Patricia Vaccarino

Freedom Spent

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When I was in college, a professor suggested that I read Freedom Spent by the legal writer Richard Harris. Freedom Spent was a narrative of three case studies in which Americans lost their civil liberties during legal proceedings that adhered to the letter of the law, or abided by a strict constructionist (narrow) interpretation of the law that disregarded the gravitas and prevailing spirit of the U.S. Constitution.  I lent Freedom Spent to so many friends that eventually I lost track of it and fear it is no longer in my library. 

Today, I am more convinced than ever that America has the most amazing...

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Latest Posts in Patricia Vaccarino

The Truth is Not on Our Phones

We don’t fully embrace that our phones are robbing us of our ability to think. And if we can’t think, we will never be able to know the truth about anything. This might be a bit of a shock, but the truth is not on our phones. 


Discussion Guide Published to Accompany Yonkers Trilogy

Yonkers Beats: A Discussion Guide has been released is to address the controversial issues in Patricia Vaccarino’s Yonkers Trilogy. The guide is intended for use by teachers, book clubs—or anyone who wants—to examine controversial topics that engender difficult conversations. 


Patricia Vaccarino Author Chat June 22 Yonkers Public Library

The Yonkers Public Library hosts Patricia Vaccarino in author chat via zoom on Thursday, June 22.


Decline of Stories About the Urban Working Class

According to author Patricia Vaccarino, “I keep a very close eye on what is being published. My Yonkers Trilogy did not fit the current needs of agents or publishers. Stories about the urban working-class are not welcome at this time.”


NOTES FROM THE WORKING CLASS: SPARE ME

The royals are fun, engaging and great fodder for gossip, but spare me. We fought a war to get rid of them. The Declaration of Independence in July, 1776 listed twenty-seven grievances against George III. Among his offenses it was noted, “He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people."