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emilyrbedwell's review against another edition
5.0
There are not enough stars to rate this one. Funny, touching and memorable!
mary_elizabeth's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
kricketa's review against another edition
4.0
i really enjoyed this memoir of a librarian who gains control of his tourette's syndrome by lifting weights. i learned a lot about tourette's and he had some good insights on the role of public libraries in today's world, although i'm not sure every reader would be as excited about that as i am. (a long passage on this topic is stuck somewhat randomly in the second half of the book.) i especially enjoyed hearing about his relationship with his wife, janette, who seems pretty great, and their son max.
sidenote: a somewhat crusty but beloved patron asked me what i was reading while i was in the middle of this, and then put a hold on it, so i'm curious to see what he will think as well.
sidenote: a somewhat crusty but beloved patron asked me what i was reading while i was in the middle of this, and then put a hold on it, so i'm curious to see what he will think as well.
pagesofpins's review against another edition
4.0
The author's funny, self-deprecating and generous but unflinchingly honest account of growing up Mormon, wavering in his faith, loving the library, battling Tourette's syndrome, explaining Steven King to his mom, struggling with miscarriage and infertility and being turned down for adoption and ultimately parenthood, was a pleasure. He describes his faith journey in a way that is neither preachy nor irreverent, and his descriptions of library patrons are spot-on.
dlberglund's review against another edition
4.0
This book crossed my desk at exactly the right time. This memoir is a slice of his life, with all of its complications and quirks that make Josh an outside-the-box kind of guy. It wasn't a memoir just about growing up Mormon, or about being a nontraditional librarian, or a guy with Tourette's. The sum was more than its parts. The ending got a little muddied, however, as if he couldn't figure out what the book *was* about, exactly. But overall, I really enjoyed reading and learning from it. (I also very much enjoyed the chapters headed with Dewey decimal numbers and their topics.)
rayofhope's review against another edition
5.0
I initially didn't realize this was a nonfiction memoir, I don't often read nonfiction so I wasn't sure if I would like it, but to my surprise, I enjoyed every second of it!
Firstly - as a Mormon, I felt pretty well represented in Josh's story. Elements of our culture, beliefs, traditions, stories etc that I've never seen in media were included here. It was cool to see how crucial they were to Josh's story. I don't know, I feel like so many people try to eliminate religion when they tell stories, but it's not possible to really be honest about yourself, your life, and your experiences, if you don't acknowledge the way religion affects you.
Secondly - I didn't know much about Tourretes before reading this, and I feel like I learned a great deal. It's communicated in a way that not only helps the reader understand the physical aspects, but also the frustrations and emotional toll it can have on someone. He talks about learning to manage it, but it also isn't an "inspiration porn" story that ends with a perfect cure or anything. He continues to struggle, and to manage, and that's life. I liked the honesty.
Thirdly - by the end of the book, Josh establishes that he no longer believes in the Mormon faith. I really appreciated the way he approached that issue, and the conversations he shared with his mom, his wife, and his bishop. I think that section could be very helpful to a lot of people: both those who leave the church, and those who have loved ones who leave. It's hard, but it was clear everyone involved respected each other and honored the agency and intelligence of everyone involved. It was good.
Firstly - as a Mormon, I felt pretty well represented in Josh's story. Elements of our culture, beliefs, traditions, stories etc that I've never seen in media were included here. It was cool to see how crucial they were to Josh's story. I don't know, I feel like so many people try to eliminate religion when they tell stories, but it's not possible to really be honest about yourself, your life, and your experiences, if you don't acknowledge the way religion affects you.
Secondly - I didn't know much about Tourretes before reading this, and I feel like I learned a great deal. It's communicated in a way that not only helps the reader understand the physical aspects, but also the frustrations and emotional toll it can have on someone. He talks about learning to manage it, but it also isn't an "inspiration porn" story that ends with a perfect cure or anything. He continues to struggle, and to manage, and that's life. I liked the honesty.
Thirdly - by the end of the book, Josh establishes that he no longer believes in the Mormon faith. I really appreciated the way he approached that issue, and the conversations he shared with his mom, his wife, and his bishop. I think that section could be very helpful to a lot of people: both those who leave the church, and those who have loved ones who leave. It's hard, but it was clear everyone involved respected each other and honored the agency and intelligence of everyone involved. It was good.
sonia_reppe's review against another edition
4.0
I laughed out loud, but was also sad for Josh, because his tourettes is so bad, like major tics and uncontrollable movements and yelping. A good chunk of this was about the Mormon faith, and about his love for books.
stephisbranded's review against another edition
5.0
I saw this book a few years ago and never got around to picking it. I finally got a chance for my U.S.A reads and I'm SO happy I did. Wonderful, funny book about believing in yourself, faith, family, love, and being a badass public librarian. I truly believe you read books at certain times and they are there when you need them and I feel like this book was that for me. I listened to the audiobook and thoroughly enjoyed the narrator as well.
fdterritory's review against another edition
4.0
This is an autobiography about a Mormon librarian with Tourette's Syndrome that competes in strongman competitions.
Okay, now that that sentence has had some time to sink in, I can continue. This is a great book about a likable guy who combines his amazing amount of introspection with a ease of writing that allows him to describe complex feelings and situations in an easily-accessible way. If you think you're going to be turned off of the story by any one of the above-mentioned personality features or interests, you're wrong. There's a lot of good stuff to think about here, and it's worth your time. Check it out.
Okay, now that that sentence has had some time to sink in, I can continue. This is a great book about a likable guy who combines his amazing amount of introspection with a ease of writing that allows him to describe complex feelings and situations in an easily-accessible way. If you think you're going to be turned off of the story by any one of the above-mentioned personality features or interests, you're wrong. There's a lot of good stuff to think about here, and it's worth your time. Check it out.