Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Elephant in the Room: One Fat Man's Quest to Get Smaller in a Growing America
    The Elephant in the Room: One Fat Man's Quest to Get Smaller in a Growing America
    The Elephant in the Room: One Fat Man's Quest to Get Smaller in a Growing America
    Ebook244 pages4 hours

    The Elephant in the Room: One Fat Man's Quest to Get Smaller in a Growing America

    By Tommy Tomlinson

    4/5

    ()

    Switch to audiobook
    Read preview

    About this ebook

    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).
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster
    Release dateJan 15, 2019
    ISBN9781501111631
    Author

    Tommy Tomlinson

    Tommy Tomlinson is the author of The Elephant in the Room, a memoir about being overweight in America. He’s the host of the podcast SouthBound in partnership with WFAE, Charlotte’s NPR station. He has written for publications including Esquire, ESPN the Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Forbes, Garden & Gun, and many others. He spent twenty-three years as a reporter and local columnist for the Charlotte Observer, where he was a finalist for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize in commentary. His stories have been chosen twice for the Best American Sports Writing series (2012 and 2015) and he also appears in the anthology America’s Best Newspaper Writing. He teaches magazine writing at Wake Forest University and has taught at colleges, workshops, and conferences across the country. He also has a Substack called The Writing Shed. Tommy and his wife, Alix Felsing, live in Charlotte with Alix’s mom and a cat.

    Related to The Elephant in the Room

    Related ebooks

    Weight Loss For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Elephant in the Room

    4/5

    50 ratings9 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      I enjoyed it but wanted more of his wife’s POV
    • 5/5
      A brave and honest look at of the struggle with weight and a beacon for those who choose a slow, and steady, path to betterment.
    • 5/5
      An incredibly honest and touching memoir of the author's struggle with his weight. Many of his anecdotes and observations struck home with me.
    • 2/5
      The beginning of this book, The Elephant in the Room, sent a wave of understanding, but that quickly changed to utter disgust of the story. Tommy Tomlinson talks of his plight in the everyday fight against food. Yes, I understand his dilemma of overeating in a world centered on food, and typically the wrong types of food. Once Tomlinson hits his college days, the story seems filled with boasts of eating and partying with no regret for these indulgences. Tomlinson’s parents worked long and hard in cotton fields and factories in order to give him a better life, and he wastes that money for his gluttonous pleasure. The work ethic of his parents disappears in Tomlinson’s search for the easy job. At times, I felt that Tomlinson blames everyone but himself for his obesity. For a story to begin so well, the remainder of the book falls to self-pity.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Tommy Tomlinson comes to terms with being both a good person, and a liar. He's been lying to his friends, his family, his wife, and most of all himself, about his food addiction, and his weight. For the first time, in this book, he admits to the actual number on the scale, how he reached it and why he thinks he landed there. This is not a woe is me it's everyone else's fault kind of story. Nor is it a follow me and I'll teach you to drop 50 pounds a month manual. It's an honest and heart felt memoir of growing up big, in a family where food was used to celebrate triumphs as much as it was to console and soothe loss. Anyone who has ever struggled with their weight or is still struggling now can relate to this, and anyone who has ever looked at larger people and wondered how they let themselves get so big could benefit from this read.

      I received an advance copy for review.
    • 5/5
      This is a memoir-style book that goes all the way back to the author's family history to determine how he got addicted to food and gained hundreds of excess pounds, then how he planned to lose enough weight to more fully live his life. In between the history bits, Tomlinson brings us through his journalism career, marriage, and life in the South. I do agree with other reviewers that called it honest, too; no one in his sphere is either totally innocent or totally culpable but everyone is unmistakably human. Very richly told and original, and I flew through it in less than three days.
    • 5/5
      This is an interesting, well told story about the struggle. I chose it because of my ties to his former newspaper and the town he lives in. It was a better read than I expected.
    • 5/5
      I cried. Multiple times. No matter whether you are slim or morbidly obese this book will reach out and take hold of you. My life story follows Tommy's closely. Or at least all of the situations he presents and some that are my own personal hell. The seatbelts, the chairs with arms, the elevators. What gave me encouragement was that where I turn and run after the horrible incident occurs, Tommy forges through them to the other side. He still goes out with friends. He still found a wonderful, healthy life mate. I still cower in my bedroom. I only go out at night to run errands. He has made me feel as if maybe when I dip a toe outside during the day it will be just the beginning.
    • 5/5
      This is a memoir about being addicted to food. At first I found it frustrating that the author didn't just eat less for heaven's sake, then I figured his only hope would be to go into rehab as he was clearly in such denial and pain. By the end, I no longer felt so superior to him. He reaches a place of great honesty about his weight, realizing that it is basically about fear, specifically fear of adulting. Most of us share that fear, this guy just has a more visible and health-destroying way of dealing with it than many of us.It is a beautifully written and eye-opening book. I got teary at the end. I really hope the author can keep up the fight now that the accountability of writing this book is over- but surely his accountability to me and others will help? I hope so.

    Book preview

    The Elephant in the Room - Tommy Tomlinson

    46ebook_preview_excerpt.html\˲q,9#d9L2Ș!H&GkYݨ.6Qm6WoK|,0[ v7P|<5rOKl>5>}k|{y?_ѼU7_!_9ҴS c.o9&MhfҸk27iGy)>搗an& m/x㖆S3f݅ߚk:%1N)Υ1sS4\K3+MA9/M€㈇|<6=GiƥM[Ҍ]ru1m1R.o֔sh86:_}X>͗qX|#&Bmho>yMB9cyL: 1OBA${ =CaKev}\v0aonM!u96VQϲF@'?up&-\q:TJlwvSSJDqu$Sog`6>a>) 昗KI.g׌15DtiΖ 4kKl~XNK*>!v7=RH}S­욏~'1-/n.ѯюb`5_)q0ŮyqI8mW׼[MTw__KyWwﭼ..ӹ~ӌ0v[s.&, HXi>rsi޴U϶.y7ޝk̳=be [Շmqd3~Zuo-u*GkfSP>˯APCi{A>Ϙ;hfy.(/⒄-LO .ODTB/]U=|sb{ S.k'9 r;pp890XѰJeW>jr܆]])>.ft:Yl"8MفabĔ;lFy,H(gו^GHP(,'򮒫Й,o(O=5J$AVo𶼣 ?nba(_]7OL-၈9iUEˌ~ uߒsH!c H.:~]VR1$R ͧS/{zMV//mh>)O7wt~' <~lZ>Qt#@:gV>Yao2"ۄ=կ,(mot#O2C vqFW<]U8F4jA3mE' GtMy}C. -=-dpthB/V7ób:?w8{ள9c@}Ksˏ UR/Pihg/xdw! }G>ZJi&qRgO.2sdNSc[?tkHnCA?" `.Dž1cZBˠ80`l@ |`2]Ep0Ͷk `V͟v-ohό ]$+w6S#1Q?G^TjϮU0V7@髜#7>T*н NtR/44̛" Ԩg%(p_8Xnn(%:jkz:$w&'Cx։렘{uI8r0*nz\,#"3/%J bw!*V;6 P)Fq9=`orԖX>e"OH5DZfH1V1bJ dUGdKk_^5iȕ4 HocX*6gPp|>tT{@WF&Jjz2i)# ~~)gêk:ӫq Fҗ@8ecB2wk&]fIBn é9SvA(J`۔A$8Y:؎.(2;830.H3BL@vxb(3H) 83}šl-m6v<6 S:*t'G$dd_5$ ipӮ?u&HD8:911N>,p2k^%UN^JCf,+rY?5ωD򁂮 G0.LCE$tpoo -u7"F 殛aǃ]-XocNyTx`+Շԉve$]˴x3$E+3k, /!߲0A|[m]z+݆8xJM%-)DpH'_BӲG=5Kx<>1&*‡E.nÙ '4 CKb̉hCV.$UXFʛakR6y$OYX3;5H0 5^6ݚI駏21ޭAh~Wsh =ALư)&r'u =g|'-(۫p])muRlE&yE;x(]pM'8HLX?[GfhD"-j 2W{y寅(˃'d'/ ;էQMj^NY*+tj*1y2w:hZRNÚR;eOVv]im?:-zNhD@y4|O1_[yU52hmBhj^2;҃*q2D޼zӪ||#=?z,7?$!cFH}spl=hYLEmuN$M)~"u쌘9[q!PeFp@txu `{ۼ M~ɗ,^1 ^RvPCK*M~M{"gqL+SԹ@)RMoШ=gf=/@x]i֥+}>U(GBayQFII\]%ضݨ^LA&jxD0'E)kT~,|"W_KԪ͆9GujM?{{R+ydI;_|\*4f$4Yo Ţy.bqٵZб[; tPg#k:vlr:71|v%a\qh{b4~ՊOsmG ='DŽw2R,FNΡFq`T1\IZҢ@.ƴ:iBTJf93>iR5ODjFtܽP*$tܿ*>7v l(My/o zۆ~dh|r'4/DZ)*"a,$a6GZ U2t@} ulwV.Ow0Hך>3tṁ{kkf6r+C'lfDv;eG AZĨ!7R48gfxA:;[}ڤgܩzk/HGÊ_vv>E׬ j+eovK Cnyx2f jZ#`(4ZOVZHXotTvd5meL`%$9Hg Uh_`肹1RΈ{t_k ;'#,5n4ї\.x"Q|~$W[!`RڦMOEBeD=3ɕ"gܑY%8(8Q ȺjX"̵T+yVn *( Of5+&'k XCc 8^8 ᶾ~/3rhڪG&.[-^iS iZDs{5*3zC^1XԥH4)RXRVy7zɥV9K*ZeB$M]֚5'ȿ|@xjm<&фK5swiPnDjƺUyE{;NX{Ytf$~՛QQ GkmJ3l_Kʻ_gbQLg8vʖv+UhT8XOkJ[Erwlu툫Td +*Gsw^H5 zԮ:=\ZݯFa>򅢞:}n[ޖ"|K0G?M6!º8EIA%be_X6+0ާ)* H 8WKB~aRoI"3ςLwEP:(#c xEV seAAz!E 9+kpY#Ds{ Oyn^~r/lg;efzs`#SWϦTEpzz%D.Un|д'nk-c#}>~Y$YA>)z}vuf?Pi v|m*IkkeujЄʴUG#QjZr㼶?5ׂNpdqyUj :XOmwYAS(a)y%ﬗ_U!GR]Myr\ا-oʭg$z8 [=IhuzfWFY.OTZq42{E72'OC+( W"9Tg bz[qAvR,JQzG^Mtytl(#voOb)"{J<ڭҿWK6)M yJ< ,j1),yE<# rz xؽ2p78_$Mq^1 'XSkK/ߦa)WRoG uN4[i.olSVTcZ!6ۧ)0ze((.H˙Ps~q, ^Ď*hHNC$b< yz<ž}PETE[H Vg˦6D{# Vh ܗ<%zԯ5Y5,T[=y`vCYބJ쎊{&r_Q<6^dpQc)=R^ԸbMcֺ4ĔnW[t@7Gt{ V_>CFpxqd%]k GDbwfkѴ:v?չ٬MM/*83݅!tjz4ft3v jI'Ij_׍K>a"N׼+>]iLu!HsvS>8J"I`Y!! `NBdw]&QdlL߬؝s]_[kbxO[#.D"{u!$W%hM\lw-eބ~:3 Aibz..* )Ak U_k.ˀjzF3 O3v}2z(Lt},;Zu#_ e7gcmԿS+hxCHb=@wpP2puŻ+ywn<֒N3cٔrP,E{k}cq\c:D%~dhkuE՚) Jwu-ްs%Qw {u.vwt")Q_oQl %<Le ɬEA!T 2 &:_'0)xUZ 0^9vD*1~SO5BgH e٪K5OR=ZGZ\=<\4;Udw#բ #$-Zv9w-?W`ʯfڳPwI5J чٮ\F>!g1= LX.I@:fe.4sь(mR|tnM*N +7K ą3.6KDEeGO8=e-6_ʹew o!Ns:i.uuۑS"\U}* Ws<ݞ]i߄y0&n);os߳| VLOmy@^ֈnԐX%0z*hKK:j>,{XW;W??w[&b`mBщ]%:ѡH
    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1