May 3, 2013 / Leslie

Spotlight and Giveaway: The World’s Strongest Librarian by Josh Hanagarne

If you haven’t heard about the recently published memoir, The World’s Strongest Librarian, you will soon. There are a lot of memoirs being written these days, but this one stands out from the crowd. Inspirational, witty and charming, once you pick up this book and start to read Josh’s story, you won’t be able to put it down.

My review won’t be posted for another week or so, but I have a copy of the book to give away to readers with a mailing address in the US or Canada.

About the Book

The World’s Strongest Librarian
by Josh Hanagarne

Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Gotham Books
Publish Date: May 2, 2013
Format: Hardcover | 288 pages

An inspiring story of how a Mormon kid with Tourette’s found salvation in books and weight-lifting

Josh Hanagarne couldn’t be invisible if he tried. Although he wouldn’t officially be diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome until his freshman year of high school, Josh was six years old and onstage in a school Thanksgiving play when he first began exhibiting symptoms. By the time he was twenty, the young Mormon had reached his towering adult height of 6’7” when—while serving on a mission for the Church of Latter Day Saints—his Tourette’s tics escalated to nightmarish levels.

Determined to conquer his affliction, Josh underwent everything from quack remedies to lethargy-inducing drug regimes to Botox injections that paralyzed his vocal cords and left him voiceless for three years. Undeterred, Josh persevered to marry and earn a degree in Library Science. At last, an eccentric, autistic strongman—and former Air Force Tech Sergeant and guard at an Iraqi prison—taught Josh how to “throttle” his tics into submission through strength-training.

Today, Josh is a librarian in the main branch of Salt Lake City’s public library and 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— and navigate his wavering Mormon faith—to find love and create a life worth living.

Giveaway Information

The giveaway is open to those 18 years of age or older with a mailing address in the US or Canada . To enter, leave a comment on or before May 18, 2013. For an extra entry tweet or blog the giveaway and leave the link in your comment. I will draw a random winner who will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond with a mailing address.

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