Elephant in the Room by Tommy Tomlinson: A Review

Many of you have probably heard of Tommy Tomlinson,  a journalist highly regarded,  especially if you read about sports. I hadn't heard of him, primarily because I don't read much about sports. But I wanted to read his book because of his subtitle,  One Fat Man's Quest to Get Smaller in a Growing America. 

Yes, I'm one of many Americans who is overweight. But Tomlinson's book is not a diet book, it's an exploration of the mind of an overweight man.

At nearly 50, Tomlinson had a great career, a wonderful wife,  and weighed 460 pounds. He struggled with airplane seating, restaurant tables, chairs in general, and breathing exhaustion. His life was one of planning - getting to places early to find suitable seating, not rushing for his travel, and eating. Yes, eating. What the average two persons might eat, Tomlinson ate himself - and more. Fast food drive-throughs were his friends. But as his 50th birthday approached,  he wanted to live longer and lose weight.

That prospect wasn't easy. He chronicles his monthly weight and the change from the previous month for a year.

Of course, Tomlinson slips. Even at his weight, he gains some months. But as he goes through the year, you hear his mind working harder to lose. He accomplishes mind over matter with (mostly) positive thinking.

I enjoyed the book so much, I read it in a day. And I'm taking much of the positive strands and looking at my negatives less negative. I don't want to reveal spoilers but suffice it to say,  I learned from Tomlinson. As he indicates in his subtitle,  this is a Quest for him.

Publication Date: January 15, 2019

Thanks to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for the review copy. The opinions are purely mine.