A doctor living in Merced who invites Fadiman to meet his Hmong patients. Bill is a veteran of the Peace Corps with a passion for learning about other cultures, and he was once the chief resident at MCMC. The office in his home—where Fadiman stays while conducting her research—is full of ethnographies of various tribes and foreign groups of people. Bill is both a sounding board and wellspring of advice for Fadiman as she works through her research.
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Bill Selvidge Character Timeline in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
The timeline below shows where the character Bill Selvidge appears in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 6: High-Velocity Transcortical Lead Therapy
Fadiman’s old college friend Bill Selvidge (and the former chief resident at MCMC) explained to her that, due to the fact...
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Chapter 8: Foua and Nao Kao
...unhelpful, often translating several minute-long answers using only one or two words. Luckily, her friend Bill Selvidge introduced her to Sukey Waller, a psychologist who worked with many Hmong patients. Sukey explained...
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Chapter 18: The Life or the Soul
One night, Fadiman invited Bill Selvidge and Sukey Waller to dinner in the hopes of provoking an interesting conversation about the...
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