Synopsis
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is a book about a young child, Lia, that suffers from epilepsy. Unfortunately, she has many grand mal seizures, which eventually leaves her in a vegetative state for the remainder of her life. Although this is very upsetting, this was not the main idea of the book. The essence of the book was the clash between two cultures, western and eastern medicine. As a result of the cultural differences, it lead to the destruction of Lia's brain. The proper treatment was the biggest issue between the doctors, practicing Western Medicine and the parents, believing in Eastern Medicine. Both the doctors and parents wanted what was best for Lia, but because of cultural differences, it left this little girl disabled and unresponsive without a cure.