Call number
BIO ZAM
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Publication
Hogarth (2022), 400 pages
Description
Biography & Autobiography. Sociology. Nonfiction. HTML:NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ? READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY ? A young poet tells the unforgettable story of his harrowing migration from El Salvador to the United States at the age of nine in this moving, page-turning memoir hailed as ??the mythic journey of our era? (Sandra Cisneros) ??A new landmark in the literature of migration, and in nonfiction writ large.???Francisco Cantú, author of The Line Becomes a River Trip. My parents started using that word about a year ago????one day, you??ll take a trip to be with us. Like an adventure.? Javier Zamora??s adventure is a three-thousand-mile journey from his small town in El Salvador, through Guatemala and Mexico, and across the U.S. border. He will leave behind his beloved aunt and grandparents to reunite with a mother who left four years ago and a father he barely remembers. Traveling alone amid a group of strangers and a ??coyote? hired to lead them to safety, Javier expects his trip to last two short weeks. At nine years old, all Javier can imagine is rushing into his parents?? arms, snuggling in bed between them, and living under the same roof again. He cannot foresee the perilous boat trips, relentless desert treks, pointed guns, arrests and deceptions that await him; nor can he know that those two weeks will expand into two life-altering months alongside fellow migrants who will come to encircle him like an unexpected family. A memoir as gripping as it is moving, Solito provides an immediate and intimate account not only of a treacherous and near-impossible journey, but also of the miraculous kindness and love delivered at the most unexpected moments. Solito is Javier Zamora??s story, but it??s also the story of mi… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member bell7
Javier Zamora lived his first nine years in El Salvador with his grandparents after his parents fled to the U.S. as a result of the Salvadorian civil war. He doesn't even remember his father, who left when he was one, and then four years later, his mother followed. They've told him for years that
This is simply an incredible, moving, riveting and intense story. Javier's memories of what happened during the journey in 1999 had me on the edge of my seat from the moment his grandfather left and he was on his own, with each change in plans to the challenges of the journey, the fear and terror but also the kindness of strangers he met along the way. I was glad I read the e-book, as it made it a little easier to translate some of the Spanish, and though some of the colloquial words and phrases weren't to be found in the dictionary, I could generally follow the meaning anyway. Highly recommended.
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he will come to them, and after trying to legally immigrate and then bend the truth, eventually he is sent, alone, with a group of migrants and a coyote who promises to get them to the United States.This is simply an incredible, moving, riveting and intense story. Javier's memories of what happened during the journey in 1999 had me on the edge of my seat from the moment his grandfather left and he was on his own, with each change in plans to the challenges of the journey, the fear and terror but also the kindness of strangers he met along the way. I was glad I read the e-book, as it made it a little easier to translate some of the Spanish, and though some of the colloquial words and phrases weren't to be found in the dictionary, I could generally follow the meaning anyway. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member Anniik
TW/CW: Brief mentions of sexuality, danger, scary sequences, death, injury
RATING: 5/5
REVIEW: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
Solito is the true story of a nine-year-old boy from El Salvador who crosses through Guatemala and Mexico in
This book is fantastic. I’ve never read anything like it. I’ve always been interested in the migrant experience, but there aren’t that many books down there that go into the detail this book does of how people from Latin America actually get to the United States, and all the things they have to suffer through in the process.
This is a very human book – much more humanity than politics – and should be required reading.
RATING: 5/5
REVIEW: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
Solito is the true story of a nine-year-old boy from El Salvador who crosses through Guatemala and Mexico in
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order to join his parents in California. It examines the danger and terror of migration through the eyes of a child and tells the harrowing tale of how, in a small group and with less-than-trustworthy coyotes, he was finally able to reach the USA.This book is fantastic. I’ve never read anything like it. I’ve always been interested in the migrant experience, but there aren’t that many books down there that go into the detail this book does of how people from Latin America actually get to the United States, and all the things they have to suffer through in the process.
This is a very human book – much more humanity than politics – and should be required reading.
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LibraryThing member reader1009
nonfiction/memoir - writer recounts the dangerous journey he made at age 9 from his grandparents' home in El Salvador to reunite with his refugee parents in La USA.
LibraryThing member Katyefk
This was a book club chosen book. I was not that interested but willing to be exposed to the writing style of a 9 year old going through an horrific passage to America. I came away with a firm opinion that the immigration process for coming to the USA needs updating NOW. There needs to be a way for
The writer is a brilliant person and has already made a huge contribution to our country. The combination of English and Spanish throughout the book was distracting and took away the flow of the writing for me. I only know high school Spanish, so it was my loss in the area of the Spanish vocabulary. I grew up in southern California and my family hired many folks from Mexico and Central America for our company and farm lands. They worked hard and sent money home to their families and went back and forth as the seasonal work required. We provided housing, personal references, support with ESL and how the US systems work, including citizen sponsorship. I was very sorry to hear how the writer and others were treated. It doesn't have to be that way.
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"good" folks to get in and make a solid contribution to our society and a way to keep "bad" folks out before they even arrive. The writer is a brilliant person and has already made a huge contribution to our country. The combination of English and Spanish throughout the book was distracting and took away the flow of the writing for me. I only know high school Spanish, so it was my loss in the area of the Spanish vocabulary. I grew up in southern California and my family hired many folks from Mexico and Central America for our company and farm lands. They worked hard and sent money home to their families and went back and forth as the seasonal work required. We provided housing, personal references, support with ESL and how the US systems work, including citizen sponsorship. I was very sorry to hear how the writer and others were treated. It doesn't have to be that way.
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LibraryThing member Unkletom
Memoirs of undocumented aliens' journeys to 'La USA' are not easy to come by so this is an intriguing book for that reason alone. But when you add to it the fact is Javier Zamora made his seven-week trip from El Salvador alone when he was eight-years old makes it truly exceptional.
I highly
I highly
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recommend this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member SqueakyChu
I just now finished reading Solito and can't stop crying.
It was such a powerful story, but it called to mind that each undocumented Salvadoran immigrant's story is much like this one with all of its suffering and pain in an effort to reach a better life with or for loved ones. This memoir was
To me, this is an important work because I don't think enough Americans are aware of how hard Salvadorans struggle for themselves and their families when they ultimately decide to make that ardous journey as an undocumented immigrant into the United States at any age.
I loved that the book was written with sprinklings of Salvadoran Spanish and culture throughout. As my husband's niece expressed to me today..."My heart soared every time there was a little nugget of Salvadoran culture or language. It was like our own little inside joke." I absolutely agree with her.
It was such a powerful story, but it called to mind that each undocumented Salvadoran immigrant's story is much like this one with all of its suffering and pain in an effort to reach a better life with or for loved ones. This memoir was
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particularly brutal because it was told in excruciating detail by the author who was recalling his being smuggled into the United States "solito" (without anyone he knew) by coyotes when he was only nine years old. To me, this is an important work because I don't think enough Americans are aware of how hard Salvadorans struggle for themselves and their families when they ultimately decide to make that ardous journey as an undocumented immigrant into the United States at any age.
I loved that the book was written with sprinklings of Salvadoran Spanish and culture throughout. As my husband's niece expressed to me today..."My heart soared every time there was a little nugget of Salvadoran culture or language. It was like our own little inside joke." I absolutely agree with her.
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LibraryThing member Stahl-Ricco
“No one else will understand the bees in the desert, the flying fish, Doña’s cooking, Paula, that fried fish in Acapulco, getting dragged out of the bus, learning what faak means.”
But the reader of this book can attempt to, thanks to this author! His journey to the United States is both
On a side note, it is also totally cool that his journey ended up just about ten miles to the south of where I live! A wonderful memoir!
But the reader of this book can attempt to, thanks to this author! His journey to the United States is both
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heart-breaking and heart-warming! And he tells it in such detail! I can't imagine that he did this when he was only nine years old! Amazing! I am in awe!On a side note, it is also totally cool that his journey ended up just about ten miles to the south of where I live! A wonderful memoir!
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LibraryThing member DonnaMarieMerritt
Why do we make it so incredibly difficult for people to enter the United States and live here? Unless you're a Native American, we are ALL immigrants. Read this book. Please.
LibraryThing member MrDickie
Very unusual and interesting book. In the summer of 1999, nine year old Javier Zamora and five others he didn't know left El Salvador for the United States. His goal was to join his parents in California. Along the way two of the three men in the group disappeared. The trip took seven weeks.
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Knowing some Spanish adds to enjoyment of the book because short phrases are used throughout the book. I listened to the seventeen hour audiobook, read by the author. Show Less
LibraryThing member brianinbuffalo
[4.5] If a reader sheds no tears after experiencing this harrowing adventure of a nine-year-old boy's grueling migration from El Salvador to the U.S., perhaps a cardiac specialist should be consulted to make sure nothing is missing. Zamora shines a glaring spotlight on an important and incredibly
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timely topic, chronicling an emotional, heart-wrenching and ultimately uplifting saga. My only minor issue: I agree with some reviewers who have red-flagged redundancies. The literary "minimalist" in me thinks this incredible story could have been a solid 5-star narrative with some judicious editing. Less can be more. Then again, Zamora's brave and brilliant effort to accurately recount his 3,000-mile odyssey may not have been as authentic had the Word Police dictated a shorter tome. I loved "Solito." Well done, Javier. Show Less
LibraryThing member TheDivineOomba
An incredibly amazing book - what this boy encounters (and what many migrants crossing the US border) is fuel for nightmares, and I suspect most people's experiences are way worst.
Its very easy to dismiss the plight of people coming from a place of violence or extreme poverty as an American with
The story is from the experience of a 9 year old boy, as he remembers it a number of years later. Javier is a sweet kid, smart, innocent, and unprepared for this journey. Javier is an innocent in his world, I suspect that some readers missed what was happening in this village, a few murders of young men, and gangs. There is also extreme poverty with no way to become more. If Javier and his family didn't leave, Javier probably would have been recruited into a gang, or worst. Its damned if you do, damned if you don't situation.
As for the story - it is incredible. Written from the point of view as a child allowed the 'adult' stuff to stay in the back. You don't find out why Javier is sent, or how the Coyotes keep their flock safe with bribes. However, what Javier thinks and sees is described, his confusion at what is happening, the boredom of waiting in a small apartment, the scariness of a helicopter patrol, the lack of privacy. The scariness of the strangers. I was so excited when Javier crossed the border - than I realized I still had half a book to go. My heart sunk at that point, this poor kid and his 'fake' family, just trying to get to home to their family.
The one thing I do want to mention is that there is Spanish, most you can pick up from the context or emotion. I thought it added to the story - it was used to heighten the story.
Highly recommended.
Its very easy to dismiss the plight of people coming from a place of violence or extreme poverty as an American with
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all the securities it brings. Even knowing that its a dangerous journey, that many people die, this book hits at the heart. While i hope to never experience this, and will never understand what the emotional and physical strain that it takes, this book allowed me to be in a migrant on a difficult journey, even if its for a few hours while sitting on a couch.The story is from the experience of a 9 year old boy, as he remembers it a number of years later. Javier is a sweet kid, smart, innocent, and unprepared for this journey. Javier is an innocent in his world, I suspect that some readers missed what was happening in this village, a few murders of young men, and gangs. There is also extreme poverty with no way to become more. If Javier and his family didn't leave, Javier probably would have been recruited into a gang, or worst. Its damned if you do, damned if you don't situation.
As for the story - it is incredible. Written from the point of view as a child allowed the 'adult' stuff to stay in the back. You don't find out why Javier is sent, or how the Coyotes keep their flock safe with bribes. However, what Javier thinks and sees is described, his confusion at what is happening, the boredom of waiting in a small apartment, the scariness of a helicopter patrol, the lack of privacy. The scariness of the strangers. I was so excited when Javier crossed the border - than I realized I still had half a book to go. My heart sunk at that point, this poor kid and his 'fake' family, just trying to get to home to their family.
The one thing I do want to mention is that there is Spanish, most you can pick up from the context or emotion. I thought it added to the story - it was used to heighten the story.
Highly recommended.
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Awards
LA Times Book Prize (Finalist — 2022)
American Book Award (2023)
Alex Award (2023)
Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction (Longlist — Nonfiction — 2023)
Southwest Books of the Year (2023)
BookTube Prize (Octofinalist — Nonfiction — 2023)
NPR: Books We Love (2022)
San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year (Memoir — 2022)
Read with Jenna (2022-09 — 2022)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Adults (Selection — 2022)
New York Public Library Best Books: For Adults (Top Ten — 2022)
Pages
400
ISBN
0593498062 / 9780593498064
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