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10.
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How did the EMT's and the doctors respond to what Neil referred
to Lia's
"big one"? Do you think they performed as well as
they could have under the cirumstances?
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11.
|
How does the greatest of all Hmong folktales, the story of
how Shee Yee fought with 9 evil dab brothers (p.170), reflect
the life and culture of the Hmong?
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12.
|
Discuss the Lee's life in Laos. How was it different from
their life in the U.S.? Foua says, "When we were running
from Laos at least we hoped our lives would be better. It
was not as sad as after Lia went to Fresno and got sick."
(p.171). What were the Lees running from? What were they hoping
to find in the U.S.?
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13.
|
When polled, Hmong refugees in America stated that "difficulty
with American agencies" was a more serious problem than
either "war memories" or "separation from family."
Why do you think they felt this way? Could this have been
prevented? If so, how? What does the author believe?
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14.
|
The Hmong are often referred to as a "Stone Age"
people or "low-caste hill tribe." Why is this? Do
you agree with this assessment of Hmong culture? Does the
author?
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15.
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What was the "role loss" many adult Hmong faced
when they came to the U.S. What is the underlying root cause?
How does this loss affect their adjustment to America?
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16.
|
What are the most important aspects of Hmong culture? What
do the Hmong consider their most important duties and obligations?
How did they affect the Hmong's transition to the U.S.?
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17.
|
What does Dan Murphy mean by, "When you fail 1 Hmong
patient, you fail the community" (p.253).
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18.
|
The author gives you some insight into the way she organized
her notes (p.60). What does it say about the process of writing
this book? She chooses to alternate between chapters of Lia's
story and its larger background-the history of the Lee family
and of the Hmong. What effect does this create in the book?
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19.
|
The concept of "fish soup" is central to the author's
understanding of the Hmong. What does it mean, and how is
it reflected in the structure of this book?
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20.
|
It is clear that many of Lia's doctors, most notably Neil
Ernst and Peggy Philp, were heroic in their efforts to help
Lia, and that her parents cared for her deeply, yet this arguably
preventable tragedy still occured. Can you think of anything
that might have prevented it?
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21.
|
What did you learn from this book? Would you assign blame
for Lia's tragedy? If so, to whom? What do you think Anne
Fadiman feels about this question?
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