Glenn Beck Explains Story Behind 'The Christmas Sweater' to Don Imus

This is a rush transcript from "Glenn Beck," December 3, 2009. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

JUDGE ANDREW NAPOLITANO, GUEST HOST: What is the story behind Glenn's novel "The Christmas Sweater?" Yesterday morning here at Fox, Don Imus asked Glenn this question when Glenn appeared on Don's show on the Fox Business Network.

Take a listen:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DON IMUS, 'IMUS IN THE MORNING': "The Christmas Sweater" the story comes from where? What is the story?

GLENN BECK: It comes from — it's a fictionalized story of my childhood, my last Christmas with my mom. And then...

IMUS: Well, tell me about it, is it sad? Well, I'm serious.

BECK: Is it sad?

IMUS: Yes.

BECK: Well, yes.

IMUS: Well, tell me about it.

BECK: My mom — I found out the last year of my mom's life — I kind of figured out that she was an alcoholic and addicted to drugs. It wasn't going well and she decided to take her own life.

And I remember the last Christmas. We were poor and it was one of those Christmases where you don't really know — when you're a kid, you don't really know you're poor. And so there was only one present under the tree that year for me and it was a sweater and I hated it.

I mean, what kid wants a sweater? And didn't treat it well, it wasn't the best response at Christmas and still didn't get it and it was right after Christmas, I just — it was rolled up in a ball and it was on the floor.

And my mother came in and she was talking to me about something and she looked down at the sweater and she said, "Is that the sweater I gave you for Christmas?"

And I said yes and she picked it up and she said, "Please don't treat that that way," and I realized at that moment how much my mother had done and how hard it was for her and that she knew it was a crappy present that I wouldn't want but it was all that she could afford.

And then shortly after that, she died and that was kind of the turning point in my life. That was the first kind of real rocky area that kind of screwed me up for many years.

And then I started to repeat my mom's life and...

IMUS: Drinking?

BECK: Drinking and — I mean, I was right — suicide, everything. It was all coming to me. And my ex-wife actually backed me up into a garage and said with her finger and she said, "You are not going to repeat your mother's life and do to your children what she did to you."

We got a divorce because she was always backing me into the corner of garages.

And I sobered up, and the last part of it is based on a dream that I had when I was sobering up. And I realized how hard work was that I had to do and it was about facing your storm and just going through.

Don't worry about the storm. You got to walk through it and it's warm on the other side, but if you're going to stand here and be afraid of the clouds in that storm walking through, well, you're going to be in this desolate place forever.

IMUS: Well, it's a country song, if you're going through hell, just keep on moving. So you know...

BECK: I don't know that country song, but...

IMUS: I was just trying to...

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: I think that was good story. Didn't you think that was a good story? Well told...

(CROSSTALK)

CHARLES MCCORD, 'IMUS IN THE MORNING': It's an excellent story.

BECK: And then he throws it into...

MCCORD: I think he's simply saying the philosophy is the same.

(CROSSTALK)

IMUS: So you found a way to turn this heart wrenching, gut-wrenching story...

BECK: I'm the one?

IMUS: Into a big payday with your "Sweater" book."

BECK: Are you seeing this? This is just...

(LAUGHTER)

IMUS: When are we going to have the sweater for the kids? I told my wife, I can't believe this (EXPLETIVE DELETED), well I didn't mean (EXPLETIVE DELETED)

(LAUGHTER)

IMUS: But I said, I can't believe this (EXPLETIVE DELETED) is not selling sweaters. I mean, why don't you...

BECK: Would you, would it be OK if... I mean, because we could partnership in a deal; I could give 10 percent to your — whatever it is you do. We could sell sweaters.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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