Josh Hanagarne was officially diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome when he was in high school, but had been exhibiting symptoms since he was six years old. Despite undergoing treatments that failed miserably, Josh persevered and went on to earn a degree in Library Science and get married. His memoir, THE WORLD'S STRONGEST LIBRARIAN, details his journey and inspiring triumph over adversity. In his Holiday Author Blog, Josh talks about the unusual --- but not unappreciated --- gift he received for his 14th birthday.
I asked for two presents for my 14th birthday, and received them both. I have a December birthday, so I’m just going to reach a tiny bit and call this a holiday book story.
It was truly an embarrassment of riches.
First: I got a single-barrel shotgun that I would only use for target shooting with my dear old dad. My friends thought this was a very cool present. You could point it at things, and then it made a loud noise and whatever you pointed it at disappeared. They begged to tag along for the fun, and the delight I took in denying them (sometimes) was obscene.
Second, and this was even more thrilling: I received the copy of THE PORTABLE DOROTHY PARKER that I’d been coveting. I was shaking when I unwrapped it. I was positively quaking when I opened the book 10 minutes later, the gun all but forgotten.
My friends weren’t nearly as impressed by the book. “I don’t get it,” said Mike Green.
“It’s a book. It’s the greatest book ever.” He just sat there blinking and breathing. “It’s Dorothy Parker,” I said. “What’s wrong with you, it’s Dorothy Parker.”
“What does she look like?”
I showed him the cover. He just shrugged. He didn’t care that she was funny, nay, funnier than anyone was or would be. He didn’t care that it was a book. He lacked a commendable grasp on satire and wit. I wonder if he knew the distinction between wit and irony in any case. He just liked to wrestle and play baseball and video games. I liked these things as well, but…they were no Dorothy Parker binge.
I’m open to the idea that I wasn’t a typical 14-year-old boy. But Dorothy Parker was no typical writer, person, or anything else. She was the opposite of the word mere, and she gave me the greatest birthday a 14-year-old boy ever had.
