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: Salvadoran/Salvadoran American
Themes: Award Winner: Youth Media Awards 2023, Cross-Group Friendship, Family Separation: Different Immigration Status, Family Separation: On Journey, Immigrant: Reunion of Family, Loss of Childhood, Migrant Smuggling, Multilingual Character, Own Voices/Lived Experience, US/Mexican Border Crossing, Welcoming by Community
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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