Solito by Javier Zamora

Solito offers a unique and important glimpse into the immigrant experience and is perfect for book clubs not afraid of discussing gritty topics with challenging and emotional themes, and real-world events.

This memoir is the story of Javier Zamora, who at the age of just nine migrated from El Salvador to the US to reunite with his parents – a mother who had left four years before and a father he barely remembered.

He leaves behind his beloved aunt and grandparents, his school and the only life he knows.

Readers are challenged to put themselves in Javier’s shoes as he faces tremendous physical, mental and emotional obstacles on his journey through Central America, Mexico and the Sonoran Desert.

How can parents leave their child behind in a dangerous country while they head off to find sanctuary in the US?

Telling their child, “one day, you’ll take a trip to be with us – like an adventure”.

Javier Zamora’s adventure is a 4,828km journey from his small town in El Salvador, through Guatemala and Mexico and across the US border.

Travelling 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 just nine, 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.

Reading this I kept imagining my beautiful 12-year-old grandson.

To be fair for him, to do what Javier did is preposterous.

You have to keep reminding yourself this is a nine- year-old child.

He is afraid of getting undressed or peeing in public – a small boy alone, amongst a lot of frightened adults without any parent to guide him.

It really tore me up reading about the more harrowing, downright painful parts of his migration.

Solito twisted up my heart and left it mangled leaving me dreaming about this character.

When I closed this book, I was sobbing and my soul felt exhausted.

These book club questions will guide you through important discussion points and allow reflection on some of the powerful themes in this memoir.

Did any part of Javier’s story surprise you? What did you learn about the migrant experience through this memoir? Did his story change any of your opinions on the topic of immigration?

What emotions did you experience while reading Solito? Discuss the moments that elicited those emotions, both high and low.

How did Javier’s perspective of his relationship with his grandfather change after they experienced part of his migration journey together?

Javier reveals that he did not stay in touch with Patricia, Carla or Chino after they arrived in the United States. Did this surprise you? Why do you think The Four did not maintain a relationship?

Though Javier was caught on his first two attempts to make it to the United States, the results of these experiences were vastly different. How did each of these experiences impact him?

Good reads that are similar to Solito include Unforgetting by Roberto Lovato, Children of the Land by Marcelo Hernandez Castillo, and American Dirt by Jeanine Cummings.

Julie Chessman