I enjoy reading a good biography, I even like watching them on A&E even more. So, I got an offer to review what thought was the Ed Thomas story…I was strangely thinking Wendy’s!!! DUH! That is DAVE THOMAS….however I saw the cover of the book The Sacred Acre and I immediately thought of “Friday Night Lights.” I was wrong, again.
Prior to reading The Sacred Acre, I’d never heard of Ed Thomas or the town where he coached football for 37 years. I am Canadian! And our high school and college football is not as greatly embraced as it is in the US. That said....Winnipeg Blue Bomber fans would enjoy this read! ANYWAY, I learnt that Thomas was a man who deeply cared for his community and the students he taught over his career. He was a man who loved his wife and family, he wasn’t a perfect husband or dad but he was a man of great integrity who understood the meaning of hard work and discipline.
The first chapters touch on the longtime coach’s personality, especially his obsession with maintaining the football field at Aplington-Parkersburg High School. Eventually the author takes the reader inside that awful day when a tornado devastated the town and then through the rebuilding process and you pick up on the dedication of the town’s leaders, from adults to the scores of teenagers who worked, in the unrelenting summer months of 2008, to rebuild. The key in this story though was Ed’s push to make the football field ready for late August, three months after the tornado rolled through.
Yet where this story gained national attention was amid the tragedy of the murder of Ed Thomas in the weight room at the high school on June 24, 2009 at the hands of a former mentally ill student. The book does not shy away from the tragic events of that day and the reader goes inside the fear, the tension and, ultimately, the tragedy of the loss of a husband and father.
Prior to reading The Sacred Acre, I’d never heard of Ed Thomas or the town where he coached football for 37 years. I am Canadian! And our high school and college football is not as greatly embraced as it is in the US. That said....Winnipeg Blue Bomber fans would enjoy this read! ANYWAY, I learnt that Thomas was a man who deeply cared for his community and the students he taught over his career. He was a man who loved his wife and family, he wasn’t a perfect husband or dad but he was a man of great integrity who understood the meaning of hard work and discipline.
The first chapters touch on the longtime coach’s personality, especially his obsession with maintaining the football field at Aplington-Parkersburg High School. Eventually the author takes the reader inside that awful day when a tornado devastated the town and then through the rebuilding process and you pick up on the dedication of the town’s leaders, from adults to the scores of teenagers who worked, in the unrelenting summer months of 2008, to rebuild. The key in this story though was Ed’s push to make the football field ready for late August, three months after the tornado rolled through.
Yet where this story gained national attention was amid the tragedy of the murder of Ed Thomas in the weight room at the high school on June 24, 2009 at the hands of a former mentally ill student. The book does not shy away from the tragic events of that day and the reader goes inside the fear, the tension and, ultimately, the tragedy of the loss of a husband and father.
The result is a book that highlights Thomas’ character more than his just his accomplishments, but more importantly the full story of the family’s and the community’s journey of faith and forgiveness. A great read and a special SHOUT OUT to The DeMoss Group who graciously provided me the copy! Sorry the review is late!
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