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Title details for The Elephant in the Room by Tommy Tomlinson - Available

The Elephant in the Room

One Fat Man's Quest to Get Smaller in a Growing America

by Tommy Tomlinson
ebook
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ONE OF NPR'S BEST BOOKS OF 2019

A "warm and funny and honest...genuinely unputdownable" (Curtis Sittenfeld) memoir chronicling what it's like to live in today's world as a fat man, from acclaimed journalist Tommy Tomlinson, who, as he neared the age of fifty, weighed 460 pounds and decided he had to change his life.
When he was almost fifty years old, Tommy Tomlinson weighed an astonishing—and dangerous—460 pounds, at risk for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke, unable to climb a flight of stairs without having to catch his breath, or travel on an airplane without buying two seats. Raised in a family that loved food, he had been aware of the problem for years, seeing doctors and trying diets from the time he was a preteen. But nothing worked, and every time he tried to make a change, it didn't go the way he planned—in fact, he wasn't sure that he really wanted to change.

In The Elephant in the Room, Tomlinson chronicles his lifelong battle with weight in a voice that combines the urgency of Roxane Gay's Hunger with the intimacy of Rick Bragg's All Over but the Shoutin'. He also hits the road to meet other members of the plus-sized tribe in an attempt to understand how, as a nation, we got to this point. From buying a Fitbit and setting exercise goals to contemplating the Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas, America's "capital of food porn," and modifying his own diet, Tomlinson brings us along on a candid and sometimes brutal look at the everyday experience of being constantly aware of your size. Over the course of the book, he confronts these issues head-on and chronicles the practical steps he has to take to lose weight by the end.

"What could have been a wallow in memoir self-pity is raised to art by Tomlinson's wit and prose" (Rolling Stone). Affecting and searingly honest, The Elephant in the Room is an "inspirational" (The New York Times) memoir that will resonate with anyone who has grappled with addiction, shame, or self-consciousness. "Add this to your reading list ASAP" (Charlotte Magazine).

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    January 15, 2019

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9781501111631

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9781501111631
      • File size: 2356 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Kirkus

      October 15, 2018
      An obese man struggles to lose the excess weight he's carried throughout his life.In this revealing memoir, journalist Tomlinson, a former longtime reporter and columnist for the Charlotte Observer, shares the story of his battle with weight gain and loss during his lifetime, from childhood through college, work, marriage, and beyond. He readily admits that food can become an addiction, a go-to in times of both stress and joy. His earliest childhood memories include family get-togethers where vast quantities of rich, highly caloric food were in abundance and he was encouraged to eat as much as he wanted. He suffered for it, getting shamed at school for being overweight and having to buy special clothes in his teens that would fit; yet he could not control his cravings and continued to gain weight. He writes, "I lust after greasy double cheeseburgers and fried chicken legs and Ruffles straight out of the bag," he writes. "I covet hot Krispy Kreme doughnuts that melt on my tongue. I worship bowls full of peanut M&Ms, first savoring them one by one, then stuffing my mouth with handfuls, then wetting my finger to pick up those last bits of chocolate dust and candy shell. My brain pings with pleasure; my taste buds groan with desire." After topping out at 460 pounds and seeing a doctor's diagnosis of "morbidly obese," Tomlinson knew he needed to change before the "morbid" part became reality. He doesn't hold back in his comments about his needs and wants and interjects enough humor to offset the more serious parts of the narrative and keep the pages turning. Readers who are overweight will find encouragement in Tomlinson's story, which serves as proof that with determination and the right attitude, anyone can win the battle over food addiction and/or obesity.An authentic look at a struggle that millions of Americans face every day.

      COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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