Summary Of The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down By Fadiman

Last semester I read the book The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman for one of my social work classes. This book is closely related to the chapter we covered this week on immigrants and refugees. This topic definitely piqued my interest. The book provided me with a descriptive overview of the life of a refugee from their perspective, while our textbook provided me with the knowledge base that is needed to assist this population. From a local perspective, I could never grasp the real effects of migration, but from a global perspective I am blown away. I must say that this chapter is short, but there is so much information to take from it. After I read the book last semester I didn’t think much about it; however, this week’s
Social exclusion, oppression, and discrimination are just a few systematic barriers that many immigrants and refugees experience before, during, and after the migration process. So this chapter broadened my perspective, and the knowledge I gained helped me grasp just how important development practice is. Development practice is critical because it is inclusive and bridges how our partners perceive their needs. This is why both sources of information are so important because as change agents, we have to seek our partner’s guidance in understanding their experiences and narratives. Seeking guidance from our constituents can be a difficult process for everyone because social workers recognize migration as a complex, social, cultural, and political process. Migration is such a fragile issue because we are talking about people’s livelihood. It is definitely an issue that no one can afford to take lightly. Reading about refugees fleeing from their land due to war and persecution is heart-wrenching. Immigrants and refugees are running from something and their stories are horrific. There is always a great sense of loss that they experience