Written by Tim Green in 2012, Unstoppable is a middle-grade narrative that is rooted in juvenile football and combines athletic pursuits with the trials of youth. Known for his tenure as an NFL athlete, a legal professional, and a broadcaster, Green leverages his background and expertise in both sports and law to tell the story of a disadvantaged teen who overcomes substantial personal challenges, including a journey through cancer, to redefine his identity in a way that transcends his athletic abilities.

This guide refers to the HarperCollins 2012 e-book edition.

Content Warning: Both the source text and this guide contain descriptions of domestic abuse and an accidental death. The source text also employs derogatory terms that demean people who have physical disabilities. The guide occasionally references such terms in quotation marks in order to discuss the prejudicial attitudes and social implications inherent in the relevant scenes.

Plot Summary

The story opens with Harrison, a tenacious youngster who works hard to navigate the daily abuses of life on the oppressive farm owned by the Constables. His only respite from his labor is his passion for football. Although he longs for an escape from the farm and a better life, the Constables’ adoption of him is made official. One day, however, he gets into an altercation with the abusive Mr. Constable, and the incident leads to Mr. Constable’s accidental death. After surviving additional abuses on the farm, Harrison is rescued and treated for multiple injuries, and his adoption is annulled.

He is then transferred to the welcoming home of his new foster parents, Jennifer Kelly and her husband, who is a football coach at the local high school. Bolstered by his supportive new environment and his rejuvenated dream of football glory, he joins the football team and makes new friends as he learns how to channel his energy into more positive outlets. Throughout his football endeavors at Brookton Junior High, Harrison’s resolve helps him to confront and overcome new challenges. When his intensity of the field results in an inadvertent injury to a teammate and rival, Harrison must endure the wrath of the boy’s father, but both Coach Kelly and Jennifer come to his aid and support him against those who want him removed from the team. Despite these setbacks, Harrison develops friendships with a teammate named Justin and a fellow classmate named Becky Smart, a compassionate and perceptive girl for whom he harbors a romantic interest.

When a football-related knee injury leads to an MRI, the doctors discover that Harrison also has bone cancer. Consequently, his leg must be amputated, and Harrison must undergo a grueling course of chemotherapy to combat the spread of the cancer. Just when Harrison is most overwhelmed by the loss of his athletic career and the prospect of his own mortality, the Kellys introduce him to Major Bauer, an army veteran who has also lost a limb, and the major provides Harrison with much-needed support and inspiration.

Following the dual ordeal of his amputation and subsequent chemotherapy, Harrison starts to lose hope. However, his hospital roommate, Marty, encourages him to live his life to the fullest, and Coach Kelly, Major Bauer, and Jennifer stand by his side as he works to recover. When he returns home and learns to use his new prosthetic limb, he works hard to train and regain his strength. He also reconnects with Justin, who helps him to stand up to the discrimination and bullying he faces due to his new disabilities. At one point, he becomes so determined to recover that he disregards the advice of his doctors and of Jennifer and overexerts himself, causing severe damage to his leg. Eventually, however, he regains the strength to walk and even to run. Although his friend Marty succumbs to his own illness and dies, Harrison honors his friend’s memory by writing Marty’s name on his shoes, and at the end of the novel, he ultimately returns to the football field in triumph.