The World's Strongest Librarian

A Memoir of Tourette's, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family

By: Josh Hanagarne

Narrated by: Stephen R. Thorne

At first glance, Josh Hanagarne seems an improbable librarian. He stands 6'7", competes in strongman contests, and was diagnosed in high school with Tourette's syndrome. But books are his first love - Josh's earliest memories involve fantastic adventures between the pages of Gulliver’s Travels and a passionate infatuation with Fern from Charlotte’s Web. Everything in Josh’s life - from his Mormon upbringing, to finally finding love, to learning to control his tics through lifting - circles back to a close connection with books. Today, Josh is a librarian at the Salt Lake City Public Library, founder of a popular blog about books and weight lifting - and the proud father of four-year-old Max, who has already started to show his own symptoms of Tourette's.

The World’s Strongest Librarian illuminates the mysteries of this little-understood disorder as well as the very different worlds of strongman training and modern libraries. With humor and candor, this unlikely hero traces his journey to overcome his disability, navigate his wavering Mormon faith, spread the word about the wonder of books, and ultimately, find love and create a life worth living.

©2013 Josh Hanagarne (P)2013 AudioGO

Critic reviews

“Forthright, affecting, and sometimes surprisingly funny.” ( Library Journal)

Something Different, Something Wonderful

I love a book that takes me out of my world and plants me right into a new world, and teaches me something I didn't know that I needed to know. This book delivers, I'm so glad it was written and that I read it. Laugh out loud funny, poignant and truthful. Can't get much better than that.

wonderful memoir about having Tourette's Syndrome

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed hearing about living with Tourette's from the first person viewpoint. The Mormon aspect added a depth of faith, familial dynamics and introspection that I enjoyed.

A very good book, lacking an ending

I've become used to the fact that some books just don't have a conclusion, and the author tends to simply end the story in a rather forced conclusion. This book, on the other hand, was an excellent book that didn't bother offering any kind of conclusion.

That's not really a criticism, but the book was a great journey that was made clunky by leaving me searching for a point to how it ended.

It's still a great read and I fully recommend it.

So Great!

I loved every second if this book. The narration was engaging and emotional. I wanted it to keep going at the conclusion. I'll definitely recommend this to others!

Triumph Over Struggles

Awesome story of overcoming personal struggles. Not just one time, but getting back up over and over.