‘The Elephant in the Room,’ by Tommy Tomlinson

Weighing 460 pounds and categorized under the severely obese section did not make him write a weight-loss memoir. His book is for every human that has at some point in his/her life felt they did not fit into a category.

In his book he gave uncensored details about what it means to be living in a world you do not fit. In his case being obese in a world where airplanes, public restrooms, restaurants and booths are not prioritize for people with his body type.

A sportswriter, he’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.

Tribune News Service