Shawn Hartje

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Shawn Hartje

Goodreads Author


Born
The United States
Website

Twitter

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Influences
Jim Harrison, John Lennon, Annie Proulx, Tim Sandlin, and humans gener ...more

Member Since
March 2016


Shawn Hartje was born and raised in Sioux City, Iowa. He has worked as a newswriter in small-town West Virginia, a whitewater kayak instructor in Colorado, a seasonal laborer for the Forest Service in rural Idaho, and more recently received an M.A. in Creative Writing from Dominican University of California. He lives in Northern California with his wife and teenage kids.

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Shawn Hartje The topsy-turvy times we live in were a huge catalyst. I think what's happening to American society is good, meaning that it is dynamic. In our presen…moreThe topsy-turvy times we live in were a huge catalyst. I think what's happening to American society is good, meaning that it is dynamic. In our present moment, real change looks crazy, dangerous, and evil, but in hindsight we'll see that chaos is necessary for a society to evolve, sort of how the weather evolves chaotically as it rolls across the land.

Please hear me out, and don't jump to any conclusions until you've read the entirety of what I have to say:

There's currently a negative focus on the white, straight male in American society. President Trump's victory owes much to disgruntled white males who were sick of being labeled 'bad' by popular culture. My hope is that Pipeliner's portrayal of a privileged white dude's puberty, warts and all, will open the door to empathy. I'm sure many people will scoff at that last sentence, but creating empathy (even for an entitled class) is better than dreaming up another reason to hate and blame straight white males for all the havoc they've caused over the years (which has been a LOT of havoc).

I'm not a fan of identity politics, but it's unfortunately the world we live in, and this phenomenon seems to be amplified within contemporary fiction. If I'm going to jump into this game, being a white guy from the midwest, I'm only going to be efficient at creating empathy for my own 'group.' Anyways, I dislike all this division and dissecting of our culture into 'groups,' that just leads to fighting. A better way to examine people is to view our actions as a response to the patterns that influence us.

So... my hope is that writing a super-realistic novel that doesn't try to moralize everything about a white-guy's coming of age will help to reveal these patterns as forces of nature that we may or may not have control over. Looking at people as simply responding to powerful and mostly undefined forces of nature, as opposed to a bunch of groups responding to other groups' oppression or aggression, helps to bring on empathy between people from all different backgrounds in a huge way. Metaphysics anyone? (less)
Shawn Hartje Spending so much time in fake people's heads gives you a new perspective on what happens in your own. Just remember, it's all in your head!…moreSpending so much time in fake people's heads gives you a new perspective on what happens in your own. Just remember, it's all in your head!(less)
Average rating: 3.53 · 140 ratings · 58 reviews · 2 distinct worksSimilar authors
Pipeliner: A 90s Love Story

3.56 avg rating — 102 ratings6 editions
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Feather Falls: Golden State...

3.45 avg rating — 38 ratings4 editions
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* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

The Power of a ‘Like’ for Authors

Hello, wonderful readers and followers!

I want to talk about something that makes a huge difference to authors like me: reviews on Goodreads.

Recently, I've noticed that the 'Most Popular' review on my book's page is a one-word comment that doesn't reflect the thoughtful discussions most of you have had about the story.

As many of you know, this platform is a vital place for readers to discover their Read more of this blog post »
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Published on October 12, 2025 12:37 Tags: book-reviews, reader-support, writing-community

Shawn’s Recent Updates

Pipeliner by Shawn Hartje
"Really enjoyed narrating this story and spending time with its diverse cast of characters. The throes of teenage drama, first love, and self-discovery combined with the nostalgia of 90s-era living resonated with my own years of coming of age in Portl" Read more of this review »
Pipeliner by Shawn Hartje
"This was a great YA coming-of-age story, from the unique perspective of a teenage boy. It had an interesting assortment of characters and a raw honesty to it. I listened to the audiobook, and especially love the way music was included toward the end." Read more of this review »
Pipeliner by Shawn Hartje
"Thank you to the author, narrator, publisher and Net Galley for providing an ALC.

I was a teenager in the 1990's. Ah, the good old days! I was so excited about this book! And overall, I did enjoy it, there were some really good parts, but nothing that" Read more of this review »
Shawn Hartje made a comment in the group Goodreads Librarians GroupPlease Add Award topic
" My book is a Hoffer Award 2025 Category Finalist: https://hofferaward.com/Eric-Hoffer-A...

Please Add to my GR parent page: https://www.goodreads.com/b
...more "
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Shawn Hartje and 2 other people liked Indra 's review of Pipeliner:
Pipeliner by Shawn Hartje
"Thank you so much to the author for the gifted copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

There’s something about reading a book set in your home state that feels like stumbling across your own reflection in a crowd. Pipeliner captures the du" Read more of this review »
Shawn Hartje is now following Annika and IndieAuthorShowcase
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The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe
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Another Roadside Attraction by Tom Robbins
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