Book Review: The Christmas Sweater

The Christmas Sweater
by Glenn Beck

Synopsis: When Eddie was twelve years old, all he wanted for Christmas was a bike. Although his life had gotten harder -- and money tighter -- since his father died and the family bakery closed...Eddie dreamed that somehow his mother would find a way to have his dream bike gleaming beside their modest Christmas tree that magical morning. 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. That Christmas morning was the beginning of Eddie's dark and painful journey on the road to manhood.

This was the book I chose this year for my holiday read as it seemed to fit the bill... uplifting, short and timely for Christmas. It is all of those things and I would recommend it to others wanting an uplifting story to pass on to friends or family for the holidays. It's a nice book about facing and conquering our storms in life, faith and forgiveness.

It's very simplistic and nothing too original for sure, as it's right out of the "It's A Wonderful Life" playbook of smaltz and perhaps it's a bit too sentimental and predictable, but it's still an OK read to put you in a good holiday spirit.

It's a spiritual type life lesson that's being taught and I've read through other's reviews where some said it changed their life. I would have to chuckle a bit and wonder how easily led anyone would be for this extremely simple-minded book to change anyone's life... but to each their own I guess. I just found it a good short Christmas time passer and by no means life changing.

5/10