Solito: A Memoir by Javier Zamora

Solito: A Memoir 

February 6th, 2024

Solito: A Memoir, Javier Zamora, 2022, 381 pages.      

2023 Alex Award Winner, 2022 Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose Winner

In this memoir, Javier Zamora tells his extraordinary tale of migrating to the United States from El Salvador at just ten years old. After 5 years of waiting, Javier's family has finally secured him a coyote to reunite him with his parents in California. The only catch--he has to make the journey all by himself. Despite the dangers he must face, including treacherous boat rides, border crossings with smugglers, desert hikes avoiding La Migra, and being uncomfortable in his own skin, Javier learns the true meaning of love through the bonds he makes along the way and gritty, undeniable perseverance.

I chose to read Solito: A Memoir for a variety of reasons. Initially, I sought this book out because I teach a unit on refugees and migrants in my 8th grade language arts class. I was hoping this would be a great companion novel for some of my students to independently read as we read our whole class novel The Land of Permanent Goodbyes (about Syrian refugees). Additionally, this novel stood out to me because I had never read a memoir from the perspective of someone so young. I wanted to understand the thoughts, struggles, and triumphs of a migrant who is ultimately a kid forced to grow up too quickly.

Teaching and Content Considerations:

 I believe Solito would work the most effectively in a classroom as a literature circle novel for eager readers or as an independent novel. The sheer length of the novel would make it very difficult to teach in a whole class setting. Although Solito is written about Zamora's migrant experience at ten years old, there are a few instance of explicit, adult language. Hence, this memoir would be appropriate for high school students to read, as well as 7th and 8th grade students pending parent/guardian approval. Students who enjoy reading adventure books, memoirs, and students who are familiar with the Spanish language would greatly enjoy Zamora's memoir (Spanish is frequently woven into the book without any translation). 

Instructional Ideas

Solito would be a great novel for students to focus on characterization, dynamic characters, and the use of sensory imagery. Zamora does an astounding job allowing us to truly think, feel, LIVE his experience as an insecure ten year old being thrust into a new world. Zamora's gradual transformation throughout the memoir, as well as his strengthening relationships with other migrants, would be an excellent aspect of the novel for students to analyze. Furthermore, Zamora's sometimes over the top use of imagery to vividly capture his experiences could be used as models before students write their own narratives or memoirs. Themes such as innocence, coming- of-age, sacrifice, family, betrayal, and xenophobia would be excellent starting points for students to analyze. 

Possible Read Aloud Passages

•  Pages 72-73: "I concentrate on Grandpa's light-brown hand waving. Grandpa getting smaller and smaller as the bus rattles forward. He becomes a cloud. A marble. A hand. A fingernail. A white dot. I take a breath in. Adios, I whisper to myself."
• Javier has to say goodbye to his Grandpa. From this moment forward, Javier must complete the rest of his journey to America on his own. 

• Page 127: "'Kneel!' Their guns pointed at us like mouths, like eyes, The holes like Grandpa's gun. But these holes are wider. The guns are bigger. Longer. I close by eyes again. Coyote begs louder. 'If you still have money, now is your chance.'"
• Javier and his traveling companions have been outed as non-Mexicans at a checkpoint in Tecun, Mexico. Soldiers drag them off the bus and hold them at gunpoint. 

• Pages 213-214: "Follow the group in front of you. Look at their shoes. Follow their steps. We almost have a full moon--you should be able to see the person in front. Don't. Get. Lost. Whoever stays, stays. We. Will. Not. Wait for you." 
• Javier and his group prepare for their hike across the desert. The coyotes make it clear that in order to get to the U.S. border, they must keep up and follow their rules. 

• Page 297: "It's almost two A.M. The tops of the trees sway as we walk by, and some of the branch tips rattle like they're alive..."
• Javier and his group continue to walk through the desert, avoiding La Migra. Javier takes note of his surroundings in the moonlight. Excellent passage for imagery and figurative language.

Thoughts and Reflections

Ultimately, I enjoyed reading Solito. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I didn't have a timeline to finish it. Zamora's descriptive writing sometimes made me feel a bit impatient to get to the "action" of his journey. However, his same reflective and observant nature truly captured his experience of being a migrant child. For each "gripping" moment, Zamora forces you to remember his innocence, naivety, and bravery as he tries to navigate his new world. It also simply shocked me: I had to remind myself Zamora, and many other migrants, truly lived his experience. This is real.

There are a few topics I would like to explore further after reading Zamora's memoir. To begin, I'd like to build background knowledge about the Salvadoran Civil War. While only indirectly referenced in the story, Zamora later reveals to readers in his brief biography that the war was the reason his parents migrated to the United States in the first place. Additionally, I'm curious to learn about the survival rating of these journeys and what help is being provided to combat inhumane conditions at deportation centers. Lastly, I wonder (and hope) if Zamora will ever be able to reconnect with Chino, Patricia, and Carla through the success of his book!

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