is the significance of the title of the book?

The book alternates between telling Lia’s story (odd numbered chapters) and narrating the political and cultural history of the Hmong (even numbered chapters). Why does Fadiman structure her book in this way, and what does it add to our understanding of Lia’s case?

What is the overall tone of the book? To what extent does the tone change in the afterword, written 15 years after the original publication of the book?