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Kalėdinis megztinis
„Kalėdinis megztinis“ — tai knyga apie šeimą, tikėjimą ir atlaidumą, paauglystės prisiminimus, skaudžias gyvenimo pamokas ir tikrąją dovanų prasmę. Romane pasakojami įvykiai yra tikri, atskleidžiamos situacijos kviečia susimąstyti apie mūsų visų gyvenimą: ar tikrai žinome, kas jame svarbiausia?
Dvylikametis Edis labai laukė Kalėdų – mat be galo troško ir tikėjosi dovanų gauti dviratį. Tikėjosi, nors ir po tėvo mirties šeimos kepykla buvo uždaryta ir trūko pinigų, o gyvenimas tapo sunkesnis... Vis dėlto Edžiui atrodė, kad mama būtinai suras išeitį, ir tą stebuklingą šventinį rytą prie kuklios eglutės jis tikrai ras dovaną, apie kurią svajojo. Tačiau realybė pasirodė kitokia ir vietoj dviračio mama jam padovanojo megztinį. „Kvailą, šlykštų rankų darbo megztinį...“
Patyręs, kad norai ne visada išsipildo, įskaudintas ir per mažas suvokti, kas yra didieji gyvenimo turtai, tą Kalėdų rytą Edis pradeda nelengvą kelionę į brandą. Daugelį mėnesių teks kovoti su savimi – kovoje gelbės paslaptingo kaimyno Raselo patarimai, – kol tamsūs debesys berniuko gyvenime išsisklaidys, ir jis pagaliau suvoks tikrąją paprastos motinos dovanos vertę...
Dvylikametis Edis labai laukė Kalėdų – mat be galo troško ir tikėjosi dovanų gauti dviratį. Tikėjosi, nors ir po tėvo mirties šeimos kepykla buvo uždaryta ir trūko pinigų, o gyvenimas tapo sunkesnis... Vis dėlto Edžiui atrodė, kad mama būtinai suras išeitį, ir tą stebuklingą šventinį rytą prie kuklios eglutės jis tikrai ras dovaną, apie kurią svajojo. Tačiau realybė pasirodė kitokia ir vietoj dviračio mama jam padovanojo megztinį. „Kvailą, šlykštų rankų darbo megztinį...“
Patyręs, kad norai ne visada išsipildo, įskaudintas ir per mažas suvokti, kas yra didieji gyvenimo turtai, tą Kalėdų rytą Edis pradeda nelengvą kelionę į brandą. Daugelį mėnesių teks kovoti su savimi – kovoje gelbės paslaptingo kaimyno Raselo patarimai, – kol tamsūs debesys berniuko gyvenime išsisklaidys, ir jis pagaliau suvoks tikrąją paprastos motinos dovanos vertę...
208 pages, Hardcover
First published November 11, 2008
205 people are currently reading
5238 people want to read
About the author
Glenn Beck
76 books1,086 followersGlenn Edward Lee Beck is one of America's leading radio and television personalities. His quick wit, candid opinions and engaging personality have made The Glenn Beck Program the third highest rated radio program in America and Glenn Beck, one of the most successful new shows on the Fox News Channel. His unique blend of modern-day storytelling and insightful views on current events allowed him to achieve the extraordinary feat of having #1 New York Times bestsellers in both fiction and non-fiction. Beck also stars in a live stage show and is the publisher of Fusion magazine.
Online, he is the editor of GlennBeck.com and the publisher of TheBlaze.com.
Beck is the author of six consecutive #1 New York Times Bestsellers including his latest book, the thriller The Overton Window. When The Christmas Sweater, his first novel, debuted at #1 on the fiction list, Beck became one of a handful of authors to write books that reached #1 on both the fiction and non-fiction NYT lists.
Online, he is the editor of GlennBeck.com and the publisher of TheBlaze.com.
Beck is the author of six consecutive #1 New York Times Bestsellers including his latest book, the thriller The Overton Window. When The Christmas Sweater, his first novel, debuted at #1 on the fiction list, Beck became one of a handful of authors to write books that reached #1 on both the fiction and non-fiction NYT lists.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,727 reviews
December 27, 2021
A reminiscent and moving allegory, assuring that faith and the wisdom that comes with age can guide those stumbling along the way.
Eddie's childhood memories have all the hallmarks of the early teenage years: attitude and angst, immaturity and limited perspective, defiance and arrogance. His experiences remind us of our own growing up years and the choices, and mistakes, we made. Just like Eddie, we too can recall seeing yet not seeing the bad choices we're making as we're making them. We too have experienced shame and regret, embarrassment and anxiety. But the biggest lesson is how we move past those regrets and live in the present; we decide our destiny.
This is truly a touching and redeeming read; it's just the thing you want to recommend to troubled souls, but you know only a very few will be ready to heed your advice. Still, it's a good one to keep in mind for those who are ready.
Eddie's childhood memories have all the hallmarks of the early teenage years: attitude and angst, immaturity and limited perspective, defiance and arrogance. His experiences remind us of our own growing up years and the choices, and mistakes, we made. Just like Eddie, we too can recall seeing yet not seeing the bad choices we're making as we're making them. We too have experienced shame and regret, embarrassment and anxiety. But the biggest lesson is how we move past those regrets and live in the present; we decide our destiny.
This is truly a touching and redeeming read; it's just the thing you want to recommend to troubled souls, but you know only a very few will be ready to heed your advice. Still, it's a good one to keep in mind for those who are ready.
Read
December 24, 2012It was the end of the December, a few days past Christmas a couple of years ago when I met Glenn Beck. I hadn't been expecting to meet the hater of Woodrow Wilson in the flesh, and I didn't know that Beck would be hanging out with a roving band of goodreaders, and I didn't even notice that it was him at the time, not until he said that he'd stopped by Simon and Shuster (his publisher) earlier in the day and picked up a copy of The Christmas Sweater for me.
“You did this for me?”
But Glenn Beck didn't answer me. Glenn just inscribed a copy of the book to me:
I was a little doubtful that it was the real Glenn Beck.
“You aren't exactly as I pictured you to be,” I said.
“What you mean, Glenn not how you picture him.”
“Well, you look sort of Eh!, Asian, and like a girl and not a boy.”
“Don't be lacist.”
So I stopped questioning the difference between Glenn Beck in person and Glenn Beck on his New York Times Bestselling books, Glenn Beck on his Top Rated Television show and the vocal differences between the Glenn Beck standing in front of me and the voice heard five days a week on his Nationally Syndicated AM-radio talk show.
Instead, I had my picture taken with Glenn
And people say Christmas miracles don't happen! I point to my getting to meet Glenn Beck as proof for how wrong all those nay-sayers and non-Christians are!
How to review a book like this? How can my fumbling-stupid words do anything that would do justice to words that could have just as easily come to us imprinted on golden tablets and unearthed somewhere in Upstate New York?
They can't.
This is a book about a boy who wants a bike and instead gets a sweater. And not to spoil anything, but he doesn't appreciate the sweater because he wanted a bike but over the course of the book he may or may not learn to appreciate the sweater, learn the true meaning of Christmas and learn some valuable life lessons along the way.
Some reviewers have commented on the writing being 'not very good'. But they are wrong. They are confused by the sheer awesomeness of the words/syntax/grammar/message/themes etc. and are miscomparing this book to inferior books and then showing their own confusion by saying that this 'doesn't read well', or that some passages are 'clunky and pedantic', or think while reading this that it is, “the Christian feel-good moralism version of torture porn” (ok, no reviewer said that, but I thought it while reading it, and then I realized that the ways of the Christmas Sweater weren't for me to judge).
So what can I say about this book?
Not much, because what can you really say about a rainbow. Or better yet a rainbow with a herd of unicorns frolicking underneath it? Words will fail.
Is the book like rainbows and unicorns?
Maybe.
Maybe not.
How does one compare Christmas Sweaters and Unicorns? Should one compare them or just bask in the unique glory of each?
The question might be asked, did you really read this Greg? And if you mean did I look at just about every word on every page in sequential order? Then yes, yes I did. I don't believe that if I spent the rest of my life only studying this book though I could say to have truly read it though. But in the mundane sense of the term I have read it, and I had the honor of having this book cinch the 2012 reading challenge. This was book 175.
Merry Christmas Glenn Beck!
Merry Christmas Christmas Sweater!
Merry Christmas Goodreads!
“You did this for me?”
But Glenn Beck didn't answer me. Glenn just inscribed a copy of the book to me:
I was a little doubtful that it was the real Glenn Beck.
“You aren't exactly as I pictured you to be,” I said.
“What you mean, Glenn not how you picture him.”
“Well, you look sort of Eh!, Asian, and like a girl and not a boy.”
“Don't be lacist.”
So I stopped questioning the difference between Glenn Beck in person and Glenn Beck on his New York Times Bestselling books, Glenn Beck on his Top Rated Television show and the vocal differences between the Glenn Beck standing in front of me and the voice heard five days a week on his Nationally Syndicated AM-radio talk show.
Instead, I had my picture taken with Glenn
And people say Christmas miracles don't happen! I point to my getting to meet Glenn Beck as proof for how wrong all those nay-sayers and non-Christians are!
How to review a book like this? How can my fumbling-stupid words do anything that would do justice to words that could have just as easily come to us imprinted on golden tablets and unearthed somewhere in Upstate New York?
They can't.
This is a book about a boy who wants a bike and instead gets a sweater. And not to spoil anything, but he doesn't appreciate the sweater because he wanted a bike but over the course of the book he may or may not learn to appreciate the sweater, learn the true meaning of Christmas and learn some valuable life lessons along the way.
Some reviewers have commented on the writing being 'not very good'. But they are wrong. They are confused by the sheer awesomeness of the words/syntax/grammar/message/themes etc. and are miscomparing this book to inferior books and then showing their own confusion by saying that this 'doesn't read well', or that some passages are 'clunky and pedantic', or think while reading this that it is, “the Christian feel-good moralism version of torture porn” (ok, no reviewer said that, but I thought it while reading it, and then I realized that the ways of the Christmas Sweater weren't for me to judge).
So what can I say about this book?
Not much, because what can you really say about a rainbow. Or better yet a rainbow with a herd of unicorns frolicking underneath it? Words will fail.
Is the book like rainbows and unicorns?
Maybe.
Maybe not.
How does one compare Christmas Sweaters and Unicorns? Should one compare them or just bask in the unique glory of each?
The question might be asked, did you really read this Greg? And if you mean did I look at just about every word on every page in sequential order? Then yes, yes I did. I don't believe that if I spent the rest of my life only studying this book though I could say to have truly read it though. But in the mundane sense of the term I have read it, and I had the honor of having this book cinch the 2012 reading challenge. This was book 175.
Merry Christmas Glenn Beck!
Merry Christmas Christmas Sweater!
Merry Christmas Goodreads!
December 8, 2008
All I can say is at least I didn't waste too much time reading this. The story was formulaic, the dialogue painful, and the writing lazy. The story is based on a personal experience, and it would have been a much better book if he would have simply told the real story instead of trying to embellish it to create a sense of pathos. While there is undoubtedly a good message, it comes across as a quick way to make a buck by preying on people's sentimentality this time of year.
December 29, 2008
Here's an idea - what if we read Christmas books ANY time of the year, and not just at Christmastime? Around Christmas there is an emphasis on gratitude, charity, kindness, and love, which is wonderful, but there's no reason to focus on those things only in December. This book helped to remind me how much I truly have to be grateful for. Wonderful story.
January 10, 2009
Glenn Beck is a laughably poor writer. I haven’t read his non-fiction stuff, but it sells pretty well. I cant imagine it’s this hard to read, or else it wouldn’t have sold so well, right? I think the last book I read that made me cringe at how badly it was written was Da Vinci Code. This book rips off every Christmas book and movie cliche you can think of, and he doesn’t try to hide it.
I thought I’d choose a Christmas book to help get me in the Christmas spirit, but instead I was put in the Thanksgiving spirit, I was thankful I borrowed this instead of buying it.
The characters or poorly written, everything they do is obvious from a mile away. Actually everything that happens is easy to see from a mile away.
It’s horrible.
I thought I’d choose a Christmas book to help get me in the Christmas spirit, but instead I was put in the Thanksgiving spirit, I was thankful I borrowed this instead of buying it.
The characters or poorly written, everything they do is obvious from a mile away. Actually everything that happens is easy to see from a mile away.
It’s horrible.
December 29, 2008
Glen Beck may be a well-known radio host, but he writes with all the finesse of a high school sophomore. In this semi-autobiographical "heartwarming Christmas tale", Beck tells about 12-year old Eddie who, along with his mother, has had some hard times since the death of his father a couple of years before. Eddie just knows that getting a new bike will make things better.
It will come as no surprise to any reader that, instead of the hoped-for bike, Eddie instead receives a sweater that has been lovingly knitted by his mother. Eddie reacts to this turn of events as poorly as one might expect, and the circumstances of his life move from bad to worse.
The Christmas Sweater is supposed to teach a lesson about dealing with adversity and God's presence within the storms of life, but it's pretty predictable stuff. The passages which dealt with God and religion, which could have been interesting and thought-provoking, were instead pretty vague and ill-formed.
Read it if you must, but I'd either get it at the library or wait until it comes out in paperback.
It will come as no surprise to any reader that, instead of the hoped-for bike, Eddie instead receives a sweater that has been lovingly knitted by his mother. Eddie reacts to this turn of events as poorly as one might expect, and the circumstances of his life move from bad to worse.
The Christmas Sweater is supposed to teach a lesson about dealing with adversity and God's presence within the storms of life, but it's pretty predictable stuff. The passages which dealt with God and religion, which could have been interesting and thought-provoking, were instead pretty vague and ill-formed.
Read it if you must, but I'd either get it at the library or wait until it comes out in paperback.
December 5, 2008
Wow!! The last two chapters found me sobbing like a baby...okay quietly sobbing at night. I had very little sympathy for the main character until the end of the book. The storm that inevitably gets us is a "doozy." Luckily my faith carries me through the storms of life, sometimes easily, sometimes not. This book made me think about the gift given to all of us, whether we want to accept it or not. Great book!!
January 14, 2009
You should read this book 1) because it's short and requires minimal effort; 2) because it teaches you something about yourself; and 3) because it will leave you with that warm, and yes, sappy Christmas-time feeling that so many elitist readers seem to think is somehow beneath them.
Here's the thing: you know going in to a book like this that your heartstrings are going to get a good tug. Add to that the back cover blurb claiming the style is reminiscent of Mitch Albom, and that's all I need to hear to send me running in the other direction. But, I felt like this book had some marked differences from your traditional Christmas schmoopfest. For one thing, while the story was predictable, it was Eddie (the main character's) journey that was gripping. His thought process was so true-to-life for a self-absorbed teenager that I found it impossible not to relate to him. And while this book was didactic in its life lessons, it was in the context of pounding it in to Eddie's thick head, rather than lecturing the reader, so it wasn't nearly as annoying as Albom's style.
But, what sealed the deal for me in making this a book I actually enjoyed is its clear explanation of what atonement means. It personalized Christ's sacrifice in a way that I could take and say, "Yes, I can choose to move on and be better. Any misery I endure is of my own making." While that may make for a simple story, it's one that we can all benefit from reading.
Here's the thing: you know going in to a book like this that your heartstrings are going to get a good tug. Add to that the back cover blurb claiming the style is reminiscent of Mitch Albom, and that's all I need to hear to send me running in the other direction. But, I felt like this book had some marked differences from your traditional Christmas schmoopfest. For one thing, while the story was predictable, it was Eddie (the main character's) journey that was gripping. His thought process was so true-to-life for a self-absorbed teenager that I found it impossible not to relate to him. And while this book was didactic in its life lessons, it was in the context of pounding it in to Eddie's thick head, rather than lecturing the reader, so it wasn't nearly as annoying as Albom's style.
But, what sealed the deal for me in making this a book I actually enjoyed is its clear explanation of what atonement means. It personalized Christ's sacrifice in a way that I could take and say, "Yes, I can choose to move on and be better. Any misery I endure is of my own making." While that may make for a simple story, it's one that we can all benefit from reading.
January 6, 2010
This year's review . . .
I think I loved this book even more the 2nd time around! Perhaps it is because I now have a son the same age as the main character, and he is struggling with some of the same emotions sometimes. In any case, it gave me great hope for the future! Very touching reminder of the love of our Father, the power of redemption, and what is most important in life! I will read this book again!
Last year's review . . .
While this book was emotional and intense in a lot of places, and the story pulls at your heart strings, it is SO WORTH the read! The story draws you in, because there are elements to it that I think everyone can relate to on some level. I especially love the message of redemption, atonement, forgiveness, and love! It is powerful without being overly preachy. I think this will become a traditional Christmas read for me!
I think I loved this book even more the 2nd time around! Perhaps it is because I now have a son the same age as the main character, and he is struggling with some of the same emotions sometimes. In any case, it gave me great hope for the future! Very touching reminder of the love of our Father, the power of redemption, and what is most important in life! I will read this book again!
Last year's review . . .
While this book was emotional and intense in a lot of places, and the story pulls at your heart strings, it is SO WORTH the read! The story draws you in, because there are elements to it that I think everyone can relate to on some level. I especially love the message of redemption, atonement, forgiveness, and love! It is powerful without being overly preachy. I think this will become a traditional Christmas read for me!
November 14, 2008
The Christmas Sweater is an amazing book it is full of emotions. I was amazed at how Brother Beck was able to capture what I have tried to for years. Thanks Gleen I am not a reader. However when I pick up a book and read it cover to cover in one sitting that is saying something for that book. BTW it has only happened once
January 3, 2025
1,5 ⭐️
Ckliwa, infantylna, dużo odniesień do boga - ta książka była chyba moją za grzechy.
Trochę o dorastaniu, ale tak irytującego głównego bohatera dawno nie poznałam. Koło literatury pięknej to nawet nie stało.
Gniotek, nie polecam.
Ckliwa, infantylna, dużo odniesień do boga - ta książka była chyba moją za grzechy.
Trochę o dorastaniu, ale tak irytującego głównego bohatera dawno nie poznałam. Koło literatury pięknej to nawet nie stało.
Gniotek, nie polecam.
November 18, 2009
I am always amazed at the popularity of these sentimental and pedestrian Christmas stories that hit the bookstores every autumn, and if this sounds like sour grapes, it is. I'll admit to being irritated that writers like Glenn Beck and Richard Paul Evans consistently hit pay dirt nationally with their sappy stories and embarassingly bland and medicore writing styles. This offering from Beck is supposedly based on a true story from his own childhood, but it is so fraught with hackneyed literary stereotypes that is it unnerving. There is, first of all, Eddie, the boy whose family is so poor that his parents make him wear polka-dot Wonder Bread bags rubber-banded around his shoes when it snows because they can't afford boots. (Oh, come on. I know nobody wants their kids to get wet feet and pneumonia, but what kind of parents would really subject their son to that level of humiliation?) Eddie is bitter over losing his father to cancer, then getting a crummy homemade sweater from his mother for Christmas instead of a bike. Then there is his friend Taylor, whose parents are wealthy, but who hints that material things and multiple Disneyland trips are not all they are cracked up to be because, hey, money can't buy happiness or attentive parents. Don't forget the wise old guardian angel in cowboy/horse-whisperer guise, and the long-suffering grandparents whom Eddie treats like crap. Yes, Eddie has fallen on some hard times (he loses his sweet, self-effacing mother as well), but this kid is so bratty, self-pitying, and insufferable that you wish you could just slap him upside the head. Of course, there is the inevitable Spiritual scene where Eddie learns a thing or two about Hope and Love. I thought the surprise ending was a particularly cheesy shot. (Think back to the 1980s TV program Dallas when the writers had to figure out a way to bring Patrick Duffy's deceased character back into the show.) But then, Beck's point is that "Christmas is about second chances," and I guess we can all glean a little something from that philosophy when the holiday season whomps its usual pressure on all of us. There will no doubt be a film or TV-movie version of The Christmas Sweater so all the millions of people who bought, loved and cried over the book can watch, bawl their eyes out yet again, and go, "Awwwwwww." I think I'll pass.
December 16, 2008
I am a huge Glenn Beck fan and can relate to his quirky sense of humor. I didn't know what to expect from this book. I was pleasantly surprised. Very quick read with a wonderful message about family, faith and the things that are important. It will be one of those books that will be read over and over any time of the year.
November 22, 2008
I wasn't sure if I would like this book but it was great. This book has so many truths about growing up and figuring out who we are. That forgiveness is always available to us, even for the big sins. There were times when I wasn't sure where the story was going or why, but in the end I was quite pleased. I've handed it off to my 11 year old son, because I feel it has some very important lessons, that are better learned from books than your own experience.
December 18, 2019
Eddie wants a bicycle for Christmas this year. He’s been so good, he’s helped his mom out without her pestering him to do things, he has done well in school. He’s sure he’s earned it this year, even though they’re poor.
Eddie’s dad passed away a few years ago and Christmas has never been the same. His mom works constantly as she tries to make sure they’re getting by. Even though they haven’t been able to afford a bike in the past he is sure this year his mom has been able to save up enough.
Christmas morning dawns, he rushes downstairs, but only to find an ugly hand-knit sweater under the tree. He’s angry. Why can’t he be like his friends? Getting new things and whatever they want for Christmas. He’s in a sour mood and he knows he’s upsetting his mom but he doesn’t care... Until his mood and his choices turn his life upside-down.
The Christmas Sweater is a story about the choices we make and how even through the storms we can safely come out the other side.
I enjoyed this Christmas book. It was filled with holiday joy and goodness as well as some tough lessons and heart-breaking scenes. It wasn’t my favorite, but I did enjoy it.
TW: Cancer, Car Accident, Death of a parent.
Eddie’s dad passed away a few years ago and Christmas has never been the same. His mom works constantly as she tries to make sure they’re getting by. Even though they haven’t been able to afford a bike in the past he is sure this year his mom has been able to save up enough.
Christmas morning dawns, he rushes downstairs, but only to find an ugly hand-knit sweater under the tree. He’s angry. Why can’t he be like his friends? Getting new things and whatever they want for Christmas. He’s in a sour mood and he knows he’s upsetting his mom but he doesn’t care... Until his mood and his choices turn his life upside-down.
The Christmas Sweater is a story about the choices we make and how even through the storms we can safely come out the other side.
I enjoyed this Christmas book. It was filled with holiday joy and goodness as well as some tough lessons and heart-breaking scenes. It wasn’t my favorite, but I did enjoy it.
TW: Cancer, Car Accident, Death of a parent.
December 8, 2021
Dnf na nekih 70%, nemam želju da završim ovo. Ne sećam se kako je završila na tbr listi i žao mi je, jer je sigurni preporučio neko kome sad znam da ne treba da verujem. Ovo je bukvalno sastav za, pa, maksimum peti razred osnovne "Povratak sa zimskog raspusta" ili neki taj fazon. Zabranite poznatim ličnostima da pišu već jednom
December 18, 2010
Some of the story is based on events in Glenn Beck's young life in a working class family that didn't have much of material value. Glenn wants the things other kids have, like a shiny new red bike for Christmas. Glenn learns that he doesn't always get the possessions he wants, but he learns about what is really important.
If anyone other than Glenn Beck had written this, it would have been predictable, sickeningly sweet, and cheesy. Glenn is able to express his feelings about the atonement and forgiveness without being preachy because the reader sees him learning these lessons. I found myself laughing out loud at parts, then crying a few minutes later.
The main character, 13, Eddie is totally believable as he acts out his anger and resentment. He could have been much more out of control and I would have believed it. I've been around teenagers all my professional life and have seen much worse.
This book is easy to read and won't take long to read--I would strongly recommend parents read this book with their kids starting around age 7. My 15 year old son saw me carrying the book and snagged it from me and read it in no time. He thought it was really good. I think it is the perfect book to read at Christmas time because everyone is so focused on "what they want." Do you really want all that stuff you will forget about in 3 weeks? Is stuff really that important? And what about the atonement? Or maybe what is the atonement?
Read this book! And listen to Glenn Beck's radio show--it is hilarious at times--and you will learn a few things too!
If anyone other than Glenn Beck had written this, it would have been predictable, sickeningly sweet, and cheesy. Glenn is able to express his feelings about the atonement and forgiveness without being preachy because the reader sees him learning these lessons. I found myself laughing out loud at parts, then crying a few minutes later.
The main character, 13, Eddie is totally believable as he acts out his anger and resentment. He could have been much more out of control and I would have believed it. I've been around teenagers all my professional life and have seen much worse.
This book is easy to read and won't take long to read--I would strongly recommend parents read this book with their kids starting around age 7. My 15 year old son saw me carrying the book and snagged it from me and read it in no time. He thought it was really good. I think it is the perfect book to read at Christmas time because everyone is so focused on "what they want." Do you really want all that stuff you will forget about in 3 weeks? Is stuff really that important? And what about the atonement? Or maybe what is the atonement?
Read this book! And listen to Glenn Beck's radio show--it is hilarious at times--and you will learn a few things too!
November 13, 2008
I am such a fan of Glenn Beck and was excited to buy this book on its release date. I also read it all on the same day. A compelling story that everyone can relate to and connect with on many levels. I'm giving it five stars; not because it is on the same level as many of the great works of literature but because it was so thought provoking. His spiritual insights touched me deeply and I hope that many will read this and really take it to heart. Now that would be a way to bring change to this world! A great read to start the holiday season. Any of my friends are welcome to borrow it! I bought it at an airport bookstore and need to get my money's worth!!
Read
January 12, 2009this book is crap
December 22, 2008
I wasn't really familiar with Glenn Beck aside from that I knew that he had a tv show on a cable network and a radio show, and was a member of the lds church. First, this book is amazing. Its a boy named Eddie who has recently lost a father and is preparing for christmas with his mother. All Eddie wanted for Christmas was a shiny red new bike. And he got instead a red sweater. Well..to his mother's dismay he threw it on the ground. And through the story Eddie becomes selfish, and pretty much a snot to all those that love and care for him. Even as this story is sort of fictional I can relate in some areas, its really hard for me to write this review without giving away the plot of this story. But this story is about eddie's journey with grieving and the atonement. At the end of this story, Eddie had dreamed the whole thing. And it's Christmas day and he gets to eat breakfast with the entire family. How I wish that I could wake up in the morning and have breakfast with my mom and dad and dreamed it too.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 7, 2008
This book has some powerful messages. Some that hit home the most for me: I am worthy of the journey AND the destination I'm in. Forgiveness is happiness. The atonement makes it possible for me to start over anytime I need to.
I highly recommend this book for everyone this Christmas. Thanks, Dad, for the book!
I highly recommend this book for everyone this Christmas. Thanks, Dad, for the book!
December 21, 2017
Good setup to what could have been a good story, but it had a really weak ending and did an awful job at tying things together.
April 7, 2021
Dviprasmiška knyga, kurią parašė JAV radijo ir televizijos laidų vedėjas Glenn Beck. Pradžioje istorija "užkabina" - paauglys išgyvena sunkų periodą - netenka tėvo, patiria nepriteklius, vėliau dėl vaikiško užsispyrimo ir pykčio, kad negavo lauktos Kalėdų dovanos, sukuria situaciją, kurioje žūsta mama. Susitaikyti su tokiomis netektimis, kaltės jausmu ne kiekvienas suaugęs žmogus gali susidoroti. Viskas juda link kažkokios atomazgos, deja - atsiranda tipiško amerikietiško keliaujančio pamokslininko, rodančio palapinėje stebuklus ir garsiai skanduojančio Jėzaus vardą, kalba. Ir man čia jau buvo stop.
December 12, 2024
Przepiękna książka, która znalazła mnie w idealnym momencie ❤️
January 5, 2020
Reminiscent of Mitch Alboms Five People You Meet In Heaven. The story of young Eddie who learns to appreciate an ugly hand knitted sweater he receives one year for Christmas instead of a shiny red bicycle because his family is poor with the help of a mysterious stranger.
4 stars Late Christmas Read
4 stars Late Christmas Read
November 23, 2008
Good book for any time, not just Christmas time. Although it's message does remind us why we celebrate Christmas.
At first I was disappointed at the ending but as I read on (to the events of Glenn Beck's life that shaped this novel), I appreciated it more.
It's full of good quotes - most of which are very similar to those I've heard my parents tell me one time or another.
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"Most times we're so focused on what we think we want that we can't appreciate how happy we already are. It's only when we gorget about our problems and help other forget theirs that we realize how good we really have it."
"You can either complain about how hard you life is, or you can realize that only you are responsible for it. You get to choose: Am I going to be happy or miserable?"
"Eddie, we can't control what happens to us, but we can control how we react to it. We are al meant to be happy...If you're not happy, it's not God's fault, it's not my fault, or anyone else's fault. It's your own."
"When you choose the path, you choose the destination."
At first I was disappointed at the ending but as I read on (to the events of Glenn Beck's life that shaped this novel), I appreciated it more.
It's full of good quotes - most of which are very similar to those I've heard my parents tell me one time or another.
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Most times we're so focused on what we think we want that we can't appreciate how happy we already are. It's only when we gorget about our problems and help other forget theirs that we realize how good we really have it."
"You can either complain about how hard you life is, or you can realize that only you are responsible for it. You get to choose: Am I going to be happy or miserable?"
"Eddie, we can't control what happens to us, but we can control how we react to it. We are al meant to be happy...If you're not happy, it's not God's fault, it's not my fault, or anyone else's fault. It's your own."
"When you choose the path, you choose the destination."
December 16, 2008
Twelve year old Eddie is very, very angry. His dad has died and then his mother dies at Christmas after Eddie stubbornly refuses to stay overnight at his grandparents. Eddie has to live with the guilt for years. Did he cause her death? That's pretty tough for adults to live with, but for a twelve year old, nearly impossible. (I strongly disagreed with the one professional review I read. Glenn Beck has opened up his soul. The professional reviewer ought to try it). The path Beck had to take to finally find happiness & quit rejecting everyone & everything was difficult. In trying to bury the pain of his past, he became an alcoholic. (This is only skimmed over in the book, so still appropriate for grades 6+). This is a beautiful Christmas story that many will enjoy. The only problem might be the religious transformation Beck goes through at the end. There are many messages in the book, but throughout I kept thinking, most of us have received a handmade Christmas gift we were less than thrilled about. Beck helps us think about how we might more appropriately receive it.
K. Loewy, Twin Peaks Elementary
K. Loewy, Twin Peaks Elementary
March 17, 2009
One of my favorite Christmas stories!
The story is based on true events from Glenn Beck's life although there are obviously some embellishments to the story. If you go to the back of the book you're told what parts of the story were real and which ones were added to make the story more interesting. Also, I do have to warn you that the book is a tear- jerker and you probably shouldn't read it at work while people are shopping in your store. (personal experience. It leaves you with red puffy eyes and you get some strange looks from customers as you frantically fan your eyes when you see them approaching the cash register.) Now I hate sad stories. I refuse to watch movies if it has a sad ending and I get really upset if a book doesn't leave me feeling happy and fulfilled at the end. There's enough sorrow in the real world I don't want to read about it in my fictitious world too! So since I've warned you that the book is sad let me also tell you that it has a great message and the ending will not leave you feeling empty and depressed. It's really a great heart warming story.
The story is based on true events from Glenn Beck's life although there are obviously some embellishments to the story. If you go to the back of the book you're told what parts of the story were real and which ones were added to make the story more interesting. Also, I do have to warn you that the book is a tear- jerker and you probably shouldn't read it at work while people are shopping in your store. (personal experience. It leaves you with red puffy eyes and you get some strange looks from customers as you frantically fan your eyes when you see them approaching the cash register.) Now I hate sad stories. I refuse to watch movies if it has a sad ending and I get really upset if a book doesn't leave me feeling happy and fulfilled at the end. There's enough sorrow in the real world I don't want to read about it in my fictitious world too! So since I've warned you that the book is sad let me also tell you that it has a great message and the ending will not leave you feeling empty and depressed. It's really a great heart warming story.
February 2, 2009
You really can't expect much from this book given the author and title, and yet even with such marginal expectations, it is still fails. Too juvenile for an adult and too dated for a child - I just can't see it possibly appealing to anyone other than hard-core Glenn Beck fans who would love it simply because he wrote it, however awful it may truly be.
From the horrendous writing to the absurdly heavy-handed moral and christian imagery, this novel reads as though it were written by a precocious 13 year-old. Of course it was actually written by a 40+ year-old and the entire setting is so dated in it's early-'70s roots that no kid that young will possibly be able relate.
Apparently this novel was based very very loosely on events in Beck's own childhood. Had he simply written an honest 2-3 page essay on his childhood experiences, I may have actually found that an interesting read.
If I may impart a bit of advice to Mr. Beck: just stick with the punditry.
From the horrendous writing to the absurdly heavy-handed moral and christian imagery, this novel reads as though it were written by a precocious 13 year-old. Of course it was actually written by a 40+ year-old and the entire setting is so dated in it's early-'70s roots that no kid that young will possibly be able relate.
Apparently this novel was based very very loosely on events in Beck's own childhood. Had he simply written an honest 2-3 page essay on his childhood experiences, I may have actually found that an interesting read.
If I may impart a bit of advice to Mr. Beck: just stick with the punditry.
December 7, 2008
I really loved this book. It's about a boy who wants a bike for Christmas. He and his mom are poor, but this boy feels like he's really earned this bike. On Christmas morning, he discovers that he didn't get the bike, but a handmade Christmas sweater by his mom. He's so mad that he goes upstairs and throws it on the floor. His mom goes up after him to discover the Christmas sweater that she had worked so hard on and made with so much love in a heap on the floor. She is devistated. It made me think of the Savior and how he gave us this great gift of the atonement and how sometimes we don't appreciate it and we throw it on the floor. Although this book is not a religious one, I really loved how Glenn Beck told, bascially the story of his childhood in this fictional novel. A great read. I cried.
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