I’ve always been a sucker for books about books, libraries and librarians. After repeatedly spotting Josh Hanagarne’s The World’s Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette’s, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family on the shelf at my small town public library I decided to give it a shot. My desire to read this book only intensified after Jean of the blog Howling Frog Books told me she once met the author at his library in Salt Lake City. After ignoring it for a week or so I pulled it out of the pile of library books by my reading chair and began reading it.
Perhaps our favorite memoirs are by individuals who’ve overcome some sort of major challenge or challenges in life. Hanagarne was born with moderate to severe Tourette’s, manifesting itself in a range of uncontrollable symptoms including facial ticks, nonsensical vocal outbursts and tongue and mouth biting. At times he even physically pummeled himself. Understandably so, this would present huge challenges throughout his life. It would take him 10 years to earn his undergrad degree. His LDS mission had to be cut short when his symptoms worsened. Employment tended to be spotty and, dating to say the least was difficult.
Cursed as he might have been with a troublesome case of Tourette’s, nevertheless Hanagarne was blessed with loving and supportive parents who stood by him every inch of the way. The same likewise could be said for his wife Janette, who easily accepted him for who he is. Even though by the end of the memoir he’s grown distant from the LDS faith of his childhood he speaks kindly and respectively of his former co-religionists and their beliefs, thanking them for the patience and goodwill they showed him over the course of his life.
This is a pretty good memoir, and is told with no shortage of humor. It’s an inspiring success story, and while Hanagarne might be the hero of the story, despite his abundance of physical strength he’s no superhero. But he’s an honest hero, one who’s not shy when it comes to recalling his shortcomings and the many mistakes he made along the way. Rumi once said a person who exhibits both positive and negative qualities, strengths and weaknesses is not flawed, but complete. This completeness makes him, like us mortal. And as a mortal we can related to him.