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guylou's review against another edition
4.0
The World's Strongest Librarian is a story of determination and faith in oneself. I knew a bit about Tourette syndrome and met several people with various levels of the condition, but never realize the emotional impact on the person. Josh Hanagarme put in words the range of emotions experienced by people afflicted by this condition and this was an eye opener. I have a hard time imagining not having control of my body and not knowing when it will involuntary move or vocalize. I have now great respect and admiration for Tourette patients’ courage and perseverance.
This book is not meant to be a cure guide for the condition; it is a story that will encourage anyone with severe health conditions to never give up in their quest to a healthy life. The book is written in good humour and is a quick read.
This book is not meant to be a cure guide for the condition; it is a story that will encourage anyone with severe health conditions to never give up in their quest to a healthy life. The book is written in good humour and is a quick read.
emromc's review against another edition
4.0
Lots of swears, but a very well written memoir about Tourettes, the Church, and making it through hard stuff.
herrkelm's review against another edition
5.0
this is a wonderful book. the narrative was engaging and I couldn't step away from this story for a day. Josh seems like a great person and I enjoyed getting to know his story
amysbrittain's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars for me.
Really likable author's voice, interesting autobiography, endearing focus on books, and a fascinating account of an immense struggle with many paralyzing, previously unfamiliar (to me), and shocking challenges of Tourette's. Also a really interesting account of the author's Mormon upbringing and shaken faith--which he shares without disrespecting his background. Really an engrossing story.
Really likable author's voice, interesting autobiography, endearing focus on books, and a fascinating account of an immense struggle with many paralyzing, previously unfamiliar (to me), and shocking challenges of Tourette's. Also a really interesting account of the author's Mormon upbringing and shaken faith--which he shares without disrespecting his background. Really an engrossing story.
balletbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
Very fun to read. Hanagarne has a great voice - very matter-of-fact, straightforward, and cheeky without being too self-deprecating. He's had a very interesting journey both with his Tourette's and within in his faith (this is a good book to contrast with all the LDS-is-terrible books; Josh maybe questioning aspects of his faith but it is clear that he had a good experience within the church). I wish he had dwelt a bit more on his librarian days but those are much more recent - LOVED how he opened each chapter with a Dewey Decimal heading (a real one or three) that noted what subjects were going down in that chapter.
wbfreema's review against another edition
5.0
My first audiobook! The style kept me enthralled. Not too deep into the book filled with wonderful descriptions of all the colorful characters one will meet at the local library i began to wonder if this book was for me. But then, more and more i began to recognize the narrator. He is me or at least very similar. We've definitely thought about the same things and had a lot of the same occurrences in our childhoods. Later on, I was hoping he'd provide some more insights into the world of getting strong, when he gets into the world of kettlebells. And then there is a world view changing section regarding kettlebells, or, at least world view changing for me. Josh speaks of his family with such tenderness that i found myself at tears in the sections about his son. His struggles with faith resemble my own curious questioning. Highly recommend.
pattydsf's review against another edition
4.0
“I also work here because I love books, because I'm inveterately curious, and because, like most librarians, I'm not well suited to anything else. As a breed, we're the ultimate generalists. I'll never know everything about anything, but I'll know something about almost everything and that's how I like to live.”
“A good library’s existence is a potential step forward for a community. If hate and fear have ignorance at their core, maybe the library can curb their effects, if only by offering ideas and neutrality. It’s a safe place to explore, to meet with other minds, to touch other centuries, religions, races, and learn what you truly think about the world.”
“As a librarian, saving lives and worlds isn't in my purview, although if I could put those on my resume with a straight face, I would. Saving minds, however … perhaps it's not as farfetched. A mind can be lost without its owner's death. A mind that no longer questions only fulfills the rudimentary aspects of its function. A mind without wonder is a mere engine, a walking parasympathetic nervous system, seeing without observing, reacting without thinking, a forgotten ghost in a passive machine.”
I can’t quite believe it took me three years to get around to this memoir. I mean, really, the man is a librarian; of course I am going to be interested in his story. I also figured I would learn a bit more about Tourette’s and learning is always an important part of reading.
I will admit to being put off a bit by the fact that Hanagarne is a Mormon. I don’t know much about the Church of the Latter Day Saints. I remember reading From Housewife to Heretic by Sonia Johnson many years ago which I know tainted my view of that church. Mitt Romney, the politician didn’t help matters. However, Hanagarne helped me learn more about his church and I was glad to read his viewpoints.
Although there were times that I found Hanagarne long-winded on his faith and his search for health, I had no trouble listening to this audiobook. The reader was good and kept me engaged. Hanagarne himself is an excellent writer and he combined all the threads of his story well. I especially liked the way he used the Dewey Decimal system to further his tale.
Hanagarne must be a wonderful librarian. I have quoted him three times above, but he had plenty more to say about librarianship. I am glad he persisted until he became a librarian. Our profession needs more people like Hanagarne.
If you are interested in biographies, if you like meeting interesting new people, if you want to know more about librarianship or Tourette’s or you just like reading well presented stories, try this memoir. I think that you will find Hanagarne’s story very engaging.
“A good library’s existence is a potential step forward for a community. If hate and fear have ignorance at their core, maybe the library can curb their effects, if only by offering ideas and neutrality. It’s a safe place to explore, to meet with other minds, to touch other centuries, religions, races, and learn what you truly think about the world.”
“As a librarian, saving lives and worlds isn't in my purview, although if I could put those on my resume with a straight face, I would. Saving minds, however … perhaps it's not as farfetched. A mind can be lost without its owner's death. A mind that no longer questions only fulfills the rudimentary aspects of its function. A mind without wonder is a mere engine, a walking parasympathetic nervous system, seeing without observing, reacting without thinking, a forgotten ghost in a passive machine.”
I can’t quite believe it took me three years to get around to this memoir. I mean, really, the man is a librarian; of course I am going to be interested in his story. I also figured I would learn a bit more about Tourette’s and learning is always an important part of reading.
I will admit to being put off a bit by the fact that Hanagarne is a Mormon. I don’t know much about the Church of the Latter Day Saints. I remember reading From Housewife to Heretic by Sonia Johnson many years ago which I know tainted my view of that church. Mitt Romney, the politician didn’t help matters. However, Hanagarne helped me learn more about his church and I was glad to read his viewpoints.
Although there were times that I found Hanagarne long-winded on his faith and his search for health, I had no trouble listening to this audiobook. The reader was good and kept me engaged. Hanagarne himself is an excellent writer and he combined all the threads of his story well. I especially liked the way he used the Dewey Decimal system to further his tale.
Hanagarne must be a wonderful librarian. I have quoted him three times above, but he had plenty more to say about librarianship. I am glad he persisted until he became a librarian. Our profession needs more people like Hanagarne.
If you are interested in biographies, if you like meeting interesting new people, if you want to know more about librarianship or Tourette’s or you just like reading well presented stories, try this memoir. I think that you will find Hanagarne’s story very engaging.
sqeeker's review
3.0
- The first half is better than the last half. The first half of the book just flew by and was a joy. The second half was slower for me.
- The introduction is filled with humor and insight. I was hooked from the get go. It sounds like there is never a dull moment at the Salt Lake City library.
- The way he describes things is hilarious, visual, and awesome!
- There were a lot of F-bombs. It surprised me. I thought this was a clean book, but there was a lot of heavy language.
- I feel a little disappointed with the book. I thought the story was about Josh overcoming Tourette's, but I feel like Tourette's won most of the battles. Josh quit school, jobs, and whatever else because of his condition. It wasn't very uplifting or encouraging in the end.
- I don't feel like the book really ended. I guess he did well in the Scottish games, but I don't know for sure. I didn't get any closure or peace from the way this book ended.
- The introduction is filled with humor and insight. I was hooked from the get go. It sounds like there is never a dull moment at the Salt Lake City library.
- The way he describes things is hilarious, visual, and awesome!
- There were a lot of F-bombs. It surprised me. I thought this was a clean book, but there was a lot of heavy language.
- I feel a little disappointed with the book. I thought the story was about Josh overcoming Tourette's, but I feel like Tourette's won most of the battles. Josh quit school, jobs, and whatever else because of his condition. It wasn't very uplifting or encouraging in the end.
- I don't feel like the book really ended. I guess he did well in the Scottish games, but I don't know for sure. I didn't get any closure or peace from the way this book ended.
wonderwoman619's review against another edition
3.0
This book was okay. Interesting in that I saw a different side to Tourette's and tics (last year I had a student in my class with tics and this was very eye-opening for me). I also like the author's stories about his time/work at the library. Quite funny. But there were some definite slow parts for me.
klptenn's review against another edition
5.0
Awesome, quick read. Great strength of charcter and interesting take on life ( major plus for fun literary tidbits throughout!)