This Via Media book is a collection of personal accounts of growing up in an Italian-American home in an inter-city (Erie, PA) neighborhood of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. Accompanying the text are 52 pictures of an historical era many Americans hold close to their hearts. This Via Media book fondly enlivens themes of America’s melting pot.

The author, a gifted storyteller, writes about topics that range from his parents’ roots in Italy to life in Catholic schools; from how teenagers dressed when he was a boy to how U.S. military personnel are honored in American cemeteries throughout the world. The love of family, regard for old friends and classmates, and the importance of “roots” are threads that are woven throughout the book. The stories recounted here were originally published as separate articles in a local newspaper over a period of seven years in a series entitled “Flashbacks,” thus the title of this book. The reference to “the other side of the tracks” in the book’s title refers to the where the author’s home was located in relation to his hometown’s “Little Italy”.

The “Flashback” series was recently recognized with an award from the local Historical Society, in no small part because of the literary efforts of Gino Carlotti. This is Via Media book is for the young, so they can learn. And for the old, so they can remember.