The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Lesson Plan

Anne Fadiman was born on August 7, 1953, into a family of writers. Her mother, Annalee Jacoby Fadiman, was the first female war correspondent in China, while her father, Clifton Fadiman, was an essayist, anthologist, critic, and MC of a quiz show called Information Please. Fadiman's childhood was idyllic. She and her brother Kim were surrounded by thousands of books, and dinner conversations often revolved around the meanings of words and literary references. Even the stories their father read them were book-related, such as "Wally the Word Worm," about an invertebrate who lived on polysyllables. Born in New York, Fadiman grew up in southern California, the setting of The Spirit Catches...