Review: The World’s Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette’s, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family by Josh Hanagarne

  • Hardcover: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Gotham (May 2, 2013)
  • ISBN-10: 1592407870
  • Source: Publisher

Josh Hanagarne was only six years old when he started exhibiting symptoms of Tourette Syndrome.  It wasn’t until he was in high school that he was officially diagnosed. By the time he reached his twenties and was on a mission for the Church of Latter Day Saints that the symptoms became violent, physical “twitches” that forced him to cause injury upon himself.

Despite the many challenges, Josh never allowed his illness to get the best of him. He tried to maintain a normal life, resorting to a host of remedies to decrease his symptoms. including Botox injections directly into his vocal cords that left him virtually voiceless for three years. These treatments allowed him to marry and get a degree in library science. Eventually, he met an autistic former Air Force Tech Sergeant and guard at an Iraqi prison taught him how to force his tics into submission through a rigorous strength-training.Josh is now a happy father to a little boy (who is already showing symptoms of Tourette’s) and a librarian at Salt Lake City’s public library.

The World’s Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette’s, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family is unlike other memoirs in so many ways. First and foremost, it brings to light a disorder with which many of us are unfamiliar. We know Tourette’s as a sydrome that forces those diagnosed with it to utter or shout inappropriately, but Hanagarne shows readers that it is so much more.  He does this using dry humor and comedy, thereby making a difficult subject easier to digest.

What drew me to this author, enabling a strange connection, is his love of the written word. Like me, Hanagarne read Stephen King when he was far too young, forming an obsession with the horror author at a relatively young age. Like King, Hanagarne is a brilliant storyteller. His journey inspired me tremendously. If this man can overcome the challenges of his life, still swinging, I can accomplish anything. He truly is an inspiration to anyone facing a challenge of any sort, medical or not.

In addition to showcasing his life with Tourette’s, Hanagarne shares his questions about his Mormon faith. In doing so, illuminates on a religion unfamiliar to many of us. He discusses the Mormon subculture, the point of missions, of Mormon marriages, and more. While it’s obvious that his faith was questioned, he never lost respect for it. He doesn’t shun his religion or formulate reasons to admonish Mormonism, instead detailing how instances in his life have led him to question his path in life.

Ultimately, despite one’s religion, age, place in life or state of health, The World’s Strongest Librarian is a memoir destined to be read and appreciated by a whole host of readers. From teens to adults, I think any reader will be rewarded with the inspiration this young man portrays. Highly, highly recommended.

For more about Josh, visit his web site. It includes a host of resources about his book, his life and, my favorite: free reading recommendations!

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One Response to Review: The World’s Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette’s, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family by Josh Hanagarne

  1. Pingback: Jenn's Bookshelves BEA Bound: The Best of Jenn’s Bookshelves | Jenn's Bookshelves

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