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I doubt that I would have ever discovered this book had it not been for my local book club. One of the members suggested it and said that it was an interesting book about clashing cultures.
As I read this book, I chose to read the story Jouanah: A Hmong Cinderella by Jewell Reinhart Coburn with our girls. I loved that this folktale helped all of see a small glimpse into the life of the Hmong people, especially before they were forced to flee their life and lands in Laos.
I have to admit that at ...more
As I read this book, I chose to read the story Jouanah: A Hmong Cinderella by Jewell Reinhart Coburn with our girls. I loved that this folktale helped all of see a small glimpse into the life of the Hmong people, especially before they were forced to flee their life and lands in Laos.
I have to admit that at ...more

Although I really enjoyed this non-fictional account of cross-cultural misinterpretation, the author some times got too bogged down in the back story of the Hmong as a people. In some areas this was important, but it wasn't integrated as well as I would have liked. A very sad story for both cultures.
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I actually read this book in a day ( b/c I have to write an essay on it tomorrow as part of my final exam & left reading it for the last minute)..it was required reading for my History of Immigration & Ethnicity class. I thought the fact that it was very interesting made it a very easy read...I've never heard of the Hmong before reading this book & this was a fascinating introduction to their history & culture....
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i had NO idea what this book was about (a friend lent it to me, or asked me to hang on to it for her when she was moving around a lot). it was a fascinating true account of a little girl and her parents, who are hmong (an asian ethnic group, who have a large community in central california)and their experience with the american medical system in treating the little girl's severe epilepsy.
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Clash of cultures. A young Hmong girl is diagnosed with a serious disease. Her parents do not trust the American medical system and want to heal her with their traditional methods, while the doctors want to treat her with medication. This book examines the viewpoints of the doctors and the Hmong community without bias. Very compelling.

This was a fascinating - and sad - book that looked at the experience of a Hmong girl diagnosed with epilepsy from both her family's point of view as well as the doctors'.
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Jan 18, 2015
Janet Morris
marked it as to-read
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review of another edition
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