Solito

A Memoir

De: Javier Zamora

Narrado por: Javier Zamora

New York Times Bestseller • Read With Jenna Book Club Pick as seen on Today • Winner of the Los Angeles Times Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiography • Winner of the American Library Association Alex Award

A young poet tells the inspiring story of his migration from El Salvador to the United States at the age of nine in this “gripping memoir” (NPR) of bravery, hope, and finding family.

Finalist for the PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction • One of the New York Public Library’s Ten Best Books of the Year

Longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence and the PEN/Open Book Award

“I read Solito with my heart in my throat and did not burst into tears until the last sentence. What a person, what a writer, what a book.”—Emma Straub

“A riveting tale of perseverance and the lengths humans will go to help each other in times of struggle.”—Dave Eggers

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Vulture, She Reads, Kirkus Reviews

Trip. My parents started using that word about a year ago—“one day, you’ll take a trip to be with us. Like an adventure.”

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.

©2022 Javier Zamora (P)2022 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“A gripping memoir… Solito is special for many reasons, but the main one is Zamora’s voice and the energy of his vivid retelling of his journey . . . And that makes it required reading.”—Gabino Iglesias, NPR

“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

“The magic of this book lies not only in the beguiling voice of young Javier, or the harrowing journey and immense bravery of the migrants, or in the built-in hero’s journey of this narrative. It’s hard to reconcile the fact that this book hasn’t always been with us. How can something so essential and fundamental to the American story not already be part of our canon?”—San Francisco Chronicle

Whoa, what a story.

I love that this book is narrated by the author. I can not imagine it being told by anyone else. I think anyone can read this and feel a connection to the humanity and beauty of Javier’s terrible and amazing journey. As it’s written from a 9 yr old perspective, I’m reading it to my daughter tambien who is really enjoying it.

Compelling and Sweet story.

Powerful story about kindness in hard circumstances. Determination and bravery in children and adults. Great read.

Awesome Book

I loved it! ❤️ Words can’t explain how much this book relates to my past experience. Unfortunately it brought back some previous trauma of my own. Thank you for writing this beautiful story.

Authors should never Narrate their own book

Frustrating that I really want to hear the book but the author chose to narrate his own work. He sounds like a teen with a changing voice who's out of breath and thirsty.... the whole way thru.

A simple but moving story, beautifully told

This is a true story, told through the eyes of a nine-year-old boy, The author gives a compelling account of his perilous journey to be reunited with his parents in “La USA.” Told with compassion and love, and recounting the many nuances of the humanity of the people he encounters along the way, the author recreates this traumatic childhood experience in a very relatable and touching way. He opens the door to a world that many of us will never experience, but through sharing his story, the author allowed me to develop deeper compassion and greater understanding.

Regarding the narration, which is performed by the author, I very much enjoyed the tone of his voice and the very believable way he was able to tell the story of his younger self. I did find the pace a little bit slow and halting overall, so I bumped the speed up to 1.1x and that sounded better to my ear.

Overall, I loved this story and it really did make me cry at several pivotal junctures. Well done, Sr. Zamora!

A book everyone should read

I think if everyone read this book we would have more people understand that all of us are people. We are all humans and we all just want better for ourselves, our families, and the case of this book even strangers. Immigrants are so often dehumanized and I just don’t know how you could do that after reading this book. I laughed I cried, it was suspenseful, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Beautiful

By far the best book and audible experience. Read by the author, reads like poetry. I didn’t want it to end yet I wanted to know the ending. This is one of those books I would sell my soul to read for the 1st time again.

loved every minute of it

when he spoke about the beeswarm, I had to laugh, no one can make this up.
yes, at that time the African bees were migrating north; people had hoped that the desert would stop their migration, but that did not happen.

I’m so thankful for this book

I chose this book after my mom saw Javier Zamora on a morning show. She sent me his name and told me to look up the story. I chose to just choose his book and get the entire story. I am so thankful I did. Not only is this book one of the most well written and best narrated books I’ve read but the feeling in the words he uses to describe his family and the way he expands your own love for them but doesn’t flower up the things that he doesn’t need to. I appreciate that so much as a reader. It’s never too much or not enough in this book, just perfect. The respect, awe, heartache and celebration I have for Javier’s journey will be forever in my heart. We all could learn so much from this book and this man. I look forward to reading more things written by him and I hope with all of my heart his other family will reach out to him. I also feel that this book should be on every high school reading list.

Should be required reading in the USA

This personal account from the lived experience of a child who travels alone from El Salvador to the United States should be required reading for people in the US. It brings a human lens to what for many is just a question of legality. It’s touching, beautifully written and I hope there’s a sequel.