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

December 2021 Magazine

Happy December! Enjoy the spirit of the season! This month we feature Dance Conservatory Seattle, Nick Licata's interview of Professor Jelani Cobb, Barbara McMichael's Building Back Better Column that explores the U.S. State Department, and the latest essay by Patricia Vaccarino from her collection "Notes From the Working-class."


NOTES FROM THE WORKING-CLASS: Kids Like Us

Patricia Vaccarino writes about William “Bill” Powers who lived about thirty miles northwest of Denver in Longmont, a town famous for its craft breweries. Although Bill lived in Colorado, he never forgot his hometown Yonkers.


NOTES FROM THE WORKING-CLASS: Come September

Even though it has been many years since I've been in a classroom, when September comes, I can’t shake the feeling that I belong in school. It’s ironic that I should feel this way because I hated school.


Libraries We Love: My first love—the Yonkers Carnegie Library

I’ve written over twenty profiles of public libraries as diverse as the Library for the Performing Arts in New York City to the Ernie Pyle Library in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I love all libraries, but it is the Yonkers Carnegie Library that will always be my first love. 


NOTES FROM THE WORKING CLASS: The Mother of All Handbags

I was told never to place my handbag on the floor. I was told never to leave my handbag unattended. I was also told to never ever let another person touch my handbag. Disobeying any of the three cardinal rules of handbags brings poverty and is akin to having a gypsy place a curse on me. The gypsy’s curse lasts forever.