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The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down Book Report

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“The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” by Anna Fadiman tells the story of Lia Lee, a Hmong child with epilepsy, whose life could have been different if only her family was caught up in western medicine. This book reveals the tragic struggles between a doctor and patient because of lack of communication. When Lia was around three months old, her older sister Yer accidentally slammed a door and Lia had suddenly fallen into the floor. This is the first recorded time that Lia was experiencing an epileptic shock. Her parents, Foua and Nao Kao, believed that the noise of the door had caused her soul to travel in the spirit land and is now able to communicate with them. They called her illness as “qaug dab peg” or ; "the spirit catches

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