Tommy Tomlinson is an acclaimed journalist, a happily married man, middle aged, intelligent, witty....and overweight. The Elephant in the Room is a book about his struggle with weight, heartfelt discussion on how his weight effects his life, thoughts on his writing career, family, and life in general.

This book is a bit like sitting across the dinner table with Tommy Tomlinson and just listening to him talk. He's funny, witty, emotional and serious. He started out at 460 pounds....he faced entering his 50s feeling like the largest person in the room. He laments that he is likely the largest person most people will ever see. So, he decided to do something about it.....

This book doesn't end with a shocking before/after set of pictures with Tommy touting some wonder drug or surgery for his complete success. He admits he is a work in progress, sharing his thoughts and emotions about the journey.

I jumped at the chance to review this book because Tomlinson is from Charlotte, NC...just an hour from where I live. I understand the struggles with trying to lose weight in the south where everything is fried and tea comes to the table with about a cup of sugar in each glass (ugh -- I was born in the Midwest. Sweet tea is about the nastiest concoction on the planet. And even after 15 years in NC, when I ask for unsweet tea, I still get confused looks and then commentary about how weird it is that I don't drink sweet tea. And I won't even start on the comments I get when I pass up grits, pimento cheese spread or liver mush.)

I enjoyed this book. Tomlison is real and open....he's sharing his life, his struggles. The story isn't just for people who are struggling with weight...but anybody who faces a challenge and needs motivation. He doesn't offer some magic fix or spend long chapters talking about how he did it and anybody can. It's all about the journey. And he's making progress!

Proud of you, Tommy! Keep going! :)

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Simon & Schuster via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

The life of the morbidly obese is hard to imagine for normal individuals. Tomlinson does a masterful job of providing a daily tour of what insults accrue to those who are plagued with excess weight. The indignities and shame that led to and compounded poor self esteem provided a circuitous route to aggravate the issues with further eating. Tomlinson explores how his early childhood contributed to his eating and then traces the events through his current life. Although I appreciated his plainspoken prose, I was hoping that he would provide a more in depth analysis and self exploration . I didn't necessarily agree with his process for losing weight because I feel that he will focus so much on the calorie content that it will consume his world. If he could only eat plant based meals, with non starchy vegetables and no sugar, he would not have to count calories and not be consumed with thinking about what he is eating.

I decided to read this book because I am very familiar with the travails of the morbidly obese. I thought I would be able to commiserate with the author. I found the memoir uninteresting and repetitive. Although I appreciated the spirit in which this memoir was written, it did not keep my interest. I wish the author good luck on his weight loss journey and hope he will be successful. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Poor Tommy Tomlinson. Being obese is no fun. No one wants to be a 6X. No one wants to be subjected daily to humiliations the extra weight causes. So why did he wait until (almost) age 50 to do something about it? Good question, and one I hoped to find the answer. Instead I got ‘we were poor’ to ‘my work history is irratic’ all the way to ‘my parents instilled such a love of reading in me that I was a sedentary kid’. Sneaking sweets and junk food binges got a passing nod as does stealing food at work. There was a strong undercurrent of ‘other people get to eat like this so why can’t I?’. But nowhere did I sense any real ‘come to Jesus’ moment. I was waiting for that realization of ‘I can’t live my life like this anymore’ but never really found one. That left the book as an autobiography of an eventful life who just happened to weigh 450 pounds.

The story was beautiful and very well written. I have to say that as one of the millions of Americans suffering from weight issues, I can really identify with the author and his story. It's surprisingly very light read and engaging, when the author could have chosen to go 'heavy handed'.

Tommy Tomlinson’s The Elephant in the room takes a deep-dive, memoir-style into Tomlinson’s life-long struggle with obesity. The book alternates between essays from his past related to his weight and a month by month account of a year attempting to take a sustained and sustainable approach to losing and maintaining weight loss. Tomlinson is a journalist and the writing in this book is superb. He knows how to find the golden nugget in every anecdote. Highly recommended.

Tommy Tomlinson's The Elephant n the Room is a "gut" wrenching story of what is like to be a fat person. Mr. Tomlinson attacks being fat head on and doesn't hold back. He describes in detail personal problems with being fat, how it affects you both physically and mentally/emotionally. This book also addresses how it feels when others look at your size and form an impression based on what they see. He goes on to say how he got this way and how he has tried to slim down in the past only to return to his addiction "food". Now he is trying a more controlled slower diet and exercise regime. He is losing weight albeit slowly but it is coming off. Humorous at times and heart-rending at others this is a great read especially if you are the "elephant in the room" or know or love someone that is.

Honest account of a man who has struggled with his weight and how he slowly gets on track. Lovely book.

Thanks to author,publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free, it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

What a moving and introspective memoir on the struggles of living with a very fat body. One’s heart goes out to the author, who prolifically describes his childhood, family, and notices (wisely) that they did not contribute to his eating issues yet he continues to despair in search of reasons for his poor habits, choices, and poor self esteem. Chapters alternate between flashbacks to his growing up as a fat kid in the South, and present time happily married journalist, always searching for a story, yet acutely aware that his own story is most interesting. I read this book in 4 hours’ time and apppreciate the life lessons the author shares as he tries to lose weight and gain essential parts of himself.