The problem with Tommy Tomlinson’s inspirational new book is that reading it will make you hungry ... His clean and witty and punchy sentences, his smarts and his middle-class sensibility made me yearn for the kind of down-to-earth columnist I often read in the 1980s and 1990s but barely seems to exist any longer ... Tomlinson may not be for everyone. Like Rick Bragg, he can sometimes seem like a Southern boy with just a bit too much syrup in him. If tears and frequent use of the word 'mama' set your teeth on edge, he may start to resemble, in your mind, a pre-moistened towelette ... As for me, I loved this book. I found myself sneak-reading it from the moment it came in the door. As with a sack of White Castle burgers, I hated to reach the end.
Swings from moments of raw emotional candor to laugh-out-loud humor ... As I read this heart-felt memoir, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Rick Bragg’s wonderful book All Over But the Shoutin’. Like Bragg, Tomlinson is a gifted Southern storyteller with an exceptional sense of humor, one that easily rivals author Bill Bryson ... Page after page, readers will find themselves rooting for Tomlinson.
What could have been a wallow in memoir self-pity is raised to art by Tomlinson’s wit and prose ... The greatest asset of The Elephant In The Room is that Tomlinson frames his struggle in a way that makes it universal, whether your downfall is food, an exciting but disastrous life partner, or some other unconquerable temptation. By the end, Tomlinson doesn’t so much defeat his obesity, as battle it to a well-understood draw. Days are won days are lost. For most of us, that’s the best-case scenario.
It’s not a weight-loss memoir or a miracle fitness book but instead an achingly honest window into the lives of those who, quite literally, don’t fit ... [Tomlinson's] a gifted and witty storyteller, whether writing about the South, music, journalism, sports, or of course, food. He describes it, particularly junk food, in all its empty-calorie drive-through addictiveness, with such raw and disarming detail that you blush with him in his failures and like him all the more for sharing them. When he dives into his family history with food, all deep-fried or heavy with sugar, there’s no ancestral blame for his own habits, just devotion to the people he adores—and, sadly, shame and hatred for himself. His words about his wife overflow with love and appreciation, along with regret for the state of his own health and a desire to do better. Even though this isn’t a rah-rah diet book, I’m cheering for the author.
Tomlinson’s honesty sometimes borders on brutality as he strips his soul naked. However, there is no self-pity here or blaming others, and he peppers the text with a lot of well-placed humor. He also emphasizes that being overweight does not automatically lead to illness and that his health, despite his weight, was fine ... an amazing book that I highly recommend, even if you are not seeking to lose weight. Since most of us experience some kind of struggle in our lives (which may or may not be related to our weight), it’s always fascinating to see how one deals with these challenges. And aren’t you just a bit curious to find out how much weight Tomlinson ended up losing?
The Elephant in the Room is at its strongest and elicits the most empathy when Tomlinson outlines the embarrassments he faces every day ... Tomlinson’s words ring true for those of us (perhaps even the majority of his readers) who have hidden their eating habits ... If there’s a fault to this book, it’s that Tomlinson spends too much time on extraneous asides and exposition that really don’t advance his story. Perhaps he intends to demonstrate the underlying emotional conflicts that drive him to eat, but it often feels bloated.
On this hot-button and emotional issue, Tomlinson asserts that he’s speaking for himself, but readers are likely to identify with at least some of what he says about addiction and holding himself back from life; trying to mute his inner radio station, 'USUCK-FM'; conflating food with love and connection; resisting, even at 50 years old, becoming an adult; and not wanting to miss a minute with the wife, family, and friends he loves so much.
[Tomlinson] 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.
