Glenn Beck - The 7: Seven Wonders That Will Change Your Life

Also by Glenn Beck

Broke: The Plan to Restore Our Trust, Truth and Treasure

The Overton Window

Idiots Unplugged: Truth for Those Who Care to Listen
(audiobook)

The Christmas Sweater: A Picture Book

Arguing with Idiots:
How to Stop Small Minds and Big Government

Glenn Becks Common Sense: The Case Against an
Out-of-Control Government, Inspired by Thomas Paine

Americas March to Socialism:
Why Were One Step Closer to Giant Missile Parades (audiobook)

The Christmas Sweater

An Inconvenient Book:
Real Solutions to the Worlds Biggest Problems

The Real America:
Early Writings from the Heart and Heartland

Also by Dr. Keith Ablow

Living the Truth: Transform Your Life Through the Power
of Insight and Honesty

The Architect

Inside the Mind of Scott Peterson

Murder Suicide

Psychopath

Compulsion

Projection

Denial

Without Mercy

How to Cope with Depression

Anatomy of a Psychiatric Illness

To Wrestle with Demons

Medical School: Getting In, Staying In, Staying Human

Threshold Editions Mercury Radio Arts

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Copyright 2011 by Mercury Radio Arts, Inc.

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First Threshold Editions / Mercury Radio Arts hardcover edition
January 2011

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Designed by Joy OMeara

Manufactured in the United States of America

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

ISBN 978-1-4516-2551-6

ISBN 978-1-4516-2564-6 (ebook)

GLENN:

To Tania, the woman who saved my life,
and to all those who struggle just to make it through the day

KEITH:

To my wife, Debbie, my children, Devin and Cole,
and all those who have trusted me enough to invite me
into their life stories

www.glennbeck.com/the7

Contents

The

7

GLENN

I originally intended to write something in this space that would talk about all of the triumphs and setbacks I experienced during my journey to becoming the person I now am. But, as I started to write, the words rang hollow. I began to wonder about how honestly I could really assess myself. Would I be too critical or too easy? Could I really give an impartial analysis of how Id changed over the years or would I be tainted by the way I interpreted my own past?

Then I had a thought: Why not ask my best friend and on-air partner, Pat Gray, a guy whos known the real me for longer than I have, to write the introduction instead? I knew Pat could write from the perspective of someone who has seen me at my highest and lowest and who has witnessed firsthand the changes Ive made and the struggles I still face.

Asking Pat to write the introduction seemed like the best way for readers to see the real me now, before diving into the book and seeing what it took to get here.

Fortunately, Pat agreed.

Almost no one other than Keith Ablow has ever bothered to talk to me when theyre writing a story about my best friend, Glenn Beck. And thats pretty odd. After all, Ive known Glenn for over 20 years, through good times and bad, both personally and professionally. Many people might think that the context I could provide would prove helpful to anyone writing about him.

Reporters apparently think otherwise. Before this book, I had been interviewed a grand total of one time about Glenn. It was a few years ago when I was still working in Houston. A reporter doing a story for a well-known newspaper called, seemingly eager to know the real Glenn Beck.

I spent 45 minutes on the phone with him, but his story only used one sentence of mine. And, of course, he tried to spin and twist the one quote he chose into something that would seem unfavorable toward Glenn. It turns out he wasnt interested in knowing the real Glenn Beck after all; he was interested in creating his own version of Glenn.

Have you noticed that the people who write stories or books about Glenn (and there have been quite a few of them) almost never interview anybody who currently works with him? Its always someone from his distant past with an axe to grind who gets quoted.

Why?

Is it that those of us who know him best have no credibility, but the guy who did the afternoon drive radio show in New Haven, Connecticut in 1993 is a 100 percent trustworthy source for all your Glenn Beck information? I dont think so. Is it that reporters cant figure out how to get a hold of me, or Stu, or any one of the other people who work here? No, I dont think its that, either.

Sadly, I think the reason is that most of these reporters and people from Glenns past have no real interest in writing about Glenn as a person, they care only about the controversy.

So I thought this would be a good opportunity to show them what they are missing. Lets start with Glenns company, Mercury Radio Arts. It now employs over 40 people and has lost maybe two or three employees in eight years. There is almost zero turnover. When people come to work here, they stay here. If Glenn were the monster that so many have alleged, wouldnt there be a ton of turnover at his company? Who wants to work for a mean, hateful, racist, crazy employer?