Journal Entry 1 by mngirl from New Brighton, Minnesota USA on Monday, January 20, 2003

Explores the clash between a small county hospital in California and a refugee family from Laos over the care of Lia Lee, a Hmong child diagnosed with severe epilepsy. Lia's parents and her doctors both wanted what was best for Lia, but the lack of understanding between them led to tragedy.

A story of cultural and language barriers between a family and their doctors.

A very good book, although a slow read at times. Includes the history of the Hmong, and medical jargon.  

Journal Entry 2 by mngirl from New Brighton, Minnesota USA on Tuesday, March 11, 2003

Gave to Flashgirl at the Mpls. meetup. 

Journal Entry 3 by Flashgirl from Minneapolis, Minnesota USA on Thursday, March 13, 2003

I picked this up at the MeetUp. It's on my to-read shelf. 

Journal Entry 4 by Flashgirl from Minneapolis, Minnesota USA on Tuesday, September 16, 2003

Journal Entry 5 by Leilaht from Milford, Michigan USA on Tuesday, September 23, 2003

I got this today. Will read when I get some free time. Should be interesting since I donate to Gospel For Asia which does a lot of work among the Hmong. Many of them are Christians and severely persecuted for their faith. 

Journal Entry 6 by Leilaht from Milford, Michigan USA on Saturday, September 27, 2003

A good book, but she should have focused more on Lia and her family. I think this author has the same problem I always had writing. I always include too much information.

I had convulsions when I was a small child. Not diagnosed epileptic(dr. said it was a blow to the head.)I took Phenobarb for almost 4 years. I was one of the children it actually made less hyper. Mom said I used to sleep standing up with my eyes open before the medicine. I had to empathize with her parents. I don't much trust doctors either. I think they were right about it being a spiritual thing though. Not a lost soul, but possibly possession.

Thanks Flashgirl, good read. 

Journal Entry 7 by kangaroo from Barnet, Greater London United Kingdom on Friday, November 21, 2003

Arrived in England safe & sound - thanks!  

Journal Entry 8 by kangaroo from Barnet, Greater London United Kingdom on Friday, October 29, 2004

Wow! I really enjoyed this. It took me a little while to pick up the book, because I was unprepared for the subject matter - I just wanted to read more books by Anne Fadiman because I loved her Ex Libris, but this was so different..

I had never even heard of the Hmong before I saw this book, so reading about another culture and another people was the most fascinating part of it for me, though the Lees' story was interesting - and tragic - too.
Well, that and that it happened in Merced County, where my boyfriend's parents moved to 2 years ago. I'm going there for two weeks in January, so it's put a new slant on the place for me.

There is an interview with Anne Fadiman about this book, which might be of interest, here.

The BCUK community are indeed interested in reading this. Running order as follows:

1. hey-miki
2. winterson
3. chelseagirl


Will be sent on the 10th November. 

Journal Entry 9 by hey-miki from London , Greater London United Kingdom on Monday, November 15, 2004

Received this a few days ago and am already half-way through...
Thanks kangaroo! 

Journal Entry 10 by hey-miki from London , Greater London United Kingdom on Thursday, December 02, 2004

Ever since I finished reading this (2 weeks ago - sorry I didn't have time to jounal it earlier) I have been gushing about it to anyone who's prepared to listen! It think it is a marvellous achievement. I could never have guessed this topic would make for such fascinating reading!

I too had never previously heard of the Hmong. Now I'd love to meet some! They have an amazing cultural heritage. Being Jewish I felt a lot of empathy reading the terrible history of persecution they have suffered, and being forced to leave so many countries.

I actually liked the structure of the book - flipping between Lia's story, and the story of the Hmong as a whole. As the author explains in the concluding notes, she adopted the "Hmong-style Fish Soup" method of story-telling intentionally - giving loads of background to the story because so much is connected to it.
And ever since reading it I've realised just how many issues this book comments on. I'd never really thought about the western practice of venerating doctors, for example. It's only when you compare our culture to such a contrasting one that you begin to notice so many things we take for granted. And the fact that all these ways are all *valid alternatives* - it's not the case that one is objectively better than another.

I can understand how the author got so involved in the subject matter that she spent 9 years researching it. And what a fitting outcome!
There are so many lessons to be learnt from this book. I feel thoroughly nourished!
Thank you so much for sharing it.
Now to try and track down some more books by Anne Fadiman... 

Journal Entry 11 by hey-miki from London , Greater London United Kingdom on Thursday, December 09, 2004

Posted to Winterson 

Journal Entry 12 by Winterson from Peacehaven, East Sussex United Kingdom on Monday, December 13, 2004

Got this on Saturday and it looks good. Hoping to learn something from this one - one of the many things I love about Bookcrossing, that you get to read books that you wouldn't usually buy, and learn loads of new things. Will journal when I work my way through mount tbr to this one. 

Journal Entry 13 by Winterson from Peacehaven, East Sussex United Kingdom on Thursday, January 06, 2005

I'm with Flashgirl on this one! I wanted to know what happened to Lia too. I got involved in her story and in the reflective thoughts of Peggy and Neil and the other staff that worked with her, and skipped some of the more historical parts to get back to them. I loved learning about the Hmong culture - I'd never heard of them before either, and am so impressed by the way they have held on to their tradition, although it does seem that the younger generations are becoming more and more americanised now. What an amazing culture though! The saddest part of the book for me is a spoiler... so if you haven't read the book yet, turn away for the next bit...

the part where we find out that 'Jenny', who was such an important part of their life and such a friend to them, dies from a similar incident. Such an amazing woman, such a loss.

A real insight into the culture of the Hmong and of the American health and social workers. Left me thinking, which is' the best thing a book can do.
Thanks mngirl for sending this out.
On to Chelseagirl. 

Journal Entry 14 by chelseagirl from Faringdon, Oxfordshire United Kingdom on Saturday, January 08, 2005

Arrived safely this morning, many thanks. Mount immediate-TBR isn't too big at the moment so I'll get on to it soon! 

Journal Entry 15 by chelseagirl from Faringdon, Oxfordshire United Kingdom on Wednesday, January 19, 2005

This is a fascinating exploration of a people that I had never heard of before reading this, much less knew anything about.

The Hmog people have been persecuted and hounded out of their homes for hundreds of years, and now thousands of them find themselves living as refugees in America, where their culture is misunderstood and abused.

The book alternates between chapters of research on the Hmong way of life and the story of Lia, a Hmong girl who suffered severe epileptic fits. Her parents couldn't speak English and the hospitals she went to never employes suitable interpreters or tried to understand the Hmong's views on medicine, so it was no surprise really when medication was not properly administered.

I found the story of Lia interesting though a little bit shallow - as we only ever see Lia and her family through the eyes of westerners we are shown the worst sides of their nature and I found it very hard to be as sympathetic towards them as I should have been. I would really like to have seen more of the family as they really were - there was the odd snapshot of a family occasion where they were true to themselves and not the sullen, withdrawn people the hospital staff sasw, but these moments were too rare.

The whole medical system angered me, as some of the solutions offered at the end - combining both western and Hmong medicines and treatments, findind an interpreter who can also explain both cultures, involving the parents as fully as possible rather than just going roughshod over their views - is just common sense, surely. I really hope that Lia's case has made the medical profession take a long hard look at themselves and make some changes.

Unlike many people on this ring, I actually preferred the sections on the background and culture of the Hmong. Theirs is a fascinating history and many of these sections were really interesting.

My one criticism is that the book is overlong - the author tends to repeat herself a lot, re-presenting the same information in several different ways, and towards the last few chapters I found I was skimming through. If this had been 100 pages shorter I'd probably have given it a 10/10!

Thanks for running this ring, kangaroo, and for releasing the book in the first place, mngirl. Yet another book that I would probably have never come across without BookCrossing!

There don't seem to be any readers after me so I'll find out what's meant to happen with it and sign up some new recruits!!! 

Journal Entry 16 by coolboxuk from Chertsey, Surrey United Kingdom on Friday, January 28, 2005

Received at Reading Meet last night. Thanks. -- coolboxuk 

Journal Entry 17 by coolboxuk from Chertsey, Surrey United Kingdom on Wednesday, February 16, 2005

A really unusual book; enjoyable probably isn't quite the word but certainly fascinating. It took me a rather long time (by my standard) to read it - there's a lot of it, and a lot of really tiny print footnotes and quotations, too, which made me want to take breaks. So did the topic itself. It is quite an overload of information, both medically and anthropologically, but I think the author has tied up Lia's personal story and the huge amount of cultural background information in a very accessible way, by alternating chapters of the one and the other.

I have actually met a few Hmong people, during a trek in Northern Thailand, where they were introduced to us as Miao, but of course the relationship was too short and superficial to learn much about them. I would agree with the notions of them being very pretty, and quite friendly, too. So it was all the more interesting to read about their history and plight...

Certainly a book I won't forget in a hurry, and would recommend reading... -- coolboxuk 

Journal Entry 18 by coolboxuk from Chertsey, Surrey United Kingdom on Friday, February 18, 2005

Going out on another ray:

- Amanida (we'll be meeting soon for book swap) 

Journal Entry 19 by coolboxuk from Chertsey, Surrey United Kingdom on Saturday, March 12, 2005

Reserved for Amanida - meanwhile given to a non-bookcrossing friend. Will leave her journal for her when finished. 

Journal Entry 20 by coolboxuk from Chertsey, Surrey United Kingdom on Thursday, June 23, 2005

Leaving one last journal before passing this book on to Amanida tonight at the Chertsey Meet: this is a journal for a friend of mine who'd borrowed this book. She is not a bookcrosser yet...

She said it was interesting but a slow read with all the medical detail and small print. She couldn't read more than a few pages at a time which is why it took her quite a while... She also said that she found it an amazing story, seeing that it's real, with all its complications, but that the end is somehwat unsatisfactory as it doesn't really clarify what became of Lia... Still she found it worth the read. 

Journal Entry 21 by Amanida from Chertsey, Surrey United Kingdom on Friday, June 24, 2005

Received at the Chertsey Meet, thanks coolbox, 

Journal Entry 22 by Amanida from Chertsey, Surrey United Kingdom on Thursday, December 29, 2005

Just wanted to journal that I'm currently reading this book in Cambodia, not quite Laos, but close! The parts about the war make an interesting and relevant background. I have to admit that I'm finding the book quite moving and sad.
I'll journal again when I'm home with my final verdict and let everyone know where I left the book. 

Journal Entry 23 by Amanida from Chertsey, Surrey United Kingdom on Saturday, December 31, 2005

I finished the book in Siem Reap and left it in the hotel there. I enjoyed it very much, but in the end I felt that the author was trying too hard to apportion blame and speculate "what if?"
Parts of the book were rather long winded and the rather abrupt ending was therefore a bit of a surprise, and left me wondering what happened after the sacrifice. 

Journal Entry 24 by Amanida at Angkor Hotel in Siem Reap, Siem Reap Cambodia on Sunday, January 01, 2006

Released 6 yrs ago (12/30/2005 UTC) at Angkor Hotel in Siem Reap, Siem Reap Cambodia

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

Left on a table with some other books on it on the first floor of the hotel.