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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BOOKS WE LOVE

During the Covid-19 pandemic, many libraries have temporarily closed. So, we are turning our attention to books. You can still order books online or maybe browse your own bookshelves at home to find books you never thought you’d have the time to read. 


PR for People - 7th Anniversary!

We’re celebrating our 7thAnniversary! In this issue we look back at PR for People® to define who we are today. PR for People might have started as an idea, but it is has grown to become many things. Aside from being a news portal, a digital magazine, and a series of three books, PR for People has now begun producing podcasts. It is our hope to include a new podcast in every issue of our magazine.


NOTES FROM THE WORKING-CLASS: Young Flesh

I remember being 16 and needing no other beauty accoutrement than a dab of gloss on my flesh-colored lips. I also remember creepy old men stalking me because I was young, pretty and wearing a high school uniform. Filthy old fools. They were everywhere: in the subway, in alleys, standing by bus stops or on the street in front of hotels as fancy as the Pierre and museums as old as the MET.


NOTES FROM THE WORKING-CLASS: Top Soil

In the 1980s I had the good fortune to attend an event where Sherry Lansing gave the keynote address. She said that as a Hollywood executive, “she was always in search of good talent….and furthermore… that good talent would always rise to the top and be rewarded.” Her comments stayed with me through the years. Sherry Lansing’s perspective is strong and simple. Work hard and reap reward. I believed her then and I believe her now, but there is a flip side to the playing field. 


Yonkers Author Returns To Her Roots

Cookie Colangelo, the teen heroine of the Yonkers series, grapples with realities of growing-up working class.