New York Times Bestseller; Today's Pick for the Read With Jenna Book Club Winner of the Los Angeles Times Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiography • Recipient of the Alex Award from the American Library Association
A young poet narrates the inspirational account of his migration from El Salvador to the United States at the age of nine in this “gripping memoir” (NPR) of courage, optimism, and finding family.
One of the ten best books of the year according to the New York Public Library and a finalist for the PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction
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 guy, 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 The New York Times Book Review, NPR, The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Vulture, She Reads, Kirkus Reviews
Trip. My parents began using that term about a year ago—“one day, you’ll take a trip to be with us. Like an adventure.”
Javier Zamora’s odyssey is a three-thousand-mile trek from his little hamlet in El Salvador, via Guatemala and Mexico, and across the U.S. border. He will leave behind his beloved aunt and grandparents to reconcile with a mother who fled four years ago and a father he hardly recalls. Traveling alone amid a bunch of strangers and a “coyote” paid to bring them to safety, Javier expects his trip to last two short weeks.
At nine years old, all Javier can envisage is running into his parents’ arms, cuddling in bed between them, and living under the same roof again. He cannot anticipate the risky boat voyages, arduous desert treks, pointed weapons, arrests and deceptions that await him; nor can he know that those two weeks will grow into two life-altering months with other migrants who will come to surround him like an unexpected family.
A narrative as compelling as it is poignant, Solito provides an immediate and personal account not only of a perilous and near-impossible voyage, but also of the amazing generosity and love offered at the most unexpected times. Solito is Javier Zamora’s tale, but it’s also the story of millions of others who had no option but to abandon home.