Solito

This memoir provides a look at a life I could never fully understand because it’s not a position I would ever have to be in. Which is exactly what I look for in memoir writing.

When Javier was nine, he made the journey from El Salvador (through Guatemala, Mexico, and the Sanora Desert) to join his parents in the states. It doesn’t matter to me what someone’s belief on the border are – this should be required reading. This can help one better understand not only what someone goes through to get to the states, but also why.

Beyond that,… show more.

Zamora recounts in vivid detail the harrowing three-thousand-mile journey he made in 1999, when he was nine years old, from El Salvador to the US, where he crossed the border illegally to join his parents in California.

The two-month journey, described through the eyes of the author as a child, was fraught with unimaginable hardships, a perilous boat trip, days of hunger and thirst in the desert, arrests, and betrayals; but there were moments of joy as well, for although he traveled with strangers, some in the group helped him survive the ordeal with their kindness and compassion.

Zamora’s poignant… show more.

Relayed in the voice of his nine-year-old self, Solito tracks Zamora’s harrowing three-thousand-mile trek from his home in El Salvador to join his mother and father in California.

To reunite with his parents, he must leave behind everything else he has ever known: his village, his friends, his grandparents, and his beloved Tia Mali. What is supposed to be a two-week journey turns into a two-month odyssey, as he makes his way north by bus, boat, and foot, accompanied by a group of strangers who, in time, close ranks to nurture and protect him like a second family.

This affecting… show more.

I have no personal experience with immigration, so this highly personal and tender story of a boy embarking on a journey to be smuggled into the United States was topical and informative.

I particularly liked the point of view of a child and how he recreated a family unit with his fellow travellers.

I was captivated by the memoir Solito because it’s the recounting of illegally crossing the Mexican border into the US told from the POV of a nine-year-old El Salvadoran boy.

I think it’s important for Americans especially to understand that experience. Also, it takes place in Mexico, like my novel, and has a very strong sense of place. Whereas Oaxaca is a beautiful city, this journey takes place crossing an inhospitable desert that is sweltering by day and frigid by night.

But there is beauty too in sunrises and sunsets, desert animals, and cacti which the little boy describes in… show more.

This is a remarkable story of resilience, providing an intimate look at the immense challenges of migration and the near-impossibility of relocating from one country to another.

What struck me the most were the members of Javier's village. There were numerous powerful moments where people were willing to go the extra mile to help one another in times of need. The kindness and love among them were essential for their arduous journey from Mexico to the USA.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book. Unfortunately, it tells a painful yet powerful story that many people must confront daily when they have no… show more.

Javier Zamora’s Memoir, Solito, reads like an action thriller!

He describes his months-long experience as a 9-year-old traveling alone with other immigrants from El Salvador to the United States. ‘Coyotes’ were paid huge sums to guide them across 3000 miles of harrowing border crossings into the United States, where Javier hoped to be reunited with his parents after 4 years of separation.

Written from the perspective of an observant, sensitive child, this memoir has a notable absence of judgment and politics, emphasizing instead how the immigrants could persevere through adversity and unrelenting dangers together by taking care of each other… show more.