The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Lesson Plan

How does the book begin? What do we learn about Lia and the Lee family? What do we learn about Hmong culture and history?

The book opens with a description of what Lia's birth would have been like if she had been born in northwest Laos like the majority of her siblings. Sprinkled within this description, we learn about the family home, how it was made, and how it was cleaned. We also are briefly introduced to the txiv neeb and the shamanic practices in Hmong culture, as well as about the dabs or malevolent spirits. We are then instructed on common pregnancy practices and the importance of the placenta being buried, where, and why. We learn that Lia's placenta, Lia...