A review by ali_runs_and_reads
Solito by Javier Zamora

5.0

🎧 Solito by Javier Zamora

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is one of those books that I know I will never forget. It’s the memoir of an El Salvadoran man who migrated to the United States to join his parents, unaccompanied by any one he knew, when he was just nine years old. I cannot fathom the desperation a family must feel to send their nine year old on a 3,000 mile journey alone. I read (and loved) America Dirt years ago. That book came under heavy criticism for being inauthentic and promoting stereotypes. Solito is much better representation of the migrant experience. This book with break your heart. I truly felt connected to Javier and the three strangers who made him a part of their family and ensured he was reunited with his parents in the US. He credits them with saving his life on his journey. Javier Zamora grew up to be a poet and it shows in his writing. I couldn’t put it down. An important read that humanizes the migrants we hear so much about in the news. Javier’s story will stay with me for a long time.