Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling 262 pp.

Aven Green tells people she meets different outlandish stories about how she lost her arms when the truth is, she was born without them. When her father takes a job running a Wild West Theme Park in Arizona that has seen better days. Aven must leave the only life she has known to begin a new one in the desert. While Aven is mostly self-sufficient, using her feet in place of her hands to do necessary tasks, the idea of meeting a whole lot of strangers in a whole new school and being gawked at makes her nervous. She quickly finds a friend in Connor, a classmate with his own kind of disability and they, along with another "misfit" student, navigate their lives and discover many new things about themselves and secrets about the park. The audiobook was performed excellently by Karissa Vacker.

The World's Strongest Librarian

The World's Strongest Librarian by Josh Hanagarne, 291 pages

Four things to know about Josh Hanagarne: First, he is a librarian in Salt Lake City. Second, he's a powerlifter who participates in strong-man competitions (he bends horseshoes. FOR FUN.). Third, he's Mormon. Fourth, he has Tourette syndrome, a condition of the nervous system that causes people to have repeated tics, including movements, sounds, and various twitches. 

In this memoir, Hanagarne describes how these four elements of his life (and the many others that I didn't mention above) weave together in sometimes hilarious, sometimes frightening ways. It's a captivating story, and I can't believe it took me almost a decade to read it, despite having colleagues rave about it from day one. *sigh* At least I finally read it!

The World's Strongest Librarian

The World's Strongest Librarian: A memoir of Tourette's, faith, strength, and the power of family by Joshua Hanagarne  291 pp.

As the title suggests, this book is about the author conquering the odds and learning to live with Tourette's syndrome, becoming a husband and father, and having a career as a librarian.  The random Tourette's tics which range from minor (blinking) to violent (hitting himself) affected Hanagarne's life, physically, socially, and emotionally. From the time he fell in love with Fern in Charlotte's Web books became his refuge. When engrossed in a book his Tourette's tics subsided. The tics were at their worst during Hanagarne's time as a Mormon missionary, causing him to quit before his two years were up. He dropped out of college multiple times before finally finishing. With the help and unflagging support of his family he tried various treatments including having his vocal cords paralyzed with Botox injections, quack remedies, and exercise. Ultimately he overcame (but has not conquered) the problems and became a librarian at the main Salt Lake City Public Library. He married, and fathered a child. The title is a nod to his passion for weight training and his 6'7" frame. It was through weigh-lifting he found another way of controlling his tics. This is a story of a man's incredible persistence and perseverance told with honesty and humor.