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

Pros: Now Required Reading For Medical Students so they have a better understanding of different cultures

Cons: Would have liked Hmong terms written in English

The Bottom Line: I would recommend this book to anyone who likes reading true stories or anyone that likes to read about different cultures .

Review: This book is required reading for medical students according to the Hmong Interpreter where I work. It was the winner of the national book critic's circle award. Was praised by editors from the Washington Post to the New York times and many others...

Pros: enthusiastic author, Smith reading, a different and culture, interesting idea

Cons: Long; frequent strays from topic; awkward writing style; often nonsensical anecdotes

The Bottom Line: "The Spirit..." has potential, but is ultimately rocky and disorganized. Much of it is interesting, too much is muddled. Worth a skim, but don't read every word.

Review: As an entering student at Smith College, I found myself immersed in the new life I would be coming into: excited about everything, planning my class loads, wondering what my roommate would be like, fretting about dorms, the right place on campus,...

Pros: It is a fascinating story. Talks about how two cultures clash. Very informative.

Cons: Fadiman often strays from the main topic.

The Bottom Line: If you want to learn about how two cultures can collide and the effects of it, this is a good book to read.

Review: I had to read this book for a class I'm taking this semester. This book is actually our university's "book of the semester. This book is very informative and will make you feel like you've stepped into another culture.

This book is about a...

Pros: Absorbing Story

Cons: Not always an "easy read"

Review: This book is remarkable in that it manages to tell a compelling story about one little girl's epilepsy while, at the same time, offering a broad and moving expose about the cultural clash between Eastern and Western medicine.

The author of...

Pros: Researched and wonderfully presented details of a very complex and high-staked situation.

Cons: An romantic and uncritical--one-dimensional--look at the facts discovered.

The Bottom Line: Good reading for learning more about the Hmong; just don't fall into the same trap as the author and the book's doctors by generalizing about a diverse ethnic group.

Review: The Spirit Catches You is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in learning trivia about Hmong-Americans and, in particular, the tragic outcome for an epileptic Hmong-American child caught in the middle of an epic clash between her Hmong parents...

Pros: Interesting idea, Smith summer reading, a different point of view and culture

Cons: Long; frequent strays from topic; awkward writing style; often nonsensical anecdotes

The Bottom Line: "The Spirit..." has potential, but is ultimately rocky and disorganized. While much of it is interesting, too much of it is muddled. Worth a skim, but don't read every word.

Review: As an entering student at Smith College, I found myself immersed in the new life I would be coming into: excited about everything, planning my class loads, wondering what my roommate would be like, fretting about dorms, the right place on campus,...