My Books

Cover of a book titled "Struggle Central".
⤷ DROP AN HONEST RATING/REVIEW!

Struggle Central: Quarter-Life Confessions of a Messed Up Christian

After an Eden’s upbringing in eastern Pennsylvania, twelve-year-old Tom Zuniga’s world suddenly gave root to an alien existence of struggle. Initiated by an 800-mile move from the only home he’d ever known, he started warring in unforeseen ways: isolation at a Southern Baptist church and bullying at a Christian high school, all the while fiercely determined to conceal sexual secrets spanning his entire childhood. It wasn’t until after college with a fresh start in a new state and two pivotal summer excursions that a foreign thread of redemption started spinning among the struggle.

Struggle Central tells the quarter-life quest of an introverted Christian’s desperate cross-country search for purpose and belonging, both inside the Church and out. Brimming with tears of heartache and euphoria alike, Zuniga’s candid collection of “messy memoirs” follows life’s arduous journey through endless valleys and perilous climbs, reveling in the breathtaking peaks to be discovered along the way.

Available in hardcover, paperback, audiobook, and Kindle! For a signed copy with a personal message, please visit my store.

⤷ BUY ON AMAZON
⤷ BOOK TRAILER
⤷ AUDIOBOOK PREVIEW

  • "This is definitely a book to be recommended not only to any same-sex attracted person, but to any young Christian. Reading it was a profound spiritual experience for me. Although I read books regularly, Struggle Central was a special and deep enlightenment. The author's experience is shared very honestly, without any fake Christian-nonsense talk. I hope this book will get into hands of many christians and help them in discerning what really is essential in christian life, as it did for me. As a Catholic, I would add an ecumenical perspective: testimonies like this one can help us Christians from different denominations grow more close in dialogue and show us how beautiful God is in His love for us. It is a great example of how to make your first steps in following Jesus, regardless of conflicting life circumstances."

    — Palestrina

  • "How rare and awesome to hear from a man that acknowledges his feelings and attractions, yet does not cave to the world's pressure to define who he is. He is a Christ follower, and doesn't compromise those principles in order to justify a less-than-biblical perspective on sexuality. Thanks for writing this book. There are so many young Christian men that need to hear your voice to know they are not alone. Read this book...and give it to a friend!"

    —Allison

  • "Thomas is a great story teller and this autobiographic book moved me emotionally. How many Christians are messed up and fearful? And how many of them hide their messes – afraid to tell others that they struggle? This book has a message that most Christians need to hear about struggles and redemption. You see it is OK to be messed up and Christian! Through Thomas's story, you will also see that healing and help for life's messes will be found in community – the body of Christ working as it should work."

    —Lawrence

  • "It's like an open door into the stirrings of [Tom’s] mind as he learns to live out his faith in the face of crippling fears and struggles. None of us are strangers to insecurity and doubt, regardless of our personal struggles and circumstances. And the church has often labeled some struggles worse than others, driving people into isolation and silence for fear of being found out and condemned. Tom helps his readers to know that they are not alone. And [the] beautiful part is that he doesn't wrap up all the loose and fraying ends in a tidy bow in order to makes sense of it all … [speaking] of present brokenness, shame, and fear, yet [acknowledging] the goodness and grace of a loving God who bought his freedom. We were never promised an easy life, but we were promised never to be left nor forsaken. This book is a beautiful reminder of that promise."

    —Chad

  • "There are really two sorts of memoirs. One type is when an author writes to "get his/her story out" and, essentially, prove how much they know. The other is the honest, no-holding-back type of Struggle Central. Here Tom bares his soul in a way that few people would ever consider publicly doing, saying simply, "This is me and my struggle, take it or leave it." I am very happy to have taken it, and read this book. I would highly recommend it, not only to those who are currently struggling but those who have struggled in the past, and all those (which is all of us) who have struggles just over the horizon in the future. What astounds me as an author is how Tom has managed to tell the complete story in such a narrative way. At times I would swear I was reading a fictional plot outlined by an author, beat by beat. Of course, in a way it WAS outlined by an author beforehand, and Tom has simply recorded it without getting in the way. Knowing it is true, and all leads from start to finish so beautifully, makes me sit back in my chair and say, "Yep, you know what you're doing, God.""

    —J.K.

  • "I bought this book with the intention to understand a couple of my friends. I came out understanding more about myself. Tom Zuniga is a fantastic writer. Not one for nonfiction, I found myself unable to tear myself away from each chapter to see what would happen next in Zuniga's life. He does not dramatize what happens; the truth is strangely addicting and raw. If you've ever read Donald Miller, the blatant vulnerability found in Zuniga's work reminds me of Miller's humorous vulnerability. How does one do that? How does one simultaneously break your heart out of compassion for a broken boy and then broken young man while also making you laugh out loud? Zuniga does it. And he does it well. I highly recommend reading this book if you have ever struggled with ANY of the following: being bullied, feeling isolated, social anxiety (though he calls it being an introvert, it is clear that he has severe social anxiety), sexuality, finding a church, insecurity in your gender role or body, or connecting with others. If you ever thought that writing or road trips or camps could possibly heal broken hearts, this is a book I suggest. Though he tackles many different things, Zuniga does a wonderful and elegant job at typing everything together."

    —Ezra

  • “I started reading Struggle Central after stumbling across the book, gaining some kind of idea of what it was about and thinking that I could recommend it to a friend. What I was not expecting was that I would identify with so much of Tom’s struggle and that it would resonate with and encourage me so much. I am finally finding myself crawling out of my own lifetime struggle with insecurity, introversion, inadequacy and shame and a large part of this journey has been a discovering that other people also struggle. I did recommend this book to my friend and he too is identifying with the struggle. It has been a long time since I last read a book for which I was willing to sacrifice sleep and I don't think I've ever before read non-fiction that I could not put down. It was exceptionally well-written and so beautifully honest.”

    —Claire

  • New List Item“This book is exactly what I needed. It was absolutely scary just how much I related to Zuniga's story. It gave me perspective and encouraged me to keep going.”

    —Corey

  • “Encouraging and uplifting, hard and gut-wrenching. This is the kind of story that alters everything you think about struggle, temptation, and the power of God. Thomas is genuine and completely vulnerable to the reader. You are rooting for him by the end of the first chapter :) A must read!”

    —April

  • "While many will be drawn to the book by his experiences as a homosexual Christian, I got something else out of it: his experiences as an INTROVERTED CHRISTIAN. Obviously, introversion is not a struggle by itself, but it can lead to a life of silent, lonely struggles. And here Tom delivers an amazing message. If you yearn for community, but always end up taking actions to isolate yourself, You must read this book! If you have ever struggled to fit in and belong to a church, You must read this book! And if you are a CHURCH LEADER, who may unknowing be caught in the business of appealing to extroverted Christians, You need to read this book!"

    —Stephen

  • “[Tom is] a man bleedingly honest about his life, his experiences, and his struggles. He opens up himself into a vulnerability few others are willing to do. Tom speaks to all those who have ever struggled with life. His specific thoughts on shame hit me hard. I literally read this book in two days, because I could not put it down. I highly recommend this book to anyone. It has reminded me of how the struggles of life are common, yet God is able to work miracles in us to overcome them.”

    —Nathan

  • “As I read, I found that I was journeying with Tom. I found myself cheering for him through the victories. I also found myself crying real tears for him through the agony. There were times when I figuratively speaking simply wanted to scoop him up, comfort him, protect him, whisper into his ear reassuring words of Christ's great love for him. It becomes very clear that his struggle is really no different to anyone else's. We are all in some way, shape or form, bearing burdens no less agonising than those borne by Tom. To quote Tom in a recent conversation: "We are all lost and in need of redemption. Thank goodness Christ offers that redemption to each one of us struggling souls." In conclusion, my summation of this account of Tom's is one that is beautifully written, gut wrenchingly honest, dripping with integrity, painfully tear soaked and joyfully hopeful. It demonstrates so very clearly why no gay person should ever be placed in a position where they feel too frightened to “come out.”

    —Kevin

  • New List Item“Personally, Tom has inspired me to stand up in front of my local church and talk about my own struggle with homosexuality, and it has done a world of difference in my healing process and in my relationships with others. Thank you, Tom, for being a voice to help other Christians understand this struggle, and for giving hope to other Christians who battle with unwanted homosexual attractions. Your book has the potential to spur the church to action like it has never done before.”

    —Luke

  • “As a Christian guy who has also dealt with gay feelings most of my adult life, I have never read any other genuinely Evangelical Christian author who so vividly and accurately describes the deep emotional turmoil, suffering, yet also hope and fulfillment we feel as Christians who fight homosexual temptations. Tom not only "gets" it, he puts it down on paper better than anyone else I have ever read!”

    —Marshall

  • “It is good to know we are not alone. It is good to be reminded that community WITH vulnerability really is important. It is good to be reminded that, as Tenth Avenue North sings, we are free to struggle. I really enjoyed the "Struggle Central" final chapter: we make it to the top of the hill/mountain - and it's beautiful, but we can't stay there forever - we return to the valley - but we don't stay there either - there are more hills/mountains to climb. We are never really "finished.” God continues to refine us and God continues to strengthen us and hike up hills and mountains with us to show us something else: to build us up, to change us, to grow us, to make us more like Him, to bring us to something else beautiful.”

    —Ashley

  • “As someone with a similar background, I found the stories [Tom] shared to be both relatable and personable, as though we were sitting at a Starbucks face to face, trading snippets of our pasts with no aim to brag to pontificate, but rather to expose the greatest gift ever given: grace. Kudos to Mr. Zuniga for his willingness to let that grace flow through him, and for his courage in sharing what, for so many of us, feels like the struggle that must not be named.”

    —R.M.

  • “Finally. There are so many books out there about peoples' life experiences and memories, all of which promise to be open and honest, and very few actually deliver. This book does. The nakedness of [Tom’s] words, and the measure of his vulnerability is what really impacts us as readers, and as people. It makes us think back to times we did not think we would get through, and familiar comforts and outlets that were sometimes not there. Reading this book and experiencing major events in Tom's life as he has remembered them will ultimately leave us feeling better. Knowing that someone has gone through things we have, or felt things we have is very important in finding our own way through. Knowing that we all still struggle makes us feel less alone. Do yourself a favour, and struggle along with Tom. I promise it will be worth it.”

    —Allen

The cover of a book titled 'Running to in search of home on the open road' by Thomas Mark Zuniga, showing an empty road leading under a bridge through a forest, with a blue sky above.
⤷ DROP AN HONEST RATING/REVIEW!

Running To: In Search of Home on the Open Road

Sometimes life falls apart. Sometimes it’s worth running away; running to something, however, is far better. Inspired by the likes of Donald Miller and John Steinbeck, Tom Zuniga hit the road in his Mitsubishi Galant, criss-crossing the continent for nearly a year, fleeing a crumbling life in southern California in search of “home” — an illusive concept unrealized since his youth.

Born and raised in a Christian bubble, Tom came face-to-face with Mormons, ponytailed cult members, and a Canadian nudist. He reunited with old classmates and campmates and stayed with total strangers on Couchsurfing. Somewhere along the course of 26,000 miles, he learned he’s not as much of an introvert as previously thought.

Tom’s travels took him from America to Canada, the cities to the prairies, the mountains to the oceans, and camping in solitude to intentional community. The longer he wandered, the more he pondered and sought out this concept of “home.” Perhaps true home couldn’t be found this side of Eternity; or, perhaps it could.

Available in paperback and Kindle! For a signed copy with a personal message, please visit my store.

⤷ BUY ON AMAZON
⤷ BOOK TRAILER

  • "It’s been a long time since I’ve had a book really make me think long and hard about life. As I sit back after reading Tom’s travel memoir, I can’t help but appreciate reading this, not only because Tom is a friend, but because he is a damn good writer. Tom’s style of writing is compelling and draws you in to not only the events as they happened, but into his mind and his heart. I almost feel as if I was sitting alongside him as he drove across the US and Canada. Instead of running away, Tom shares his experience of running TO something. Good books entertain. Better books entertain and teach. But the best books entertain, teach, and inspire. Tom has a best book in Running To."

    — BDS

  • "Life is about the stories we share with people, the stories we create and the story that our pathway takes us as we try to make sense of our lives while we exist on this planet. Tom takes you along with him as he tries to discover what it is that he is meant to do in life. In this book, you see how the original purpose of the journey morphed and changed as the trip progressed, much like many of our own goals in life do. Through the anecdotes and emotions shared in this book, you can feel and read how Tom's faith keeps him grounded, how he finds a deeper understanding of this faith through the myriad conversations and experiences which he has on the open road. Whether you are a physical wanderer or not, there is much everyone can take from this story."

    —Brandon

  • "As with his first book Struggle Central, I felt as if I was a part of the author's story as it unfolded chapter by chapter. Tom has a way with words that brings to life the landscape as he travels throughout the US and Canada. But it is not just a travelogue. It is a search for "home" that is relatable and vulnerable. I highly recommend both of Tom's books."

    —Brandon

  • Tom’s story resonates with me on so many levels. It is at once hilarious, thought-provoking, and un-self-consciously honest. He brings his readers on a journey of their own through the longings and fears of his heart and the thoughts buried deep in his head. The book is as much about the journey of discovery within his own soul as it is the journey from place to place along the open road across 48 states and a handful of provinces. I shed many tears, especially in the last quarter of the book, as the words bearing Tom’s longings and thoughts felt like ones that could’ve come from my own un-written journals. It makes me want to live more fully and experience more of the life God has planted all around me. I couldn’t recommend this book more highly.

    —Chad