Rating: 
Summary: hmong people may be strange but they aren't
Review: i loved this book so much! I'm hmong but i don't even know, like half of the hmong rules in here it was so grate that i had the chance to read this book. i learned how to read the hmong words and understud my cultures rules. The book was just so grate that i can't put it down. what this book was about is a little girl named lia and
Rating:
Summary: For any caregiver who works in cross-cultural settings
Review: I was given this book by a public health nurse who said two words to me - "Read this". I read it and have since purchased 11 copies to distribute to friends and colleagues. As a social worker, I appreciate Fadiman's insight into the essentiality of understanding culture and cultural differences if one is to be a true caregiver. As an avid reader I was riveted by her narrative and the flow of the story. I recommend this book for anyone who works with others of different cultures than their own. I also recommend it for anyone who appreciates beautiful writing and narrative.
Rating:
Summary: Moving and enlightening
Review: This was a most moving and enlightening book, as a nurse I found the problems and issues of the Hmong culture most valuable to expanding the culture knowledge, the problems and issues they face with an illness and medical system that is not understood, and how it effects the care of not only the patient,but the family also.
Rating: 
Summary: honest, gripping, thought-provoking
Review: As a physician, I was hesitant to read this book, afraid that it was going to be another "doctor-bashing" tale. Ms. Fadiman does an outstanding job of capturing the intense desire of both the parents and Lia's doctors to do what is "right." But, as another reader pointed out, Lia got caught in the conflict between Hmong and Western values. This story also illustrates the naivete, ignorance, and intolerance that too many Americans have in regards to understanding other cultures. Perhaps the title of the book sums it up best. "The spirit catches you and you fall down" is one of the best lay descriptions for seizures that I have come across. Is it any less accurate than the Western "scientific" explanation? I think not. Just different.
Rating:
Summary: Engrossing and very educational
Review: I was a bit skeptical I would like the book, and if it were not for the instance of a close relative, I probably would not have opened it. Thankfully I did. Fadiman does an excellent job of showing the consequences of two totally different cultures colliding against one another. Her book makes it very clear that the Hmong culture is very complex and that the Hmong people are not total dimwits who are closer to apes than humans. The book also is a good examination of the medical system in the western world and points out some of the system's weaknesses and faults. While the above description might make the book sound a bit too academic and dry, it is anything but that. The story of Lia Lee captures your interest (and provides quite a bit of heartache), and Fadiman interwines Lee's story with the story of the Hmong's migration to the USA, which is as interesting as Lee's (and at times, about as depressing and frustrating).
Rating:
Summary: The tragedy of cross-cultural miscommunication
Review: The Spirit Catches you was a wonderful, yet tragic book. It was very well written and gave me a look at what it must be like to immigrate to this country - AND - what it must be like to serve a community of immigrants. Although it is not a novel, it has many elements of fiction in it... the story of a family and their experiences through the hardships of life. The book lacks the happy ending of most novels, however. There are times throughout the book when I had to put it down, because of the emotion of the story. I highly recommend this book. If you serve the public in any capacity, I would consider this book required reading. I do suggest that you keep a dictionary nearby - Ms. Fadiman has quite a vocabulary!
Rating:
Summary: a great suprise
Review: I had to read this book as a summer reading for my freshman year at Smith. I thought that it would be long and boring, after all I don't want to be a doctor and had never heard about the Hmong. However once I started to read I could not put it down. It is wonderfuly written and very intresting.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: A fantastic voyage into an interesting culture. The author does a masterful job of presenting the underlying text behind why certain Hmong actions, that seem irrational to Westerners, make perfect sense from the Hmong perspective. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful and informative book.
Review: About the same time that I got my own published book called "I Thought There Was a Road There" here on the B&N website, I began to read Ann Fadimans book. It was such a delight and a welcome respite from writing. Since I am a nurse and vitally interested in cultural diversity in health care, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is not only an educational book for health care professionals but a must-read for Americans in order to understand the view of the immigrant and especially their struggle with our health care system. I intend to tell many persons about this book.
Rating:
Summary: a must read...
Review: we were assigned to read this book as part of the 'diversity and culture' portion of our physician, patient & society curriculum at NYUSOM. at first, i couldn't believe they were trying to assign us an entire book to read to add to our workload. but after reading the first page, i became engrossed in the overwhelming, incredible, heartbreaking story of lia lee. despite all the other work i had to do, i always made time to read about her condition, smiling when she improved, crying when she deteriorated. i empathized with the parents, who did all the could for their most beloved daughter. i also empathized with the physicians, who tried to do the best they could in the difficult situation. reading 'the spirit catches you...' was in an invaluable lesson in cultural competency and the importance of respecting culture in medicine. it is a must read for any medical student, and is a wonderful saga for the general population.
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