Solito
- Downloads：1706
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-09-06 00:19:37
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Javier Zamora
- ISBN：0593498062
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Murad Miah
，
Nice books
Rachel
，
I did not know this was a memoir when I started this e-arc， courtesy of NetGalley and Hogarth Press in exchange for my honest review。 The trauma Javier endured to be with his parents is unthinkable。 I just kept thinking about the many more people who attempt this journey， and who have attempted this last chance to find some peace- and that was before I got to the post-script and realized it was a memoir。 This book is not for young children， as it is an honest and gutting moment in Javier's life I did not know this was a memoir when I started this e-arc， courtesy of NetGalley and Hogarth Press in exchange for my honest review。 The trauma Javier endured to be with his parents is unthinkable。 I just kept thinking about the many more people who attempt this journey， and who have attempted this last chance to find some peace- and that was before I got to the post-script and realized it was a memoir。 This book is not for young children， as it is an honest and gutting moment in Javier's life as he was just beginning puberty and going alone to a new home。 This book compels the necessity for humanity to be created in this country， long long overdue。 。。。more
Linda
，
Solito by Javier Zamora is an outstanding memoir of what it’s like to cross into the United States with a “coyote”。 I had an inkling of what a coyote did when I read the novel American Dirt。 Solito is a memoir I will always remember and continue to suggest to my friends。
Barbara Tsipouras
，
Tragic， emotional， compelling， gripping and a glimpse in a world most of us don't know。 We know people cross the border all the time， migrants， illegals - criminals？ Every one of them has their own story， and there's always a reason。 Javier's story is a difficult one， but it's not unique: there are indeed children doing the trip all alone， depending on a coyote， experiencing whatever the adults in their group experience， the insecurity， the waiting， the risk for their life， in a boat or in the d Tragic， emotional， compelling， gripping and a glimpse in a world most of us don't know。 We know people cross the border all the time， migrants， illegals - criminals？ Every one of them has their own story， and there's always a reason。 Javier's story is a difficult one， but it's not unique: there are indeed children doing the trip all alone， depending on a coyote， experiencing whatever the adults in their group experience， the insecurity， the waiting， the risk for their life， in a boat or in the desert， the long march， the thirst， the pain， the fear。。。Javier is an incredibly strong and resilient child and is extremely aware of his surroundings: animals， smells， colors， tastes。。。。 He makes us feel with all our senses。Although I did not get all the Spanish and did not know all the references， jokes， insults or the different meals I learned a lot about the differences between El Salvador， Guatemala and Mexico。 。。。more
Ayelet
，
This book absolutely lived up to the hype！ I've never read anything quite like it before and it is a story that will stay with you for a long time。 This book absolutely lived up to the hype！ I've never read anything quite like it before and it is a story that will stay with you for a long time。 。。。more
Sharon
，
With so much hatred and prejudice around human migration， this is a beautifully written， important and emotional read about a young boy who makes a long journey towards his parents。You will experience a range of emotions as the writer / poet takes you on the journey。The boy barely remembers his father， who left during the civil war in El Salvador and his mother joined him a few years later。 Once sufficient money had been saved， their son can travel to join his them。 As this is a memoir， there’s With so much hatred and prejudice around human migration， this is a beautifully written， important and emotional read about a young boy who makes a long journey towards his parents。You will experience a range of emotions as the writer / poet takes you on the journey。The boy barely remembers his father， who left during the civil war in El Salvador and his mother joined him a few years later。 Once sufficient money had been saved， their son can travel to join his them。 As this is a memoir， there’s no shock ending - thank goodness！ But， rather， a beautifully told story of humanity in all its forms and the strength of the human spirit in adversity。 An important read， especially at this time of bigotry and hate and congratulations to the author on a moving， wonderful read。Thanks to NetGalley and Oneworld Publications for the opportunity to preview。 。。。more
Kate O'Shea
，
So you should read this if you want to know a real migrant story。 This isn't the flashy running away from criminals that we were served up in American Dirt。 This is a true account of one boy's harrowing trek from El Salvador to the USA。 I think what you have to keep reminding yourself is that Javier Zamora was nine years old at the time of his crossing。 When he is afraid of getting undressed or peeing in public you have to keep remembering that this is a small boy， alone， amongst a lot of fright So you should read this if you want to know a real migrant story。 This isn't the flashy running away from criminals that we were served up in American Dirt。 This is a true account of one boy's harrowing trek from El Salvador to the USA。 I think what you have to keep reminding yourself is that Javier Zamora was nine years old at the time of his crossing。 When he is afraid of getting undressed or peeing in public you have to keep remembering that this is a small boy， alone， amongst a lot of frightened adults without any parent to guide him。 I don't know what you were like as a nine year old but I wasn't allowed anywhere but nearby friends homes at that age。 I certainly can't imagine my parents contemplating a journey of over 2000 miles by boat， truck， on foot and ostensibly alone at that age。 There are times when the tale is repetitive but crossing a desert by foot， I imagine， is extremely repetitive。 However， Javier Zamora's memoir is shocking to say the least。 Unscrupulous coyotes， lack of food/water/shade/sleep all play their part。It certainly makes you realize how afraid and desperate people have to be to undertake this journey。 Highly recommended for anyone who wishes to read a real migrant story。 And just keep telling yourself that this is the memoir of a boy of only 9。 。。。more
Angie DePompeis
，
Reading this story was a very difficult experience。 The writing was easy to digest but also beautiful。 Readers can tell how exceptionally bright and creative the author was as a child。 It is tragic that the author had to experience such trauma and hardships at a young age in order to reunite with his parents and live a better life。 This is the kind of book we need to combat the hateful lies spread about immigrants， especially immigrants from Central and South America。 I wish we were able to lear Reading this story was a very difficult experience。 The writing was easy to digest but also beautiful。 Readers can tell how exceptionally bright and creative the author was as a child。 It is tragic that the author had to experience such trauma and hardships at a young age in order to reunite with his parents and live a better life。 This is the kind of book we need to combat the hateful lies spread about immigrants， especially immigrants from Central and South America。 I wish we were able to learn more about other characters。 I would have liked to know the backstories of Patricia， Chino， Chele， etc。 It would have been helpful for readers to understand other reasons why individuals are compelled to migrate to the US even with the innumerable， perilous risks。I would recommend this book to anyone。 I would especially recommend this to those who are uneducated on the topic of immigration。 Stories like this one are excellent sources of information。 。。。more
Anne Frazer
，
TW/CW: Brief mentions of sexuality， danger， scary sequences， death， injuryREVIEW: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review。Solito is the true story of a nine-year-old boy from El Salvador who crosses through Guatemala and Mexico in order to join his parents in California。 It examines the danger and terror of migration through the eyes of a child and tells the harrowing tale of how， in a small group and with less-than-trustworthy coyotes， he w TW/CW: Brief mentions of sexuality， danger， scary sequences， death， injuryREVIEW: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review。Solito is the true story of a nine-year-old boy from El Salvador who crosses through Guatemala and Mexico in order to join his parents in California。 It examines the danger and terror of migration through the eyes of a child and tells the harrowing tale of how， in a small group and with less-than-trustworthy coyotes， he was finally able to reach the USA。This book is fantastic。 I’ve never read anything like it。 I’ve always been interested in the migrant experience， but there aren’t that many books down there that go into the detail this book does of how people from Latin America actually get to the United States， and all the things they have to suffer through in the process。This is a very human book – much more humanity than politics – and should be required reading。 。。。more
Gail Sarasohn
，
An emotional read that makes you appreciate thefreedom we have living in the USA
RMazin
，
Finally， at the age of nine， Javier Zamora is “old” enough to begin his quest from El Salvador through Guatemala and Mexico to California where he will be reunited with his parents。 They left four years ago。 He recalls their love and phone conversations although he barely remembers his father。 Javier is going alone， solito， to begin a journey led by a “coyote” who is being paid to get him and others safely through their travels。 He carefully packs what he thinks he will need。 Javier’s excitement Finally， at the age of nine， Javier Zamora is “old” enough to begin his quest from El Salvador through Guatemala and Mexico to California where he will be reunited with his parents。 They left four years ago。 He recalls their love and phone conversations although he barely remembers his father。 Javier is going alone， solito， to begin a journey led by a “coyote” who is being paid to get him and others safely through their travels。 He carefully packs what he thinks he will need。 Javier’s excitement builds yet there is sorrow for leaving his family， friends and school behind。 He and his family believe this trip will take about two weeks。 But the unexpected happens。 People entrusted with his care disappear， routes change， rules are strictly given and transportation and lodging is unreliable。 Javier must rely on his nine-year-old self and form bonds and trust with those who may help him。 This is an unforgettable story of faith， love and perseverance that should be read by young adults as well as adults。 It places the immigrant experience on a moving personal level filled with hope， cruelty and miracles。 Highly recommended。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this title。 。。。more
Melissa
，
This memoir is a must read for anyone who wants to gain an insight into what child migrants go through to get to the US。 It should be in every library in the country。It is no easy reading - though the reading is considerably easier than the trip。 Zamora's account it so direct that one feels one makes the whole trip next to 'Javiercito' experiencing the highs and the lows with him。 It gives you a window， some understanding， but it also makes you realise that you'll never really really be able to This memoir is a must read for anyone who wants to gain an insight into what child migrants go through to get to the US。 It should be in every library in the country。It is no easy reading - though the reading is considerably easier than the trip。 Zamora's account it so direct that one feels one makes the whole trip next to 'Javiercito' experiencing the highs and the lows with him。 It gives you a window， some understanding， but it also makes you realise that you'll never really really be able to fully comprehend the struggle， the fortitude it takes for a 9 year old to complete a journey like this， or the trauma it leaves behind。 。。。more
Deborah Stevens
，
Oh this was wonderful。 Really anything blurbed by Francisco Cantu is bound to be， so there's no surprise。 This is the author's memoir of his journey across the Mexico-US border at the age of nine。 Zamora does an amazing job of inhabiting the mind and the senses of a child， expressing the fears and loneliness of his journey as well as the wonders and sensory details of the foods， the smells， the new experiences。 Whatever one feels about those who cross the border to enter the US this book is a wo Oh this was wonderful。 Really anything blurbed by Francisco Cantu is bound to be， so there's no surprise。 This is the author's memoir of his journey across the Mexico-US border at the age of nine。 Zamora does an amazing job of inhabiting the mind and the senses of a child， expressing the fears and loneliness of his journey as well as the wonders and sensory details of the foods， the smells， the new experiences。 Whatever one feels about those who cross the border to enter the US this book is a wonderful invitation to see the humanity of those who make this arduous journey。 。。。more
Mona Frazier
，
Told from the author's voice at nine years old， this memoir is a gripping and gut-wrenching read。 The descriptions are vivid， the characters so detailed you can feel their personalities， and the twists and turns keep the reader riveted。 Whenever a book has me caught up in the story， reflecting on the characters and feeling immersed in the setting， that is a five-star read。 This memoir would make for an exciting and excellent book club read， a high school discussion， or a college text analysis。 T Told from the author's voice at nine years old， this memoir is a gripping and gut-wrenching read。 The descriptions are vivid， the characters so detailed you can feel their personalities， and the twists and turns keep the reader riveted。 Whenever a book has me caught up in the story， reflecting on the characters and feeling immersed in the setting， that is a five-star read。 This memoir would make for an exciting and excellent book club read， a high school discussion， or a college text analysis。 The contents span ages of teen readers to adults。 Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book。 。。。more
Mainlinebooker
，
A heartbreaking， meaningful and inspirational true story of the author's experience as a young 9 year old boy who sought to leave El Salvador to join his family in San Rafael， California。 He barely knew his father who had left during the Salvadoran Civil war and his mother decamped a few years later。 Finally his parents saved enough money for a coyote to help him cross the border。 Reported from a 9 year old's perspective， the horror of the voyage becomes so vivid。 Issues that were relevant to a A heartbreaking， meaningful and inspirational true story of the author's experience as a young 9 year old boy who sought to leave El Salvador to join his family in San Rafael， California。 He barely knew his father who had left during the Salvadoran Civil war and his mother decamped a few years later。 Finally his parents saved enough money for a coyote to help him cross the border。 Reported from a 9 year old's perspective， the horror of the voyage becomes so vivid。 Issues that were relevant to a young child's mind， ie。 undressing in front of strangers， total embarrassment having to urinate with others around， and working hard not to cry and be strong were so ardent and unfeigned。The entire book showcased many such examples leading to such an affecting and earnest portrayal of his nightmare。 The trip to the US was supposed to take only two weeks but 9 weeks later and three attempted border crossing， freedom came to roost。 During his journey he found 3 incredibly selfless individuals， a mother and her daughter and another young man who became his second family and helped himnavigate and survive the ordeal。 From the sun's burning rays， painful cactus spikes， lack of water， sleazy individuals， sleeping on cement floors with no access to cleanliness and being disillusioned by untrustworthy souls， Javier and his adopted "family" bond in a way that is so touching and poignant。The journeys were horrific but highlighting the need for human closeness and relationships makes this story one that will reverberate in your heart for a long time。Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Nancy Mijangos
，
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。Javier Zamora， an El Salvadorian by birth， describes his immigration into the United States via the Mexican border。 The brutally dangerous trek through the desert is painstakingly chronicled and hard to read。
Mary Robinson
，
Such an important work for everyone to experience。 Solito is the harrowing tale of Javier Zamora， who at the age of 10 was sent from his home in ElSalvador to join his parents who had already migrated to the United States。 Finding no success in getting him a visa， his family pays a coyote to ferry him from teh Guatamala/Mexico border into the US。 His memories and descriptions are told from a childs point of view， which expands the impact on the reader。 Again， this is an important work and I high Such an important work for everyone to experience。 Solito is the harrowing tale of Javier Zamora， who at the age of 10 was sent from his home in ElSalvador to join his parents who had already migrated to the United States。 Finding no success in getting him a visa， his family pays a coyote to ferry him from teh Guatamala/Mexico border into the US。 His memories and descriptions are told from a childs point of view， which expands the impact on the reader。 Again， this is an important work and I highly recommend。 。。。more
Gabriela
，
Solito is a memoir about Javier’s journey from El Salvador to Tucson Arizona as an unaccompanied minor。 Javier meets people that provide a family during his migration。 The author does a great job in describing the pathway he had to take which makes you feel like you are taking part of this journey with him。 There is a lot of Spanish words that help the reader immerse themselves in Javier’s character。 I enjoyed this book a lot。 It gives a firsthand account of what it was like for a minor crossing Solito is a memoir about Javier’s journey from El Salvador to Tucson Arizona as an unaccompanied minor。 Javier meets people that provide a family during his migration。 The author does a great job in describing the pathway he had to take which makes you feel like you are taking part of this journey with him。 There is a lot of Spanish words that help the reader immerse themselves in Javier’s character。 I enjoyed this book a lot。 It gives a firsthand account of what it was like for a minor crossing the border in 1999。 The book is slow paced but entertaining。 Thank you NetGalley for this ARC！ 。。。more
Ryan Stock
，
Solito was a wild ride。 The way the author， Javier， transported us along his journey was so well done。 The use of the Spanish language and descriptors of the setting， allowed me to escape into this， often stressful journey。 These are the stories that are important to be exposed to understand other people's perspectives and experiences。 Solito was a wild ride。 The way the author， Javier， transported us along his journey was so well done。 The use of the Spanish language and descriptors of the setting， allowed me to escape into this， often stressful journey。 These are the stories that are important to be exposed to understand other people's perspectives and experiences。 。。。more
Lara Cowell
，
An autobiographical memoir by Javier Zamora， Solito documents Zamora’s harrowing seven-week journey， undertaken when he was a nine year old， from El Salvador to the United States。 I truly enjoyed this account and the frequent use of Spanish dialogue， Latinx cultural details， and Zamora’s focus on the familial and human bonds forged along the way， especially between him and three fellow travelers: Chino， and the mother-daughter pair Patricia and Carla， make the narrative wonderfully immersive。 Mo An autobiographical memoir by Javier Zamora， Solito documents Zamora’s harrowing seven-week journey， undertaken when he was a nine year old， from El Salvador to the United States。 I truly enjoyed this account and the frequent use of Spanish dialogue， Latinx cultural details， and Zamora’s focus on the familial and human bonds forged along the way， especially between him and three fellow travelers: Chino， and the mother-daughter pair Patricia and Carla， make the narrative wonderfully immersive。 Moving and tender， this story makes you root for the resilient Javier as he makes his way to reunite with his parents， residing in the USA: his experience reminds readers of the many immigrants who leave the security of family and their home country and risk their lives to make it to America， the land of dreams。 。。。more
Suzan Ball
，
This a gripping story of one boy's experience immigrating to the U。S。 through the "unofficial " pipeline which was hazardous at best。 His grandfather took him part of the way， but his paid companion left him so at nine years old he makes the rest of trip loosely attached to people he just met but more or less by himself。 This reads like an adventure novel as travels through several countries in Latin America and crosses the border into the U。S。 alone。 This a gripping story of one boy's experience immigrating to the U。S。 through the "unofficial " pipeline which was hazardous at best。 His grandfather took him part of the way， but his paid companion left him so at nine years old he makes the rest of trip loosely attached to people he just met but more or less by himself。 This reads like an adventure novel as travels through several countries in Latin America and crosses the border into the U。S。 alone。 。。。more
Cassy
，
Who recommended this book to me: Inprint season 2022/23， plus on-going interest in immigrant stories
Kim McGee
，
After reading this memoir one thing is certain - no one on this earth would put their family members through this unless they were desperate for a better life。 Javier is in El Salvador raised by his grandparents waiting for his parents to come up with enough money to hire a coyote and help him cross into the US。 At only nine years old he will set out on a harrowing journey of extreme conditions， apart from anyone familiar， fear and unbelievable danger。 It will take him seven weeks to make it and After reading this memoir one thing is certain - no one on this earth would put their family members through this unless they were desperate for a better life。 Javier is in El Salvador raised by his grandparents waiting for his parents to come up with enough money to hire a coyote and help him cross into the US。 At only nine years old he will set out on a harrowing journey of extreme conditions， apart from anyone familiar， fear and unbelievable danger。 It will take him seven weeks to make it and several attempts relying on the people he became close to becoming a second family along the journey and those who are paid to help him cross。 Javier will witness great acts of kindness from strangers as well as total disregard for his innocence and youth from the authorities。 A brutally honest and beautifully told story of a journey that few of us will ever take but all should take to heart。 My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy。 。。。more
Ann Margolis
，
What a wonderful written nf book from the eyes of a then 9 year old。Javier’s family was looking for a better life for him，in CA，with his parents who had themselves snuck across the border to escape turmoil in their native country of San Salvador。 For more than 7 weeks，Javier experienced many obstacles that even most adults never encounter their whole lives。 He was，I felt，a sheltered boy being raised in a loving family by his grandparents and aunt and was smart，sensitive and imaginative。I felt so What a wonderful written nf book from the eyes of a then 9 year old。Javier’s family was looking for a better life for him，in CA，with his parents who had themselves snuck across the border to escape turmoil in their native country of San Salvador。 For more than 7 weeks，Javier experienced many obstacles that even most adults never encounter their whole lives。 He was，I felt，a sheltered boy being raised in a loving family by his grandparents and aunt and was smart，sensitive and imaginative。I felt so very different about the plight of those trying to leave their countries for a better life while reading this book。 I had never given much thought of the perils of those， when reading or watching news programs， trying to illegally gain entrance to any country in the world whether it be the US，Italy，Greece，etc。The only complaint with this book was the lack of translation with so many dialogues from Spanish to English which I would have liked 。。。more
Maggie
，
Solito is an incredibly touching memoir written from the author’s perspective when he was a young boy。 It details his journey from El Salvador to the US and his struggles along the route。 Most importantly， it highlights the humanity of people who migrate from one country to another。 There are so many extremes in this book， from the callousness of some people to the love shown by a group to a lonely little boy。 This book is beautifully written and I will be recommending it to everyone！
Dawn
，
Javier's migration from El Salvador to the United States is the story of an incredibly brave and dedicated young boy。 Along his trip he unfailingly trusted numerous coyotes to deliver him to his mother and father， waiting for him in California。 I can only imagine his internal fear， and that of his family members， at home and in the USA， who completely trusted one man to ensure Javier's safety， but who did not follow through。 For readers who don't speak Spanish， some parts of the story may be mis Javier's migration from El Salvador to the United States is the story of an incredibly brave and dedicated young boy。 Along his trip he unfailingly trusted numerous coyotes to deliver him to his mother and father， waiting for him in California。 I can only imagine his internal fear， and that of his family members， at home and in the USA， who completely trusted one man to ensure Javier's safety， but who did not follow through。 For readers who don't speak Spanish， some parts of the story may be missed。 However， big picture， migration is incredibly hard on the traveler， and it isn't always possible to migrate without getting caught and deported。 。。。more
Angie Kim
，
SOLITO was such an emotional read for me。 Javier Zamora was nine when he made the long journey to join his parents in America， unaccompanied by anyone he knew。 I was eleven when I immigrated to the US， under very different circumstances--with my parents and a visa， in a plane， so much easier that I feel guilty even making the comparison--and yet， so many of his fears and worries resonated with me and made me tear up。 As a mom， I couldn't imagine my much older boys doing what Javier did， and it r SOLITO was such an emotional read for me。 Javier Zamora was nine when he made the long journey to join his parents in America， unaccompanied by anyone he knew。 I was eleven when I immigrated to the US， under very different circumstances--with my parents and a visa， in a plane， so much easier that I feel guilty even making the comparison--and yet， so many of his fears and worries resonated with me and made me tear up。 As a mom， I couldn't imagine my much older boys doing what Javier did， and it really tore me up reading about the more harrowing， downright painful parts of his migration （and there were many）。 There were times when I got angry and frustrated at the adults who put this little boy through this unbelievable experience。 What made this memoir so special is not just what happened or even the beautiful language this acclaimed poet uses to tell us the story， but the amazing way he faced the hardships--with humor， childlike innocence， faith， courage， gratitude， tenacity， and above all， hope。 Hope in the goodness of other people， hope in himself to make it through， and hope that he will reach his parents。 This is a beautiful， special book。 I can't imagine anyone not loving it。 。。。more
Nat
，
Beautiful and haunting
Anne-Marie
，
This is the true story of nine year old Javier who travelled 3 000 miles from El Salvador to be reunited with his parents in the United States。 Entrusted to the care of strangers and paid coyotes， it should have taken 2 weeks。 but in reality it took two harrowing months。It is an incredible story of an incredibly brave nine year old who withstood terrible hardships along the way。 It's a miracle he survived and well worth reading。 This is the true story of nine year old Javier who travelled 3 000 miles from El Salvador to be reunited with his parents in the United States。 Entrusted to the care of strangers and paid coyotes， it should have taken 2 weeks。 but in reality it took two harrowing months。It is an incredible story of an incredibly brave nine year old who withstood terrible hardships along the way。 It's a miracle he survived and well worth reading。 。。。more
Angela
，