Archive for the Books Category
To my knowledge, I’ve never met a Hmong person. I only heard of them because years ago I had some roommates who had been among the first Mormon missionaries assigned to teach the Hmong communities in California.
The book “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures” provides some background regarding the Hmong people’s battles and migrations in China, Laos and Vietnam and also describes the processes that led to many Hmong refugees coming to the United States after 1980.
As one reads, it quickly becomes clear that these are very tough people who have managed to maintain their unique language, culture and identity despite many historical attempts to absorb, assimilate and even destroy them. As the author states:
“The history of the Hmong yields several lessons that anyone who deals with them might do well to remember. Among the most obvious of these are that the Hmong do not like to take orders; that they do not like to lose; that they would rather flee, fight, or die than surrender; that they are not intimidated by being outnumbered; that they are rarely persuaded that the customs of other cultures, even those more powerful than their own, are superior; and that they are capable of getting very angry. Whether you find these traits infuriating or admirable depends largely on whether or not you are trying to make a Hmong do something he or she would prefer not to do. Those who have tried to defeat, deceive, govern, regulate, constrain, assimilate, intimidate, or patronize the Hmong have, as a rule, disliked them intensely.” (page 17)
The book provides excellent information for someone who wants to learn about the Hmong people in general, but also follows the very specific experiences of one Hmong family in the United States as they seek medical treatment for their daughter Lia, who suffers from epilepsy. Her need for medical treatment on an ongoing basis (and her deteriorating condition due to her seizures) leads to a unique and unusual cultural clash that is illustrative of the experience that many Hmong refugees experience as they settle down in America. The writing is excellent and makes for a very interesting and rewarding reading experience.
I couldn’t help but wonder, as I read this book, if it might be worthwhile to make a comparison between the historical experiences of the Hmong people in Asia and the historical experiences of the Kurds in the Middle East. Both groups seem to have been involved in a lasting struggle to maintain their identity and autonomy and both groups have a peculiar attachment to mountainous areas where they are better able to survive.
For some reason Alma Chapter 43 has “arm-shields” (vs. 19) and “armshields” (v. 38). . I don’t see any reason why one should be hyphenated and the other un-hyphenated.
I haven’t thought about it too much until now, but I’ve been re-reading some science fiction books recently: George Herbert’s Dune and John Christopher’s trilogy titled “The White Mountains,” “The City of Gold and Lead” and “The Pool of Fire.” Dune is a great story, though I’ve never seen an author lift so much of his terminology directly from other languages (mostly Arabic, at least one word - cielago - from Spanish). I also loved these John Christopher books.
I don’t know if I’m a huge fan of science fiction in the same way as some others, but there are certainly some amazing science fiction stories out there. Any suggestions?
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