The World's Strongest Librarian
This book is kind of my jam. I worked at a library for 7 years while in high school and college. It was a super great job and I have some very funny memories of certain library patrons and their idiosyncrasies. I split my time between desk shifts and working in book processing. I got to see all the new books that came in. The perfect job for a book-lover.
In The World's Strongest Librarian, Josh Hanagarne is the librarian of the title. He discovered his love of books and reading early in life. Then as a teenager he was diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome. Add to this the regular growing-up challenges of struggling with his faith (Mormonism), relationships, school, and so on. Sometimes he can cope well, and sometimes the Tourettes overwhelms him. But he goes on to become a librarian for the Salt Lake City library and the reader can't help but cheer.
Each chapter begins with a Dewey Decimal reference to how that chapter would be shelved. There are many bookish bits and quotes, along with anecdotes from the library. The writing is genuine and heartfelt. I was intrigued by his references to using gym workouts to help control his disease. It was mentioned here and there but mostly discussed near the end, which seemed a little uneven especially given the title. That's a minor detail, really. This is overall a great book and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. And my copy came from the library!
