A library story

Josh Hanagarne may actually be The World's Strongest Librarian, as the title of his 2013 memoir boasts. He is six-feet-seven-inches tall and weighs 260 pounds, lifts weights and tosses cabers, rocks and other imposing objects at Highland Games. Yet neither his unusual size and strength nor, for someone of his dimensions, unusual job is the most central part of his story.

Since childhood Hanagarne has had Tourette Syndrome, meaning he is subject to involuntary movements and speech, often self-destructive and often embarrassing, especially for someone with a very public job. His weight training, along with breathing exercises, has helped somewhat to control his Tourette's, which he has nicknamed Misty.

Another part of his story is that he was raised a Mormon, the product of a devout mother and a father who went through the motions out of love for his wife. Now, years later, Hanagarne finds himself in the same situation as his father: a devout Mormon wife, a son who may or may not have Tourette's and a wavering faith. In Mormon terms, he fears he has "lost his testimony," but then again, maybe not.

The book alternates between past and present, between his life story and his experiences as a staff member at a large public library in Utah. He always loved books and became a secret Stephen King fan despite his mother's objections. Yet because of Tourette's he had difficulty in school. He started college many times, only to be forced to quit. Jobs, too, came and went until he discovered the library as a perfect fit for a man who didn't seem to fit anywhere else.

His love story is a beautiful one, as is his account of the couple's struggle to have a child, then a struggle to adopt one and finally a surprise pregnancy that gave them a son.

Hanagarne has had an intriguing life, but it didn't write itself. He skillfully put it all together in a way that makes compulsive reading.