Be prepared to cry. Several times, in fact.

It's impossible to read "The Sacred Acre: The Ed Thomas Story" without crying when you get to that tragic day of June 24, 2009 when the Aplington-Parkersburg football coach was murdered by one of his former players.

But you should also be prepared to laugh, smile and learn valuable lessons as you read this story about the life - and death - of the man who was truly devoted to Faith, Family and Football.

Mark Tabb, the author, was afforded near-total access to the Thomas family for this book, and indeed the credit line on the cover says it was written by "Mark Tabb with the Ed Thomas Family."

Jan Thomas, Ed's wife of 33 years, opened her heart for this book. So did Ed's two sons, Aaron and Todd, along with numerous friends, neighbors, former players and school administrators who participated in the telling of this story.

It's a compelling story that goes well beyond that tragic day in 2009 when Thomas was gunned down by Mark Becker, one of his former players who had severe mental problems. In a cruel twist, Becker's father was a captain for Thomas' first football team at Parkersburg and the two families were friends.

The book is 245 pages long, but Tabb does not deal with the murder until page 163, nearly two-thirds of the way through the story. You know what's coming, but Tabb sets the tragic stage by first recounting the effects of the EF5 tornado that destroyed much of Parkersburg in May of 2008.

You'll read about how Ed Thomas rallied the community to rebuild the town, rebuild the school and rebuild homes that were destroyed on that fateful Sunday in 2008. The football field was severely damaged by the tornado, but Thomas was determined to play games on the field that fall and managed to pull it off with great help.

You'll read about Thomas' deep love for his family - for Jan, his wife of 33 years, and for their two sons. You'll read about his dedication to his church, his school, his community, his players, his friends and his neighbors.

You may know that Thomas coached four players at Aplington-Parkersburg who reached the NFL, an amazing accomplishment for a small school in Iowa, but you probably don't know all the other details about the man's life and times.

That's why you should read this book. It's about his entire life and his everlasting impact on his community.

"If all I have taught you is how to block and tackle, then I have failed you as a coach," he told his players.

Read the book and learn. And be prepared to cry.