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Richard Paul Evans - The Christmas List

December 03, 2009
 Radio Clips

The Glenn Beck Program


The Christmas List


By Richard Paul Evans

GLENN: Okay. I'm looking at USA Today. This is A Christmas Blizzard, The Christmas Secret, The Christmas List, The Christmas Promise, The Christmas Cookie. I mean, I'm just looking at all the and you know who we have to blame? Richard Paul Evans. Because I believe

PAT: You started this, didn't you?

GLENN: Come on.

PAT: Was it The Christmas Box that started all of this?

EVANS: Yeah, The Christmas Box. The next is going to be The Christmas Sweater Box.

GLENN: Wait a minute. Now we're thinking. Now we're thinking. You have The Christmas List out which is number 4 on the holiday gift guide books. This is USA Today. The Christmas List is out. It is a great, great book. It is modern day A Christmas Carol. So wait a minute. No, it wasn't him. A Christmas Carol.

EVANS: That's right.

PAT: But it wasn't The Christmas Carol. It was A Christmas Carol.

EVANS: I own "The."

GLENN: Yeah. You own "The." It's starts with The Christmas.

EVANS: The Christmas.

GLENN: It's you.

PAT: I wrote The Christmas Lint. It's about what accrues in your belly button after you wear The Christmas Sweater.

GLENN: Really?

PAT: And then you put the lint in the box, in The Christmas Box. So that's it hasn't done real well.

EVANS: There were two parodies of The Christmas Box right after. The Christmas Pox was one of them.

GLENN: That's very good, that's very good. Seriously, weren't you the guy really that kind of started the Christmas, the little Christmas Gift book kind of thing?

EVANS: The Christmas Box was such a phenomenon, we sold eight million copies. And then what happened, the year after The Christmas Box hit number one, it was selling at levels we hadn't seen until Harry Potter. And so the next year the New York Times reported it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas Box because there were hundreds of imitations. And my wife would walk through the stores and say, oh, look, there's your book. And she was like, oh, no, it's one that looks just like your book.

GLENN: You know what's amazing is they do it all the time. I mean, how many vampires books are there now.

EVANS: Exactly.

GLENN: Because Stephenie Meyer did Twilight which, by the way, I can't no self respecting I had to turn my man card in about 15 minutes into that movie. I mean, I just

PAT: You went to the New Moon thing?

GLENN: I went with my wife. I went to the New Moon thing. And if the guys take their shirts off and stand around and talk anymore, I'm just going to I mean, I looked at him, we went with our wives and I looked at a friend of mine and we were sitting next to each other and I went, dear heavens, let's turn them. And he went, the man card? Yes, turn it in. Who do we turn it in to right now? But that's the same thing that is happening.

Now, you took the book The Christmas List, you took a new approach to scrooge.

EVANS: Yep, what really happened was last year my book Grace which was your book of the month was

GLENN: I loved that book.

EVANS: Very heavy topic dealing with child abuse and it did extremely well.

GLENN: Hang on just a second. If you haven't met Grace, is that last year?

EVANS: It was last year.

GLENN: If you haven't read Grace, it is such a good book. I saw and I don't mean to relate to the story per se. I saw myself as the central character just because of the way, it was the way we used to think, it was the way our life used to be, it was the settings that we all remember. I mean, you painted that time period and that boy's life so well, it was like me. Different story obviously but it was, it just, just fantastic. There are few books that come out and you don't remember the words. You see the pictures that you had in your head. And Grace was one of those books for me. Anyway

EVANS: It was that way with me, too. It was very autobiographical, really describing my childhood and some of the struggles we had. But after, like a woman in Texas said to me, she said, loved the book, loved Grace; I was depressed for three days.

GLENN: Yeah.

EVANS: I said, well, that wasn't really the point. And I thought, so after I got home for the holidays, I went and watched The Christmas Carol with my family, and I said it always makes me so happy. I want to write something that makes my readers feel that way. And so I went back to write The Christmas List, which is about a modern real estate developer, he's lost his way, he's divorcing his wife who's dying, his only son won't speak to him. And then in the course of this the newspaper makes a mistake and runs his obituary. He reads his obituary, he doesn't like what people have to say, what they are writing about him on the Internet. And after a few more things happen, he decides he wants to change his legacy.

GLENN: So basically because if the, at least the movie version and I don't think I've ever actually read The Christmas Carol, or, I'm sorry, A Christmas Carol, I don't think I've ever read that. But I know the movie version pretty much ends with him standing at the grave and seeing his tombstone. So you just took and started with that moment of revelation.

EVANS: Exactly. And so as he goes back and he goes back to visit, he has a secretary create a list of people he's harmed. He's delighted that there's only five names on the list, until she explains these are the finalists, these are the people whose lives you've completely decimated. So he goes back to try to make right, try to see if he can fix things, and it's not quite as easy as saying I'm sorry.

GLENN: Do you, when you write your books, do you write them with the hope of doing good? Or the, "I'm just looking to tell a good story," or is it a combination of both?

EVANS: Well, I think I come from a central belief system. I'm very optimistic about humans and I believe in hope. So I think all my books are a book about hope and they are also on some level about that God does indeed love us. So when you come from that background, then anything I write is going to show that. But most important is to write an entertaining story because if you don't read it, then you haven't done any good.

GLENN: What was the book you wrote about the healer with Tourette's?

EVANS: The Gift.

GLENN: Another great book. You have 14 novels, more than 13 million copies of books in print. I saw today that you received the Washington Times Humanitarian of the Century award. I mean, over Mother Teresa? I mean, I don't I mean, I don't mean to, you know, put you out on the spot here, but out of 100 years, you're the guy?

EVANS: No, there were a few of us.

GLENN: Oh. So it was like The Christmas List, they are like, these are the five. Okay, who else was on the please tell me Mother Teresa made that cut.

EVANS: I honestly don't know. I just remember going to this meeting with a bunch of congressmen and senators and listening to a very long talk.

GLENN: You were the humanitarian of the century because you went and you listened to these guys talk. Nobody else would do it. I did it out of the kindness of my heart, I listened to it. And you also, volunteers of America National Empathy Award for your work helping abused children. I know you have taken a ton of the money that you have made from these stories and you have truly affected lives, and you do it with just great, great words and great stories. You are a fantastic storyteller. And as always, good to have you on the program.

EVANS: Thank you so much, Glenn.

GLENN: You bet. The name of the book is The Christmas List by Richard Paul Evans. I notice that somehow or another Richard has made sure that The Christmas Sweater is not on that list from USA Today.

EVANS: Nothing to do with it.

GLENN: Which it doesn't make any sense because I think he owns it. It is The Christmas Sweater, not A Christmas Sweater.

All right. Richard Paul Evans. The name of the book is... The Christmas List, available everywhere.

Oil & Gas firm CEO behind EPIC North Face troll: In a 'woke' world, TRUTH about fossil fuels is 'controversial'

Apparel company The North Face recently stated that it would no longer make jackets for oil and gas companies because it doesn't want to be associated with the fossil fuel industry. In response, Colorado-based oil and gas company Liberty Oilfield Services rented full billboard ads to remind The North Face of the truth: "Globally, 60% of all clothing fibers are made out of oil and gas. For North Face, it is likely 90% or more."

Liberty CEO Chris Wright joined Glenn Beck on the radio program Tuesday to discuss just how much of our economy — beyond outdoor apparel and energy — wouldn't exist in a world without fossil fuels. And he warns that many companies are now deeming this truth to be "controversial."

"I have been for years, trying to get a real, honest dialogue about energy going," Chris told Glenn. "So we took this opportunity to point out that North Face jackets are ... almost completely made out of oil and gas. How can you choose not to associate with the essential material your equipment [is] made out of? So we put a billboard up ... the billboard says, 'That North Face puffer looks good on you. And it was made from fossil fuels.'"

"Most billboard companies did not want to run that billboard. They thought it was controversial," he added. "And Facebook put a hold on our brief video just saying the jacket looks good, this is what it's made out of. In today's world, that is controversial."

Watch the video below to catch more of the conversation:

Want more from Glenn Beck?

To enjoy more of Glenn's masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution and live the American dream.

'I had fantasies of unloading a revolver into the head of any white person': Yale School of Medicine guest speaker goes on race-hating rant

Image source: Video screenshot/ Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images

During a lecture at the Yale School of Medicine's Child Study Center, a New York City-based psychiatrist told students and faculty that she fantasizes about "unloading a revolver into the head of any white person that got in my way," among several other shockingly race-hating statements.

In April, Dr. Aruna Khilanani — a New York-based forensic psychiatrist and psychoanalyst — delivered the talk called "The Psychopathic Problem of the White Mind" virtually as part of the Yale School of Medicine's "Child Study Center Grand Rounds," a lecture program for "trainees in child psychiatry, psychology, and social work, faculty, clinicians, and scientists."

On the radio program Monday, Glenn Beck shared several quotes from an audio recording of the lecture provided by Bari Weiss, a former opinion writer and editor for the New York Times.

Here are a few of Khilanani's statements from the audio:

  • "This is the cost of talking to white people at all. The cost of your own life, as they suck you dry. There are no good apples out there. White people make my blood boil."
  • "I had fantasies of unloading a revolver into the head of any white person that got in my way, burying their body, and wiping my bloody hands as I walked away relatively guiltless with a bounce in my step. Like I did the world a f***ing favor."
  • "White people are out of their minds. And they have been for a long time."
  • "White people feel that we are bullying them when we bring up race. They feel that we should be thanking them for all that they have done for us. They are confused, and so are we. We keep forgetting that directly talking about race is a waste of our breath."
  • "We are asking a demented, violent predator who thinks that they are a saint or a superhero, to accept responsibility. It ain't gonna happen. They have five holes in their brain. It's like banging your head against a brick wall. It's just like sort of not a good idea."

"We must take a stand. We must speak out, because this is evil," Glenn said in response to Khilanani's shocking lecture. "I don't care who you voted for, you know this is evil."

Watch the video below for more details:

Want more from Glenn Beck?

To enjoy more of Glenn's masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution and live the American dream.

INFLATION collusion? What's REALLY fueling the rising food & housing prices?

The prices of our houses and food are already rising fast, but they will skyrocket to record highs if we don't fix the problem soon. So what's causing the inflation?

On the radio program this week, Glenn Beck said he doesn't believe it's the fault of our loggers, farmers, or truckers — many of them are really struggling. But the big corporations that control these industries are making record profits, all while the Biden administration is making some very odd decisions that could make the crises even worse.

Watch the video below for more details:

Want more from Glenn Beck?

To enjoy more of Glenn's masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution and live the American dream.

Gov. Abbott issues disaster declaration, vows to defend Texas border: ​'They came in to the WRONG state'

The crisis at the border continues to worsen, with the U.S. Border Patrol recently releasing some shocking statistics that illuminate just how bad the situation has become. But Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) is doing everything he can to prevent any additional unlawful crossings into the Lone Star State.

Abbott joined Glenn Beck on the radio program Wednesday to describe recent action he has taken to ensure that those who do cross into Texas illegally know they came to the "wrong state."

After noting that both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris "have completely abandoned post as it concerns the Texas border," Abbott explained how "Texas is stepping up" to combat the flood of dangerous gangs and cartels, human traffickers and drugs he says are pouring into border communities.

"Beginning in March, I deployed a thousand Texas Department of Public Safety officers to the border. I deployed the National Guard to the border. And they made well over a thousand arrests of some of these criminals we talked about. They've apprehended more than 33,000 illegal immigrants coming across the border." Abbott said. "But because of the way the Biden administration has abandoned the border, we are now elevating our game. What I did yesterday, in response to more than a dozen counties along the border ... I granted their request for a disaster declaration," he added.

Abbott went on to describe how his disaster declaration gives Texas the authority to toughen penalties for lawbreakers, including criminal trespassing, smuggling, and human trafficking.

"We're going to begin arresting everybody coming across the border and charging them with criminal trespass and putting them in jail. They are coming in here, thinking they'll get the Biden free-ride, and go wherever they want to go. Not in the state of Texas. We'll start arresting them right and left, and putting them behind bars, and saying they came in to the wrong state."

Asked by Glenn if he is prepared for the inevitable "media onslaught", Abbott simply answered, "We're prepared to see a reduction in the number of people coming across the border — because Texas is enforcing the law, period."

Watch the video clip below for more:


Want more from Glenn Beck?

To enjoy more of Glenn's masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution and live the American dream.