mollyerickson's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
lcc37's review against another edition
5.0
A beautiful and gut-wrenching account, Javiercito takes us every step of the journey, making us feel his hunger, hope, fear, and humanity.
mhoffrob's review against another edition
5.0
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.
katrod's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Not easy to read, but definitely important to read, Solito tells the story of Javier Zamora’s journey to immigrate from El Salvador to the United States at the age of 9 years old. He does it alone, but luckily finds I himself taken in by some truly wonderful people and ends up having somewhat of a “found” family as he crosses.
This story is gut wrenching in so many ways, but what broke my heart the most, was the incredible way Zamora was able to let us into his 9 year old experience. Often I’d find myself wondering if we were reading straight from a journal of his, and then I’d read a beautifully poetic passage about the way the sun rose over the mountains and I’d realize he was just that good at blending stunning writing with the reality of his young journey. It was truly masterful.
It’s a story not for the faint of heart, but if 9 year old Javier survived it, we can certainly be brave enough to read of this very real, daily experience for so many people.
This story is gut wrenching in so many ways, but what broke my heart the most, was the incredible way Zamora was able to let us into his 9 year old experience. Often I’d find myself wondering if we were reading straight from a journal of his, and then I’d read a beautifully poetic passage about the way the sun rose over the mountains and I’d realize he was just that good at blending stunning writing with the reality of his young journey. It was truly masterful.
It’s a story not for the faint of heart, but if 9 year old Javier survived it, we can certainly be brave enough to read of this very real, daily experience for so many people.
sardgri's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
3.75
kegifford's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Heart wrenching memoir of the author's migration to the United States from El Salvador, traveling alone and undocumented at the age of nine. The story is well told, with the kind of detail and emotional depth that leave a lasting impression.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deportation and Abandonment
evilanchovy's review against another edition
5.0
This was a harrowing account of the author's trek from El Salvador to the United States as a solo 9-year-old. At first I thought the plot could get repetitive, but I came to appreciate that. Zamora's story, as well as the stories of other young migrants like him, do not need to be dramatized.
lsaligmander's review against another edition
5.0
I seriously cannot recommend this book enough. It was obvious to me, even as someone who is not an expert in this journey, that it is infinitely more close to reality than American Dirt or other books written by individuals who have only researched the journey, rather than lived it. Of course, I do not think that authors cannot write about anything that they have not experienced, but reading this book made me realize the massive value of having stories, especially about contentious issues, out there in the voices of the people who have lived the consequences of these issues.
In addition to being an informative and authentic take on a problem that is still relevant today, this book was also wonderfully written. I appreciate how it was written in the voice of a child, and also it’s poetic style, because I believe that these elements illuminated pieces of Javier’s story in ways that another style would not have.
With most reviews, I say that I would recommend the book to a certain subsection of people with specific interests, but I would probably recommend this book to anyone at all.
In addition to being an informative and authentic take on a problem that is still relevant today, this book was also wonderfully written. I appreciate how it was written in the voice of a child, and also it’s poetic style, because I believe that these elements illuminated pieces of Javier’s story in ways that another style would not have.
With most reviews, I say that I would recommend the book to a certain subsection of people with specific interests, but I would probably recommend this book to anyone at all.