Hello dear Readers,
Below is my book review of Solito: A Memoir by Javier Zamora.
Title: Solito: A Memoir
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Genre: Memoir
Author: Javier Zamora
Publisher: Hogarth
Publication Date: September 06, 2022
Publication Date: September 06, 2022
Language: English
Hardcover: 400 pages
Meet the Author: Javier Zamora
Buy Me: Amazon
Meet the Author: Javier Zamora
Buy Me: Amazon
Book Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY • A young poet tells the inspiring story of his migration from El Salvador to the United States at the age of nine in this “gripping memoir” (NPR) of bravery, hope, and finding a family.
“A riveting tale of perseverance and the lengths humans will go to help each other in times of struggle.”—Dave Eggers
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 millions of others who had no choice but to leave home.
Well. I think this easily is the best book I read this year.
Raw, honest, heartbreaking. I have read other books on this topic. I didn't think it could get any more real but then you read Solito and you know no matter how much you read about the migrant experience, these people trying to cross the border, unless you have experienced it, you will never fully understand it.
I felt too sad and sorry for "Chepito" the whole time. I wish I was there with him, to console him, to help him, to reassure him everything was going to be ok, to give him a hug. Sometimes he just needed a hug and he was not even getting that.
Javier was 1 year old when his dad crossed the border to the USA, escaping war in El Salvador, to pursue a better life for himself and his family. When Javier was 5, his mom, with the help of a "coyote" was able to cross the border and go live with her husband. in California. Javier does not have a recollection of his father, he is only able to speak with him on the phone, but he really does not remember him, nor does he know him. And now, at 9 years old, Javier is starting to have a hard time remembering everything about his mother as well. However, at 9, it is time for Javier to make the 'trip" and finally reunite with his parents in the USA.
Solito is about Javier's journey, leaving his home in El Salvador, traveling through Guatemala, and Mexico, and hopefully being successful at crossing the border and seeing his "papas" again. All that journey and everything in between. How much during this journey, he misses his grandpa, grandma, and tia Mali and how lonely, alone and desperate for the love he feels at times.
This memoir is a must-read, especially in the political and cultural climate we are living in. It is a real, honest, raw account of the migrant experience, through the lenses of a 9-year-old. You know there is no BS involved, just pure honesty.
I highly recommend this book, especially the Audiobook version, narrated by the Author himself. I am still thinking about it and definitely worth the time.
Wendy