K'Lynn - This had several things that fascinate her: faith, books,Tourette's... weightlifting. I think she was joking about the weightlifting part. With as much as Josh described Tourette's she wasn't 100% convinced he was that affected by it, even though it was a big part of book. She didn't think he described his experience with Tourette's very well. He did describe the Mormon faith well, and thought it interesting that he wrote about his acceptance of God in college, but then backed off later in the book. K'Lynn thought he pulled his punches here, not really wanting to offend his Mormon readers. As the book went on she thought he became more honest, but it wasn't enough. She liked this quote: “I also work here because I love books, because I'm inveterately curious, and because, like most librarians, I'm not well suited to anything else. As a breed, we're the ultimate generalists. I'll never know everything about anything, but I'll know something about almost everything and that's how I like to live.” K'Lynn thought he could have cut 90% of the weightlifting chapter. She checked out his blog and saw that he has great book taste.
Artie - Wished that all librarians were like Josh. He had low expectations at first and 50 pages in he thought he wasn't going to like it, but eventually came to enjoy Josh's voice. He thought the Mormon church descriptions were realistic and that it often seemed like a young adult novel at times what with the descriptions of the dances and how horny Josh was. The library descriptions touched Artie's soul and he wondered if a corollary could be drawn between his Mormon mission and that of promoting books. He shared this quote: “A community that doesn't think it needs a library isn't a community for whom a library is irrelevant. It's a community that's ill.” And there were many more quotes about libraries that he found both beautiful and powerful. He appreciated how Josh never got preachy and handled his doubt about faith with the assurance that he knows he loves his wife and child.
Jeff - was surprised that Artie didn't mention Josh's basketball experiences, and he agreed with what K'Lynn shared. Jeff grew up in the Reorganized LDS church, which, if I'm getting this right, is a splinter group whose main contention with the LDS is that they never should have left the promised land of Missouri. Jeff played on Mormon youth volleyball teams and said that indeed everyone looked forward to the dances. He thought Josh did a good job describing what it was like to be part of a Mormon family. At two different times Josh wrote that he sat and prayed for a sign and received one. So he figured Josh was set for life in the church and was surprised when he wasn't. He liked the book, but wanted a better feel for the Tourette's. He thought it a good book, but that about 3/4 of the way through it ran out of substance.
Pat - I gave it a seven based on the following: Tourette's - 3. Information was spotty and not as well written as the rest of the book. Mormonism - 8. I had never read anything from a missionary's point of view, and have often wondered what they have to go through. Books - 10. It was like he was going through my reading lists as a kid. I knew exactly what he was talking about and how he felt about books and reading. I loved the description of his mom trying to talk him out of reading Misery and just hooking him even more. And he read everything, making no distinctions between genres. I never read the Sweet Valley Twins series, but I did read Are You There God? It's Me Margaret. And we both got shit for it at school. I have a feeling I'd like to hang out with him no matter what beverage we were drinking.
Carolyn - Thought that Josh downplayed his Tourette's especially given that the doctors said he had one of the most severe cases they'd ever seen. She kept waiting to read of bullying due to his condition, but that never really happened. She thought that his wife became lost in the story and it broke her heart how they were treated throughout the adoption process. She thought his parents', "What question did you ask today?" to be superior to 'What did you learn today?' She was very curious about the Mormon religion and learned some new information, but like Jeff, also thought that it drug down about 3/4 of the way through.
Maggie - Loved this and thought it had everything a book should have. It had lots of humor and it made her think a lot. How could someone live with something so debilitating? And then too, to live with religion...not just Mormonism, but any religion. Raised in the church until she was 16, Maggie shared that she is an atheist and cannot understand how anyone believes in life beyond death, but respects everyone's decision to believe what they choose. She noted that all religions are in part judged by their extremes, and that it was nice to hear about the wonderful, nurturing environment that Josh grew up in which came, in part, from his mom's deep faith. Maggie thinks the power of libraries are underestimated.
Sandy - liked it until he began describing weightlifting with kettlebells. Oh My Gawd! This went on and on and she couldn't see how it was relevant. She thought his parents gave him too much support, so much so that it was debilitating, noting how he quit his mission, college, and jobs. She did concede that he had a horrible affliction. She thought they couldn't have picked a better person to be a librarian and that he was lucky he married a Mormon woman, because no other woman would have stayed with him. At this, Maggie commented that his wife was likely desperate being 29 and on the shelf. Sandy saw him as a bit selfish, in part because he was so insulated from the rest of the world.
Miles - At first didn't think he would rate over a 3 because he thought the book was being written solely to make money. Artie agreed. But after a while Miles saw sincerity in the writing and came to believe that he was a genuinely nice guy with a fluid writing style. He felt like he knew him and that he was being honest. It wasn't a complete insight into Mormonism, or Tourette's, but it was interesting. Miles was fascinated with Josh's visit to Adam and thought that anything outside an Amazon.com transaction on the Internet is somewhat seedy and creepy. Miles is intrigued by Mormons, saying they are very nice, helpful, and to a 'T' nuts, but this book didn't reveal anything new to him about Mormons. He felt bad for Josh's wife because through the whole book she is nothing more than milquetoast.
Lola - Agreed with pretty much everything that had been said, but what came through to her the most was Josh's humor. She found herself laughing throughout all his stories. He was constantly using humor to get through his struggles and she found him witty and funny. She too thought the book bogged down with the kettlebell descriptions, but thought it an important part of his story. Unlike the rest of us, she thought he conveyed his Tourette's just right by simply choosing not to emphasize it. She did wonder, however, if he weren't leaving out some difficulties as he seemed to have the perfect family and despite what he says, Lola thinks he does have faith.
Kath - I thought this was an interesting story, pleasantly told; Josh had an endearingly good sense of humor about himself. I thought the Tourette’s was fascinating especially how when he was able to stifle some tics (eg the voicebox) the tics would find another avenue down which to erupt. It must be so maddening to have no control over your own actions (even to the point of hurting yourself)! He seems to have such support around him from family, teachers etc that I feel he was lucky in that regard. Interesting comment from Maggie on religions being judged by their extremes; I guess that has been a stumbling block for me and Mormonism where so many things seem so kooky and unreasonable (says the equally kooky Roman Catholic). Of those Mormons I’ve met, though, I’ve been greatly impressed by their sense of community and willingness to support one another. Like someone else mentioned, I was surprised that Josh backed away from his religion when it seemed so central to his life. In Josh’s video trailer on his blog he made a comment about how books help make sense of lives with story and I think that is also what appeals to me about reading. I think like Josh and most of the librarians I’ve met, they are a collection of people with very varied interests but with curiosity being central to their personalities. In my own library we’ve got a practicing psychologist/librarian, an alpaca farmer/pagan/medium/librarian, classical musician/librarian, world-renown poet/librarian and one or two bartender/librarians, among others of more plebeian types like me. All interesting folks. Josh had a good synopsis of thoughts on his blog about his philosophy of life and a few stuck out for me: distrust the humorless, ask lots of questions and help who you can help. Wise words. Happy summer, book clubbers!! Love, Kath
Books read:
- Oryx and Crake
- Living with a Wild God
- American Pastoral
- A Movable Feast
- Autobiography of a Face
- Museum of Interesting Things
- Thin Woman
- The Bat
- Change of Heart
- Disco Queen
- Captain Underpants
- Reversal
- What Happened-Bush White House
- Munich - 72 Olympics
- Last Man Out
- True Story of Hansel and Gretel
Next book: Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
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