This one’s personal

Lefty political analyst Michael Parenti has forged a career writing about the culture and politics of war, race, sociology and media. Now, the New York native gets personal with a memoir of his youth, Waiting for Yesterday: Pages From a Street Kid's Life (Via Folios, $15). In it, Parenti writes about growing up in East Harlem in the '30s and '40s—at the time, it was the country's largest Italian-American neighborhood. Parenti, who now lives in Berkeley, will discuss the book at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 6, at the Italian Center. Admission is $10 and includes refreshments—hopefully of the old-school Italian variety. 6821 Fair Oaks Boulevard in Carmichael, (916) 482-5900, www.michaelparenti.org.