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toniclark's review against another edition
4.0
For a man with severe Tourette syndrome to decide on a career as a librarian seems both perverse and praiseworthy. And this was after trying every possible treatment and means of gaining control over his body. Strength-training is one thing that helped — at least for a time — but just as it did after other promising therapies, the condition returned. Still, Josh, who is 6;7” and has had Tourette’s since boyhood, manages to hold down a good job and to enjoy his life to a degree far greater than one would ever imagine. A lifelong lover of books and reading, he is also undoubtedly the world’s strongest librarian, one who can roll up a frying pan — with a Nicholas Sparks book inside as a joke. (I got this last bit not from the book, but from an interview with Josh on the “Reading Lives” podcast.) Hanagarne’s memoir is by turns heartbreaking and uplifting. He is both humorous and self-deprecating, but doesn’t spare us his darker moods and moments. Hanagarne was raised in the Church of Latter Day Saints, but as his faith in the Mormon teachings wanes, his faith in himself grows stronger. We meet many members of Josh’s family and teachers along the way, who are lovingly drawn, especially his Mom and Dad, as well as his wife and son. It’s an emotional roller-coaster of a good read, a difficult journey of self-discovery leavened by Josh’s perseverance, his humor, and inner strength.
emilyhawkinspdx's review against another edition
4.0
Funny. Heartbreaking. Interesting perspective on four topics I never thought I'd care to learn more about: Mormonism, weight lifting, library sciences, and Tourette's Syndrome.
cathyatratedreads's review against another edition
4.0
This book was great on a lot of levels. First, it was informative, allowing me to get a feel for what it is like to live with Tourette's. Second, it's just plain funny. Hanagarne has a way with words that just makes me grin. Third, how can I not love hearing someone talk about how much he loves books? And his stories of being a librarian in a large city are wild and entertaining. Fourth, it's thoughtful. I really appreciated being led through his thought processes about all kinds of things, especially how he approaches faith. That ties into another reason I enjoyed it: he's Mormon, I'm Mormon. Honestly, I don't usually enjoy reading books by people who have left the faith and have negative things to say about it (why would I?). Hanagarne has struggled with faith in general but is up-front about his experiences and his feelings about faith and religion. He struggles but doesn't have anything negative to say about Mormonism or faith; he is honestly searching, all while his family is still strong in the faith and is supporting him kindly and lovingly, without guilting him. And that's the last point I love about this book: he has an awesome family. They're quirky and funny and interesting but thoroughly loving and supportive in so many ways. With so much out there about dysfunction and bad parents, etc., it's always refreshing to be reminded that great families and parents still exist.
I really did love this book in many ways; just hated the 14 f-words. Really, were those all necessary?
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/worlds-strongest-librarian-nonfiction-book-review/
I really did love this book in many ways; just hated the 14 f-words. Really, were those all necessary?
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/worlds-strongest-librarian-nonfiction-book-review/
littletaiko's review against another edition
4.0
This was such a surprisingly delightful book. The true story of a book loving, Mormon leaning, Tourette's suffering librarian who also happens to be extremely tall and lifts weights. His sense of humor, human insight, and honesty take you through his rather interesting life. It's a story of faith, suffering, and strength. I recommend it for anyone who loves books and stories of overcoming the odds.
retiredlibrarylady's review against another edition
4.0
Josh has Tourette's, loves to read, and is a member of an amazing loving LDS family. This memoir recounts his youth, his struggles with Tourette's, his marriage and fatherhood, and his finally finding a career as a librarian. This book is funny, sad, amazing, and, of course, a paean to books and libraries. The way he masters, for a time, the tics and sounds and pains of his condition is fascinating. The reader can only hope that his struggles are successful more often than not.
ja3m3's review against another edition
2.0
I guess I'm in the minority here, but this book did not rock my world - it barely shook. There were parts that made me laugh-out-loud and parts that made me sad, but overall I just slogged through this very disjointed book to get to the end.
audiophile71's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best books I've read in a while. Moments of laugh out loud humor intertwined with descriptions of the daily challenges associated with living with Tourette's and growing up in a Mormon household made this a pleasure to read. Hanagarne captures the essence of public library life exactly!
nnnnnnnnnn's review against another edition
4.0
I don't read a lot of biographies, but I loved this. It's hilarious, intelligent, insightful, inspiring and just an entertaining read. Though I still have no idea what a kettlebell is and have absolutely no interest in lifting one, this book was one I didn't want to put down.
blogginboutbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Bookish books always catch my eye, as do those about my religion, so it's a wonder that it took me this long to read THE WORLD'S STRONGEST LIBRARIAN. The memoir had me laughing right from the get-go because Hanagarne is a funny guy. His voice is not just humorous, but it's also warm, intimate, genuine, and sensitive. All of these things make his story engaging, engrossing, and thought-provoking on many levels. I especially appreciated his honesty about his struggles with his Latter-day Saint faith, including the fact that although he doesn't totally believe in the doctrines of the Church anymore, he doesn't entirely disbelieve either. Even though I've never struggled with my testimony like he has, I could still relate to a lot of his thoughts and feelings about what it means to be a "Mormon." Hanagarne's descriptions of his struggle with Tourette's are also illuminating. I didn't know a ton about the disease going into the book, so I learned a lot about how it manifests as well as the methods sufferers use to try to control it. The author's struggles make him sympathetic, while his continued determination to best them make him admirable. The most poignant part of the book is when Hanagarne's young son starts showing symptoms of Tourette's. His father's guilt, fear, and anxiety for his boy are palpable. Although THE WORLD'S STRONGEST LIBRARIAN is more about Hanagarne's Tourette's and his faith journey than it is about his profession, it's also fun and inspiring to read his thoughts on the power of reading and the importance of libraries in the lives of individuals and communities. It's always a delight to feel seen by another book nerd!
I loved so many things about THE WORLD'S STRONGEST LIBRARIAN. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me think. It would make a very discussion-worthy read for a book club, especially one made up of Latter-day Saints. In fact, I'm going to suggest it to mine.
I loved so many things about THE WORLD'S STRONGEST LIBRARIAN. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me think. It would make a very discussion-worthy read for a book club, especially one made up of Latter-day Saints. In fact, I'm going to suggest it to mine.
meghan111's review against another edition
3.0
A compelling story about an unusual librarian with an interesting life and background. Josh is extremely tall, has Tourette Syndrome, and was raised in the Mormon church. As his illness progresses in his teens and early twenties, he struggles but then ultimately succeeds in building a career and starting a family. He finds solace in an extreme form of strength training, coached by an odd man he meets online who gives him cryptic advice in between talk about guns and weaponry.
These elements are somewhat framed by the "librarian memoir" genre. Most chapters start with funny anecdotes about patrons in the Salt Lake City library. The useless adventure of library school is summed up in a single paragraph or two, in which he describes a class taught by a woman who appeared to have "spent the night in a car rolling downhill", who then wandered into a room to talk about databases while drinking from a bottle of Dr. Pepper. That's all he says about library school, which is hilarious.
The main problem I found with this was that it was about really disparate elements of a man's experience, but they weren't unified. The story of his faith, the story of his illness, the story of working in a library, the story of strength training - at points he's struggling to make libraries fit into this, by pointing out how a library is a challenging place to have uncontrollable vocal tics. I would have enjoyed this more if it were a series of tightly edited essays, in which the connections between faith and libraries and family and Tourette Syndrome wouldn't really have to exist as much.
These elements are somewhat framed by the "librarian memoir" genre. Most chapters start with funny anecdotes about patrons in the Salt Lake City library. The useless adventure of library school is summed up in a single paragraph or two, in which he describes a class taught by a woman who appeared to have "spent the night in a car rolling downhill", who then wandered into a room to talk about databases while drinking from a bottle of Dr. Pepper. That's all he says about library school, which is hilarious.
The main problem I found with this was that it was about really disparate elements of a man's experience, but they weren't unified. The story of his faith, the story of his illness, the story of working in a library, the story of strength training - at points he's struggling to make libraries fit into this, by pointing out how a library is a challenging place to have uncontrollable vocal tics. I would have enjoyed this more if it were a series of tightly edited essays, in which the connections between faith and libraries and family and Tourette Syndrome wouldn't really have to exist as much.