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Alex Award 2023
ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Public Library

“Zamora . . . recounts in absorbing detail the dangerous, weekslong journey he took from El Salvador to reunite with his parents in the United States when he was just 9.”
The New York Times

Solito: A Memoir (English Edition)

Written by Javier Zamora
Published by Random House Publishing Group

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.

Look for the Spanish version, Solito: A Memoir (Spanish Edition)

Primary ISBN: 9780593498064
Publication Date: September 2022
Available As: Hardcover, Audiobook, eBook
Memoir, Young Adult , Age 12 or older

Community Represented:

Themes: , , , , , , , , , ,

Setting: El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, United States

Character’s New Arrival/New American Status: Immigrant

Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience

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Memoir Background