Name: Solito
ISBN: 9780593498064

Javier Zamora

A Memoir

Solito

Incredible voice, never read a child written more accurately. At some points I got a bit bored and it never super gripped me, but also a great story and very interesting about how people immigrate from Latin America to La USA. I wonder how it has changed 25 years later

Finn James

What a cruel world we live in. But what a blessing some people are.

I want to start by saying that I was sobbing while reading the final part of this memoir. Javier tells us his experience coming to the US from El Salvador through the Mexican border to meet his parents when he was 9 years old, by himself. Even though the title is Solito (alone), this is also a story of strangers becoming family. You see how bad humans can be. But you get to see the beauty of humanity and the good in people.

“To … all the immigrants I met on my way to the U.S. & never saw again. I wouldn’t be here without you.” 😭

Ani Velasquez

What a cruel world we live in. But what a blessing some people are.

I want to start by saying that I was sobbing while reading the final part of this memoir. Javier tells us his experience coming to the US from El Salvador through the Mexican border to meet his parents when he was 9 years old, by himself. Even though the title is Solito (alone), this is also a story of strangers becoming family. You see how bad humans can be. But you get to see the beauty of humanity and the good in people.

“To … all the immigrants I met on my way to the U.S. & never saw again. I wouldn’t be here without you.” 😭

I love hearing and reading about people’s journey across the border and this one didn’t disappoint. The chapters are pretty lengthy but that’s my only critique. Another then that the story was powerful & beautifully written. 

Edna Aviles

abi a

         Immigration, especially those coming illegally from countries south of the United States, is one of the biggest hot-button issues in this country today.  Those opposed focus primarily on the southern border, calling immigrants from those countries absolutely disgusting names and dehumanizing them as much as possible.  In college I took an obnoxious number of history classes, many of them focusing on the American Southwest (I’m from New Mexico).  The indigenous people of that area, going back thousands of years, didn’t have to worry about borders.  It was only after Europeans invaded that the concept of borders was introduced to the entire continent.  I have always been baffled by those opposed to immigrants from Central and South American, especially because most of those opposed are descendants of immigrants themselves.  There is certainly not the same disdain for the northern border (which makes up the majority of the land borders of the United States) where people flow in on a daily basis as well.  Nobody seems to want to put up a wall between the United States and Canada.  Consider what reasons that might be…

            I wish some of those opposed to immigrants from the South would read books like this one.  It breaks my heart to read these stories (and there are millions of similar stories).  Imagine how horrible the situation must be to go through the hell they go through to just TRY to get to the US.  So many of them will fail…but they will keep trying.  Just imagine, how dire would things have to be to put a child in the hands of horrible people in the hopes they might get to the United States. 

            Javier Zamora’s parents had to flee their country when he was quite young, leaving him to be raised by grandparents and extended family.  Raising thousands of dollars, Zamora was sent with a coyote (the name given to those who assist immigrants with border-crossing) when he was only nine-years-old.  Most parents don’t even let their kids play outside at nine-years-old, let alone traverse continents with strangers.  The trip would be harrowing as an adult, but this poor guy had to go by himself, without a single person he trusted.  Thankfully, there were adults that took him under their wings, likely saving his life. 

            Obviously, he made it to the US, he reunited with his parents, and he was able to grow and thrive here (solidifying why the effort is made in the first place), but millions like him aren’t as lucky.  Many are murdered by those same coyotes that are paid to see them across the border.  Many are caught and sent back to their countries, only to be killed by their own countrymen.  Zamora’s story isn’t singular, but he has the platform to spread his story to as many people as possible. 

            I had a minor problem with this book, and it existed for me alone:  I don’t speak any languages other than English.  I grew up listening to Spanish being spoken all around me, but I never learned it.  This book has a LOT of Spanish, and I found myself having to look up words and phrases (or texting my son-in-law, but he wasn’t always available).  It has prompted me to download one of those language-learning apps and make an attempt to learn a language I should have learned 40 years ago.  I highly recommend reading this book, learn this story, be empathetic. 

Kristen Claiborn

         Immigration, especially those coming illegally from countries south of the United States, is one of the biggest hot-button issues in this country today.  Those opposed focus primarily on the southern border, calling immigrants from those countries absolutely disgusting names and dehumanizing them as much as possible.  In college I took an obnoxious number of history classes, many of them focusing on the American Southwest (I’m from New Mexico).  The indigenous people of that area, going back thousands of years, didn’t have to worry about borders.  It was only after Europeans invaded that the concept of borders was introduced to the entire continent.  I have always been baffled by those opposed to immigrants from Central and South American, especially because most of those opposed are descendants of immigrants themselves.  There is certainly not the same disdain for the northern border (which makes up the majority of the land borders of the United States) where people flow in on a daily basis as well.  Nobody seems to want to put up a wall between the United States and Canada.  Consider what reasons that might be…

            I wish some of those opposed to immigrants from the South would read books like this one.  It breaks my heart to read these stories (and there are millions of similar stories).  Imagine how horrible the situation must be to go through the hell they go through to just TRY to get to the US.  So many of them will fail…but they will keep trying.  Just imagine, how dire would things have to be to put a child in the hands of horrible people in the hopes they might get to the United States. 

            Javier Zamora’s parents had to flee their country when he was quite young, leaving him to be raised by grandparents and extended family.  Raising thousands of dollars, Zamora was sent with a coyote (the name given to those who assist immigrants with border-crossing) when he was only nine-years-old.  Most parents don’t even let their kids play outside at nine-years-old, let alone traverse continents with strangers.  The trip would be harrowing as an adult, but this poor guy had to go by himself, without a single person he trusted.  Thankfully, there were adults that took him under their wings, likely saving his life. 

            Obviously, he made it to the US, he reunited with his parents, and he was able to grow and thrive here (solidifying why the effort is made in the first place), but millions like him aren’t as lucky.  Many are murdered by those same coyotes that are paid to see them across the border.  Many are caught and sent back to their countries, only to be killed by their own countrymen.  Zamora’s story isn’t singular, but he has the platform to spread his story to as many people as possible. 

            I had a minor problem with this book, and it existed for me alone:  I don’t speak any languages other than English.  I grew up listening to Spanish being spoken all around me, but I never learned it.  This book has a LOT of Spanish, and I found myself having to look up words and phrases (or texting my son-in-law, but he wasn’t always available).  It has prompted me to download one of those language-learning apps and make an attempt to learn a language I should have learned 40 years ago.  I highly recommend reading this book, learn this story, be empathetic. 

Solito A Memoir

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