Solito: A Memoir By Javier Zamora

The author, as narrator of this memoir, stays in your mind long after the book is finished. Also, many of the characters, especially his auntie, grandparents, and the couple and their daughter who kindly befriended him on their harrowing journey. It seems to his regret, that they lost touch with each other. Sincerely hope they find each other again and that life goes well for all.

A book that educates, that may help change peoples perspective on a heartbreaking problem faced by many

Zamora’s words are so believable, so true. The writing is clean, and the story is remarkable! I loved it and it went by too fast. I want more. Tell us more.

Wow! That’s really all I can say about this book! Wow! It’s truly amazing!! I LOVED it & I’m not usually a memoir type person; more of a fiction/romance reader! I read this for my book club & I am SO glad I did; I would have never heard of Mr. Zamora otherwise. ☺️ It is an AMAZING story of courage & of strength! I am truly PROUD of little “Javiercito”; it is a miracle that he made it to the U.S. (or “La USA”, as he called it 😉). I firmly believe that EVERYONE should read (or listen 🎧😉; the author does a VERY good job at reading his own book, as well as writing his own story 😊) to this book (especially the people who think that all immigrants are “criminals” & should not be allowed in the country … 😒) I am also the daughter of immigrants, but my parents were very lucky: they were both able to come on student visas & are able to stay on work permits. I also have a cousin named Carla, as well (the young girl who came with Javier to the U.S.). And to think this is STILL happening; was particularly angry when the child separation policy was put in place in this country because I knew that these children (& their parents) didn’t DESERVE that … 😡 Anyway, I truly HOPE you find Pati, Chino, & Carla (the 3 people who stayed (& PROTECTED him) with “Javiercito” despite it all), Señor Zamora! You definitely deserve it, “hermanito”! 😍❤️ A TRULY beautifully written memoir!! This should be made into a movie; it’s SO good! Truly, it had me in utter tears 😭 (in the BEST way, I assure you 😉) by the end!! 😊😍❤️ (Definitely for older readers, though (even though Javier is 9 years old during the events of the book), due to the amount of cuss words in it, both in Spanish & in English. Or possibly for late high school readers, depending on their reading level & their maturity. 😉)

Compelling true story of a young El Salvadoran boy who migrated to reunite with his parents in the US. Beautifully written and an important story to be told.

I loved reading and especially listening to the author read this book. What an amazing and brave and miraculous story!

Creo que TODOS debemos leer este libro y comprender por lo que pasan los migrantes, el libro te hace empatico . Una maravilla.

Javier Zamora is a gifted writer. Solito is his memoir, the story of his crossing into the US illegally as an 9-year-old boy traveling among strangers. Zamora’s ability to convey to the reader the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, feels, and feelings of his crossing is exceptional. His prose waxes a bit poetic at times, but he is a poet first, and a memoir-writer second, so that is perhaps to be expected. In some ways, his poetic descriptions seem as much a part of him and of his story as the facts, people, and events he conveys. They are what brings an unexpected beauty to an otherwise unconscionable tale.

While the writing of his memoir is indeed well done, and for that reason alone this book is deserving of 5 stars, the book itself is a hard one to read. Solito is not fiction. This “story” was in fact lived by a nine-year-old little boy – one who laughs, cries, plays games, worries, and talks about poop way too much (don’t all 9 year old boys?) – and that is both disturbing and heartbreaking. No 9 year-old child should experience what Javier experienced, and yet he is not alone. There are many, many children, not just at the Mexican/American border, but around the world, who share these experiences, and worse.

At a time when illegal immigration into the United States continues at unprecedented levels, and when states along the border of Mexico are fighting back in unprecedented ways (Arizona & Texas, specifically), this book is bound to leave the American reader feeling conflicted and wondering if there is any way to adequately address not only illegal immigration into this country, but the reasons waves of people are fleeing their homelands, their families, their livelihoods, and risking it all to find a new life in a country that works so hard to keep them out.