anne fadiman's the spirit catches you and you fall down
i don't read a lot of non-fiction, but i enjoyed fadiman's ex libris and this was highly recommended to me. this work revolves around a culture clash between a family of hmong refugees in california and the doctors treating their infant daughter for epilepsy; fadiman alternates chapters dealing with the medical saga with sections on hmong history and culture, along with some meditations on how medical centers are working on treating people across cultures. not only is it a moving read, but i think it's a valuable read for any med student or doctor, to try and get a feel for how to treat patients with different beliefs or different languages.
1 comment:
i had no idea it was one of those summer reading books! anyway, i really enjoyed it, so definitely give it a go. :)
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