Chapter 19 of Fadiman’s The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down concludes with a sacrifice conducted by a txiv neeb and the Lee family in honour of Lia. This scene truly highlights the rich culture of the Hmong with regards to how they interpret the happenings of the world and how they must dealContinue reading Chapter 19 + Overview
Chapter 17 & 18
Chapter 17 dealt with the question of what had caused Lia’s condition and if there was, if anything, that could have been changed such that Lia didn’t have to suffer the fate she had. It had been revealed that her brain death was the result of septic shock caused by the pseudomonas aeruginosa bacillus inContinue reading Chapter 17 & 18
Chapter 15 & 16
Chapter 15 of Fadiman’s The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down follows Lia at the point in which she has achieved a deeply vegetative state. However, she was treated by her family in ways that suggested she was not seen any differently from before she was in neural and physical decline. In fact, sheContinue reading Chapter 15 & 16
Unnatural Causes: Place Matters
Unnatural Causes: Place Matters focuses on the stories of Gwai Boonkeut and other Southeast Asian immigrants, including the Vietnamese and Laotian, immigrating into neglected urban neighborhoods across the United States. Boonkeut lives in Richmond, California where a number of problems have long plagued its residents. Such struggles include the presence of pollutants, unaffordable housing, “povertyContinue reading Unnatural Causes: Place Matters
Chapter 13 & 14
Hmong culture regarding the traditions surrounding the dead and those who are rapidly approaching death is particularly nuanced in chapter thirteen. According to the Hmong, it is especially rude to use terms such as “when you die…”, or other phrases that imply the imminence of one’s death. This is because, unless you are intending toContinue reading Chapter 13 & 14
Departmental Talk
Dr. Jennifer Coleman lead the departmental talk regarding the correlation between race and posttraumatic stress disorder. Her field of research has produced a number of interesting and surprising findings that contribute to the mental and physical background of race related PTSD. What stuck out most was that studies suggest that those who are white haveContinue reading Departmental Talk
Chapter 11 & 12
Chapter eleven focuses on the biggest incidence of epilepsy experienced by Lia Lee. This episode was so severe that she was not treated at her regular hospital; rather, she was transferred to an institution that had an intensive care unit where she was subjected to numerous invasive procedures in order to aid her back toContinue reading Chapter 11 & 12
In Sickness and In Wealth
Unnatural Causes: In Sickness and in Wealth entwines the narratives of several individuals who work in a hospital in the Louisville area. Each individual hails from a different district that is characterized by their unique socioeconomic status and consequently, though their lives do converge at a single facet in their life, each individual tells aContinue reading In Sickness and In Wealth
Chapter 9 & 10
Chapter 9 of Fadiman’s The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down further develops the idea that Lia Lee’s parents are not neglectful of their child, but rather, they cherish her deeply and they have been attempting to heal her using the best of their ability and cultural knowledge. Having come a long way sinceContinue reading Chapter 9 & 10
The Valentine
Infectious diseases, such as cholera, typhoid, polio, and more, have been criminally underacknowledged for their magnitude, severity, and impact on the lives of many compared to more broadcasted incidents, including causalities of war and natural disasters. According to the Valentine Museum’s ‘Pandemic’ exhibit, more soldiers died of disease in the Civil War than in battle;Continue reading The Valentine
