Former NFL defensive end and practicing lawyer Tim Green discusses his latest novel, Unstoppable(HarperCollins, 2012), which was inspired by real-life cancer survivors, including Jeffrey Keith, who at 12 lost his leg to cancer but went on to play college sports.
Tell us about a little more about Unstoppable, which comes out in September.
Based on real life, Harrison’s story is as inspiring and uplifting as anything I could imagine. The main character begins his life in a series of inhospitable—actually brutal—foster homes. When he finally finds a home where he’s truly loved, he also discovers an unusual gift for running the football. He’s soon the sensation of his small home town, scoring dozens of touchdowns and known for being literally unstoppable. Harrison’s salvation seems to come to an abrupt end when he’s diagnosed with cancer, but with the help and love from his family, friends, and a wounded warrior, he comes to understand that being unstoppable off the field is even more valuable than being unstoppable on it.
Who is Harrison based on?
Yes, I set out to find a 12-year-old boy who had gone through the same struggles my wife had—operations, chemotherapy, and rigorous physical rehabilitation—in order to fashion my main character around that kind of personal story. Through some friends my wife met in her own treatment, I found Jeff Keith. I’ve never met a more extraordinary person, and his story was exactly what I was looking for.
How has your wife’s cancer inspired this book?
As an author, especially in my stories for younger readers, I’m constantly looking for heroes to model my characters after. I think it’s important for kids to have heroes, and many people find them in sports. Stories of athletes with great fortitude and determination are common in sports. In football, mental and physical toughness are at a premium. Yet, when I watched my own wife’s toughness and determination to overcome cancer several years ago, I felt I’d seen the human spirit rise to a level I’d never seen before, even in the NFL. I wanted to capture that unstoppable spirit in the story.
Will a portion of the proceeds from your book be donation to charity?
Yes, 30 percent of the books’ royalties will go to Jeff Keith’s newest foundation, Center for Survivorship. While he’s raised many millions of dollars for cancer research and treatment, Jeff recently shifted his focus to helping survivors overcome the serious and often crippling effects—both mental and physical—of their cancer treatments. Jeff really helped me make this book happen. Now I want to help him help others as well.
Do you have Skype sessions with schools?
I do Skype with schools, and people can sign up for that at my website. I usually like to make sure the schools are buying some of my books for their kids so we have more to talk about, but I do make some exceptions. I find that when the kids have all read one or more story, they love being able to pick my brain about characters and where my ideas came from. Personally, it’s a pure joy for me to talk to kids about those in-depth things. Most of my school presentations address the broader issues about importance of character and education and how reading is exercise to make you better at both (I call it weight lifting for the brain), and how books should be entertainment. The Skype sessions tend to be smaller and a bit more intimate, like a friendly discussion over a milkshake.
The characters in your books have heroic qualities. Who are your real-life heroes?
My real-life heroes are the men and women who protect and have protected and died for our country, those who teach and coach our children unselfishly, and my wife.
In your 1997 memoir, A Man and His Mother (HarperCollins, 1997), you write about the search for your biological mother. Do you support the bill under consideration in New York State that would allow for more open records for adoptees?
I think adoption records should be opened, but the information should come with a warning, maybe even some education. I believe everyone has a right to know his or her origins, health history, and family circumstances. However, people shouldn’t take that search lightly. Once the box is opened, you can’t put things back, and the endings aren’t always happy ones. Even in A Man and His Mother I was confronted with a terrifying ending that I thought was my own. As it turned out, that wasn’t the case, but that very unfortunate woman, and the son she bore who is out there and unknowing, are camped on the lid of a nightmare reality. I’d also like to say that the book is finally available again as an ebook at my website if people are interested.
What sports books do you remember reading as a kid?
It’s funny, but I didn’t read a lot of sports books as a kid. I read action, adventure, horror, and sci-fi and that’s why I think my books tend to have such a broad appeal. I get librarians, teachers, and kids who have no interest in sports email me in amazement and say, “This isn’t just a sports book, it’s a great story!” As a kid, that’s all I was after, a story that would take me away to another time and place. I didn’t care if it was Mars, the Wild West, a medieval castle, or a football locker room.
You’re a former NFLer, a practicing lawyer, and a writer. Which do you enjoy the most?
My childhood dreams were to be an NFL player and a writer. I really couldn’t choose between the two, and know I’ve been wildly lucky to have been able to experience both. The NFL is a more intense experience, the highs are higher than the sky and the lows are staggering. Writing isn’t as intense, but the gratification I get—especially when I hear from a young person who became a reader because of one of my books—is much more enduring. It’s the difference between an adrenaline rush and a nice warm bath on a winter’s evening.
What are you working on now?
I am writing the sixth book in the “Football Genius” series. I didn’t plan on doing another, but, honestly, I get so many letters and emails begging for me to continue with Troy, Ty, and Tate, that I couldn’t think of a better next project.
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