I received The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck from a family member for my birthday last month and finally got around to reading it this weekend. The book touches heavily on events that were deeply personal for Glenn Beck and I must confess to several times having my eyes tear up, as the emotion evoked in the book by Eddie, the main character, was very real.
I'd previously thumbed through Glenn Beck's Inconvenient Truth book, and The Christmas Sweater is quite different from the Glenn Beck in that book. In The Christmas Sweater we follow a few years in the life of 13 year old Eddie, who had already lost his father to cancer when he was 9. Money is tight, but like Ralphie in A Christmas Story, there is only one thing he wants: a red Huffy bike with a black banana seat. Instead, what Eddie gets is a sweater.
I think most of us can imagine back to our childhood and wanting something so badly, only to be disappointed when it wasn't under the tree. This is a major connective point, I think, that draws the reader into the story. A petulant teen, Eddie learns the hard way why you should never let the moment pass when you owe someone you love an apology.
The Christmas Sweater is a bit of A Christmas Story and A Christmas Carol all rolled into one. The road to forgiveness for Eddie is not without its potholes. But in the end, Eddie realizes that love is constant. He also learns that nothing is as important as family.
I recommend Glenn Beck's A Christmas Sweater to anyone who loves a Christmas miracle or as a gift for those who need to learn forgiveness in their life. This book has truly been one of the best books that I have read this year and I can easily see it appearing on the big screen as a holiday classic if made into a movie. This book retails for about $20.
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