The World's Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette's, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family

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

Josh Hanagarne couldnt be invisible if he tried. Although he wouldnt 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 67 whenwhile serving on a mission for the Church of Latter Day Saintshis Tourettes 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 strongmanand former Air Force Tech Sergeant and guard at an Iraqi prisontaught Josh how to throttle his tics into submission through strength-training.

Today, Josh is a librarian in the main branch of Salt Lake Citys public library and founder of a popular blog about books and weight liftingand the proud father of four-year-old Max, who has already started to show his own symptoms of Tourettes.

The Worlds 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 faithto find love and create a life worth living.