The Christmas Sweater

Written by Glenn Beck, Kevin Balfe and Jason Wright

Narrated by Glenn Beck

#1 New York Times bestselling author and renowned radio and television host Glenn Beck delivers an instant holiday classic about boyhood memories, wrenching life lessons, and the true meaning of the gifts we give to one another in love.

If you could change your life by reversing your biggest regrets, sorrows, and mistakes...would you?

When Eddie was twelve years old, all he wanted for Christmas was a bike. He knew money had been tight since his father died, but Eddie dreamed that somehow his mother would find a way to afford that dream bike.

What he got from her instead was a sweater. “A stupid, handmade, ugly sweater” that young Eddie left in a crumpled ball in the corner of his room.

Scarred deeply by the fateful events that transpired that day, Eddie begins a dark and painful journey toward manhood. It will take wrestling with himself, his faith, and his family—and the guidance of a mysterious neighbor named Russell—to help Eddie find his life’s path and finally understand the significance of that simple gift his mother had crafted with love.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Nov 11, 2008
• ISBN: 9780743578165

Glenn Beck

Glenn Beck, the nationally syndicated radio host and founder of TheBlaze television network, has written thirteen #1 bestselling books and is one of the few authors in history to have had #1 national bestsellers in the fiction, nonfiction, self-help, and children’s picture book genres. His recent fiction works include the thrillers Agenda 21, The Overton Window, and its sequel, The Eye of Moloch; his many nonfiction titles include The Great Reset, Conform, Miracles and Massacres, Control, and Being George Washington. For more information about Glenn Beck, his books, and TheBlaze television network, visit GlennBeck.com and TheBlaze.com.

Reviews for The Christmas Sweater

[steffanyac_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book. I cried at the end it was so heart-warming to me. I recommend it, and I did read it around the holidays so it seemed even more special.

[everydaymiracles · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Christmas Sweater was a beautiful and timely read for me, not only because I read this book at the holiday season, but because the book spoke directly to my heart and reminded me of things that I had yet to learn in my own spiritual journey. I needed this book and am very happy that I found it in the time frame in which I did.Based on a true story, The Christmas Sweater tells of how the fictional character of Eddie experiences a Christmas when he is twelve years old. It is a Christmas in which Eddie desperately wants a new bike and is certain that the bike will be his. It is the story of a boy's disappointment when instead he receives ?A stupid, handmade, ugly sweater that wasn?t a bike.?The Christmas Sweater is a moving and emotional book, much as I expected it to be. The short novel reminded me to treasure the things that are important in life, such as family, friends and faith, but the book, and the journey that Eddie (a representative of Glenn Beck) takes is transcendent.This book touched me especially because I am a knitter, and this year I am working on making all of my Christmas gifts for friends and family by hand. While I know that my friends and family will appreciate these gifts because they are either old enough to have developed an appreciation or too young to know the difference, I can feel strongly for Eddie's mother in the story, and understand how she must have felt when her son rejected her heartfelt gift.Anyone who has been poor (either as a parent or as a youngster) or who has lost a parent at a young age will be able to connect with Eddie and his family. It is difficult not to fall in love with these characters and to want to reach out to them personally.I found The Christmas Sweater to be a heartfelt and realistic representation of a family experiencing difficult times emotionally and financially. I felt that it was difficult to separate myself from the fact that this was a true story, with some names and details changed enough to make this a work of fiction and to afford the element of fantasy to the story.Glenn Beck is, as always, amazing. This book was written in such a heart felt way that it was possible for me to read the book as though I could hear him reading it to me. The Christmas Sweater was certainly well written and well voiced.This book is an easy, breezy read. If you're anything like me, you will find it difficult to put down. I finished reading The Christmas Sweater in less than two days (and I'm a slow reader).I believe that most readers will enjoy The Christmas Sweater, by Glenn Beck. This is an all-round inspirational book and an easy (and quick!) read that will touch your heart.

[thornton37814 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm not sure how to summarize this without giving away the plot, so I'll just say that this is the story of 12-year-old Eddie who wants a Huffy bicycle more than anything else in the world for Christmas. Instead, he gets a hand-knitted sweater from his mom. It's a real tear-jerker.

[tanya2009_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this book last Christmas. It is about a young boy who only wants one thing for Christmas and when he doesn't get it he makes everyones life miserable. He learns what is really important when things out of his control start happening to people around him.

[staciele · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was my Book Club read for December and I must say it was definitely what I needed to read right now. This is based on a true story from Glenn Beck's life and makes the reader really step back and take a look at our own lives. It makes us pause and think about the relationships we have with other family members, about forgiveness, about our relationship with God, and how we feel about our own self-worth. The story takes twists and turns you don't expect and is a definite page-turner. What I appreciated was Beck's response at the end of the story. It will make everything more clear after reading the story. No matter what your political views are, this is a story that must be read. This book has also been written in picture book format for children. I will be picking that up for our children as I believe they need to hear this story as well.

[ladyjai_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a very heartwarming story everyone should read. It is especially helpful for those going through tough times, as we all do. It explains just how things happen and they are not our fault. Atonement is the most important highlight in this book, just as in real life. Your life is yours, and the path you take is your choice. Do not blame anyone else for your circumstances. But there is always time for 2nd chances. Highly recommended!

[caroren_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Filled with meaning, a great story for children and adults.

[yvonne · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

it's my favorites books. Life is too so hard when some bad experiences had happened and you just a child .

[lillieammann · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Although this wasn't quite what I expected, it was great.

[harpua_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

All I can say is wow. This book is so much more than I expected. I love Glenn and listen to him regularly on his radio show and while he has strong political opinions, I've known him to have a good heart. This shows through in this book. What a great story of the trials and heartache of a young teenage boy only to find atonement in the end. This book is a very quick and easy read. It won't take up much of your time, but the time spent is oh so worth it. I don't say this often, but go out, buy this book and read it this Christmas season.

[jntjesussaves · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Writing: 4.5; Theme: 5.0; Content: 5.0; Language: 5.0 (one use of vulgarity, which was not encouraged); Overall: 5.0Eddie (12 year old boy) has to learn a valuable lesson when he mistreats his loved ones (mother and grandparents) when he doesn't get the Huffy bicycle he wants so bad for Christmas. Great holiday volume that I am encouraged to read every Christmas (along with Snow Angel). Highly recommend. ***December 1, 2017*** (Read with Jonathan)

[hhs9staff · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Awesome story about his life as a kid and good moral lesson for all of us to know. Story moral: Sometimes in life we do not always get the things we want, but the things we do get bring us more joy than we can ever imagine.Reviewed by:Maria McMahon, LPCOutreach Counselor

[kariannalysis · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I got The Christmas Sweater last year for Christmas, but of course, the season was done by then, so I had to wait until this holiday season to start! Also, this is part of my Christmas Reading Challenge.The Christmas Sweatertakes us to Eddie?s Christmas when he was 12. All he wanted was a red Huffy with a black banana seat. But, that?s not quite what he got. Instead, he was given a hand-knitted sweater from his mom. Although she spent many hours putting it together, he hated it. And he hated her for it. That evening, he is still mad and when his mom wants to stay at his grandparents house, he decides they should leave. What he doesn?t realize is this will be his last trip with his mother. After this trip, his life completely changes. He moves in with his grandparents, meets a new best friend who is uber rich and also meets Russell, the man who Eddie keeps bumping into at his neighbor?s house. Through Eddie?s bad attitude and lack of faith, he eventually learns what is really important in life.This book is loosely based on Glenn Beck?s childhood. I always have a hard time with these books that are somewhat based on fact. Throughout the entire book, I am very curious which parts are real and which parts are made up. At the end of the book, Beck explains the real parts and how the other parts came along, but I hate waiting that long I enjoyed this book. It?s the second one I?ve read lately that deals with a child searching for faith. I have always been religious, but have expressed it in different ways throughout my life. I haven?t always gone to church and my faith has fluctuated, but now I am attending a local church with my mom, mother-in-law and husband and am very happy with it. The more I attend church, the more these books appeal to me.I think the thing I liked most about this book was the ending. It was definitely not what I expected, it exceeded everything I believed it would be.Other than the fact/fiction part of this book, I have a hard time reading books about boys. LOL I know that may sound crazy, but it?s just really hard for me to relate to the life of a 12-year-old boy. I went through the 12-year-old phase with my brother and he?s been cranky since then, but when I was 15, I didn?t really care about his attitude, I had older boys to worry about. Yes, a girl could have gone through this, but I think it would be different. And I got a little angry at Eddie because I just wanted him to give in. It would have shortened the book and made it drastically different, but I wanted to smack him silly!All-in-all, this book was just ok for me. I enjoyed the writing and the end of the story. I give it 3 bookmarks.

[pife43-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was a Glenn Beck fan for about 5 years, during his earlier time on Fox radio. I had to listen to him while holding my nose though, as his arrogance irritated me. What I liked about him was that he wasn't afraid to speak what he felt to be the truth. He was not just another nodding head, repeating all of the talking points obediently, like 99% of those on the right AND the left do every day, all day long. Glenn spoke with conviction and spoke what he felt to be true.
As time went on, Glenn began to preach the end times a bit too much for public consumption. He was convinced that the USA was about to go thru dramatic economic changes, including collapse. He began, out of his own convictions, to help others to prepare....by selling their goods, stockpiling food, gold, ammunition, etc. This, no doubt, was too much for the "stay in the lines" FOX execs, and Glenn left Fox to start his own program. At that time, I jumped off his wagon.
When I saw that GLenn had written a Christmas novel, entitled The Christmas Sweater, I simply surmised that he was cashing in on his fame for a bit more money. My struggling admiration for him sunk to a new low, and I wrote him off once and for all.
I picked up the audio book, desperate for a good Christmas story around the holidays, as I always do, and was very pleasantly surprised at the simplicity, the honesty, and the ability to show his worst side in a honest and straightforward manner. The story is one that so many of us could write. A story of selfish rebellion as a youngster and it touched me. Although he fell a bit short in his analysis of "what Christmas is all about" in my own estimation, he did not fall short in his own. His faith differs from mine to some extent, but that's not the point of this review. The point of this review is that no matter whether I agree with all of his tactics, I do admire his honesty, his humility, and I do applaud his writing.
Thanks Glenn.

[dara85 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a good book for anyone who wants a heartwarming story. At first I disliked Eddie, he was such a brat, even when those he loved reached out to him. Once I understood where all the anger was coming from, I felt sorry for him.This would be great book especially for those who have substance abuse issues. It makes you think.

[lesliewright34 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic, fast read. I developed a connection to the main character from the first page. The theme of the story, not taking for granted the blessings you have, is one we all need to be reminded of from time to time. Recommend this one!

[ameliaiif · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Tomorrow's November 1!!! time to bring down all the Christmas decorations, put "The Nutcracker" back on my ipod, reread this awesome book by my crazy fuzzy wittle ewok glenn beck, and punch anybody who says "happy holidayssssss" instead of "Merry Christmas" . TIS THE SEASON. :P

[garyseverance-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Let's face it, Glenn Beck's novel is not great literature. Even with the help of two writers, the rhythm of the prose is uneven and the reader can hear Glenn's voice in every paragraph. The characters are not fully developed and the plot progresses unevenly. However, The Christmas Sweater has an important aspect of great literature. The writing causes the reader to care about the characters and to react in a personal, insightful way to them and their story. Like Proust's In Search of Lost Time, readers cannot help beginning brief life reviews triggered by the character and plot descriptions in the novel. Readers remember personal times and people in peculiarly vivid scenes, occasionally with tears rolling down their faces. Of course, the occasions are much more frequent in Proust's work in which the beauty of language (even in translation) is a key factor in reader associations. Beck shows an uncanny ability to make the connection between his commonplace and somewhat awkward expressions and our unconscious emotional history. This history is not limited to the Christmas season. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel, often thinking about my boyhood home and family. Both of my parents are dead and my brothers and I have not seen each other in decades. But, the short life reviews stimulated by reading The Christmas Sweater (and In Search of Lost Time, and Ulysses for crying out loud) are like living new lives with these lost family members in fleeting, unguarded, private moments. The Christmas Sweater is on my Kindle active shelf (not in storage) along with works by Proust, Joyce, Zola, Mann,...

[jclark88_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really didn't know what to expect from this book. I had read other Glenn Beck non-fiction books and enjoyed them but I wasn't sure he could pull off a Christmas story. As I later learned, the book is loosely based on events in his own life which I think certainly helped bring me into the story.I found it to be both touching and memorable. The writing itself isn't going to win any awards but the story moved me more than I thought it would. It was a quick and easy read and I enjoyed it very much.

[laws_7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I am not a fan of Glen Beck but when I saw this book I thought it would be interesting to use with my Book Group. I really did not care for the story esp. the part where his mother dies and at the end she is alive.Based on the author's life, eddie wanted a bike for Christmas but what he got was a handmade sweater from his mother. he hated that sweater .

[realbigcat · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A surprisingly good story with great meaning at Christmas time. I really enjoyed the book and found it a great read and a really good ending. It borrows some what on the premis of the Christmas Carol and but with a modern theme. For those of us who grew up in the 1970's we can relate to the type of Christmas we had back then. A banana seat stingray bike what a great present long before PC's, laptops and I-Pods. The best gifts are simple and from someone you love as you never know how long they will be with you.