GenXWatch Pat Green

@genxwatch.bsky.social

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Writer/Author/Dad Current Projects: Gen X Watch and the Hearts of Glass YA series. The past informs now and now helps us reflect on the past more clearly.

Young man holding young woman protectively. Cation reads: Cassie (softly, after surviving an encounter):
"I was so scared in there. I thought I was going to fall apart."
Ford (gently): "You didn’t fall apart. You stood up to him. I’m proud of you."

A lot of Christians think g-a-y people are bad, Ford signed.
Do you? Jenny signed back.
No, Ford signed simply.
Jenny smiled.
-Hears of Glass Living in the Real World by Pat Green

Quote reads:
“Still, can’t believe he’d do that to you.”
Cassie glanced his way as she started the blender. Over the whirring noise, she said, “Guess it was the wake-up call I needed, right?”

Her tone was nonchalant, but Ford sensed something vulnerable in the way she wouldn’t quite meet his eyes.

"Violence isn't strength. The way you let me be me—that's strength."

Cassette tape in center with "to cassie" hand written on it.
Top "It's more than a mixtape... it's like you're saying all the things you don't know how to say."
Bottom: Hearts of Glass Living in the Real World by Pat Green

five stars, then text reads:
Text of review reads!
5.0 out of 5 stars Real teens, heartfelt story, a must read.
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2025
This novel really packs a punch. The dialogue is direct, witty, and fun. The characters are instantly compelling and complex. Pat Green sensitively handles complex traumas like abuse, partner violence, and bullying without turning victims into sensationalized caricatures of the issues they face.
I absolutely loved Ford as a protagonist. He's got the biggest heart. He might not be able to tell when someone is flirting with him, but he sees people for who they are. He's a guy who actually likes and respects women. That shouldn't be a treat, but it is. Cassie, likewise, feels so real. She's facing tough things, but she's resilient, strong, and vulnerable.
And trust me, you don't need to be a Gen Xer to enjoy. While 80s nostalgia is woven throughout the story, it never obstructs the plot. Instead, it gives texture and depth to the characters, their interests, and the world they're living in. (Coming from a millennial reviewer.)
I definitely recommend this book to anyone who's ever felt sidelined, othered, or somehow outside the expectations the world places on you.

5 stars, then text reads:
A Powerful, Poignant Story That Took Me Back—And Broke Me Open
As a 55-year-old woman who grew up in the ’80s, I seriously FELT this book. Pat Green has captured something rare and resonant here: the raw honesty of adolescence in a time when we were expected to keep everything inside.
Set in a mall that I actually haunted as a kid, the story of Ford, Cassie, and Jenny reminded me of people I knew—friends, classmates, even myself. These weren’t the teens that they sanitize for the movies, they were real, broken, hopeful, and deeply human.
Pat Green doesn’t shy away from heavy themes like trauma, abuse, and societal pressure, but he handles them with care. As someone who’s lived long enough to know how fragile and strong a heart can be, the title couldn’t be more fitting.
I especially appreciated how the book doesn’t offer tidy endings. Life rarely does. But it does offer hope—and that’s what I held onto after the final page.
Whether you’re a Gen Xer like me or a young adult today, Hearts of Glass is a reminder that the world may not always be kind, but connection and truth can be a force of healing.
Highly recommend! The book reminded me how I felt everything so much back then.❤️