ROBERT PACILIO
Author of "It Was Never About the Books:" a memoir; "whitewash",
"Meet Me at Moonlight Beach", the "Metaphor Cafe" Series,
and "The Restoration"
Media Reviews
Alessandra Selgi-Harrigan, Coronado Eagle & Journal Columnist
"Bob Pacilio speaks in a voice that rings true to the kids of today."
BaBette Davidson, Vice President at The Programming Service for Public Television -PBS
"Oft-quoted American scholar and eternal optimist, William Arthur Ward once said, 'The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.' We have found in Meetings at the Metaphor Café a great teacher, Mr. Buscotti. The descriptions of Mr. B's and Ms. Anderson's curriculum is enough to make anyone want to go back to school, re-read old favorites like To Kill A Mockingbird or at the very least, listen to some Bruce Springsteen! Every student deserves at least one teacher like this; a teacher who is passionate about the world we live in and determined to light a fire in each child. This debut novel rings with authenticity because as the author, Robert Pacilio, says in his acknowledgment, it is autobiographical. Mr. Pacilio is certainly a great teacher, and I am just one of the hundreds of students he has inspired over his 32 years as a teacher and mentor. This book is a must for anyone looking for a little meaning and a lot of inspiration, whether you are a new teacher or a lifelong student."
Karla Peterson, San Diego Union-Tribune's Columnist
[a front page profile in the San Diego Union-Tribune]
Robert Pacilio, a nonretiring teacher
The last time we heard from Robert Pacilio, the retired English teacher was returning to Mt. Carmel High School with Bruce Springsteen songs in his head and butterflies in his stomach. He was hoping his presentation using Springsteen’s “The Rising” album to teach students about the impact of 9/11 would strike a chord with his young audience. And so it did.
“It rocked,” Pacilio said of the Sept. 3 performance at the school where he taught for 32 years before retiring in 2010. “I couldn’t even hear myself it got so loud.”
A true believer in the power of pop culture to teach kids lessons they will actually remember, Pacilio is turning up the volume again. Next month marks the publication of “Midnight Comes to the Metaphor Cafe,” his second novel about surviving high-school life with a little help from friends and family, teachers and books, and the right song at the right time.
“There is a lot of Adele and Duffy and Lady Gaga in this book,” said Pacilio, whose first novel — “Meetings at the Metaphor Cafe” — has been adopted by two California school districts. “I do think great music touches the human spirit.”
Nina Bunche Pierce, Founder & President at NBP Communications Consulting, Co-Founder of An Education For Gifted Minds
To Robert Pacilio,
I absolutely loved your website and enjoyed listening to your reading at Borders (too bad our Borders closed - loved the place). You are very inspirational as a speaker, and I imagine were every student's dream as a teacher.