• book review,  cultural competency,  healthcare,  readings,  religion,  spirituality

    Notes on the book by Anne Fadiman “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down”

    The book “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” raises many issues, including the cultural barriers, their impact on health care, immigration, racism, laws and rules, and many more. While the book is really about the collision of two systems – the system of medical care in United States and the world system of the Hmong population, it is also about the deeper reasons for the problems that rose in this story. A lot of the Hmong character, brave and noncompliant, is demonstrated through the history of the Hmong people, their involvement in the “American” war (where it was seen as an advantage), their belief that the U.S. is…