by Mark A. Tabb
First published 2011
Ed Thomas stands on the wreckage of his football field in Parkersburg, Iowa. An F-5 tornado has just ripped through his town in 34 seconds, killing eight people and flattening 250 homes and businesses. The next morning, Ed makes a promise that seems impossible: his team will play their first home game on this very field before the season ends. One hundred days later, the Parkersburg team takes the field they now call "The Sacred Acre" and wins their game. The victory becomes a rallying point for the entire community as they rebuild their shattered town. But just as hope returns to Parkersburg, Ed faces an unthinkable second tragedy. While working with his players early one morning, a former student walks into the weight room and shoots Ed dead. The murder of the beloved coach sends shockwaves through the community and across the nation. Ed's family and neighbors must now find a way forward through grief that seems beyond endurance.
Genres: christian-fiction, family-life, 20th-century, american, contemporary, biography-memoir, faith, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, second-chance
Setting: Iowa, Parkersburg
Period: 20th-Century, 21st-Century
256 pages · Hardcover · Zondervan
Content warnings: murder