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"Solito: A Memoir" by Javier Zamora (Corey, Sophia, Cullen)

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Javier Zamora is a Salvadorian poet and author. He immigrated to the US in 1999, became a green card holder in 2018, and finally became a full US citizen in 2023. He married in 2022 to another writer named Jo Blair Cipriano and has been happily married since then. She is the subject of a few poems he has written. Some other notable works of his are "Unaccompanied" (Published in 2017) and "Nine Immigrant Years" (Published in 2011). He received a PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award and in 2024, he was the winner of a Whiting Fellowship for Nonfiction Poetry, both awards for his book "Solito: A Memoir".

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The book "Solito: A Memoir" is about a 9 year old boy named Javier crossing the border (illegally) into the USA. This point of view matters as it gives insight into the inner workings of an immigrant child who just wants to reunite with his parents. Javier isn't as affected as adults are by the wars and unrest in El Salvador, he just wants to be reunited with his parents again. The story in this 9 year old boy's point of view shows how harsh illegal immigration is and how it is processed through the eyes of a child.

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Point of View and the Reader's Interpretation Perspective

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Point of View and the Reader's Interpretation Perspective

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The first person point of view gives incredible insight into Javier's thoughts and how the events in his experience impacted him mentally. Because the perspective is one from a child the narration perfectly captures the fear, confusion, and wonder Javier must've been feeling, in a very raw way. The reader doesn't see the experiences through an adults perspective which tries to rationalize everything and find a natural conclusion, but through a child's very limited understanding. This point of view creates a perfect place for empathy and allows us to see that migration isn't just a political issue, but a very human and emotional one.

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Patricia is Javier's mother figure, and is the actual mother of Carla. She often acts as a surrogate mother to Javier during border crossings and other situations that call for it. Due to this, she is a source of stability for Javier through the journey. She originally acts distant and aloof, but slowly becomes more protective of both Javier and the group.

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El Salvadorian mother of short stature, mom like

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Don Dago is the coyote that smuggles Javier across the border, along with the rest of Javier's group. He is described as pretty mysterious and closed off, along with being intimidating to Javier. He originally seems trustworthy, even hired by Javier's family to smuggle Javier across the US border, but he abandons the group after they reach Mexico. The reason Javier's family hired him is because he has a record of many successful smuggles across the border. Don Dago abandoning the group once they got to Mexico led to a longer and harsher journey for Javier and the group, along with causing Javier to become distrustful and anxious about the people around him.

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The main message is that a family can be made between strangers. Javier has to travel for a long part of his journey without any of his relatives, completely alone. However, as the journey progressed, he got closer to Patricia, Carla and Chino. Patricia took on a maternal role, Chino took on a paternal role and Carla was like a sister. They even had to act like a fake family. By the end of the journey, they joked around and acted like a real family. Javier, slowly but surely, was no longer alone by the end of his journey. When he reunited with his real parents, he had to leave his second family.

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Javier left El Salvador in the 1990s, which was only 2 years before the Salvadoran Civil war ended. The Salvadoran Civil War lasted from 1980-1992 and lead to significant social unrest. We don't see direct effects of warfare on Javier's family or community, but the aftermath of the war caused economic decline which caused a lack of jobs. This caused Javier's parents to leave for the U.S and Javier to rejoin them at the age of nine.

Javier and his group crossed the Mexican border to the U.S. through the Sonoran Desert

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The most significant event is when Javier, Patricia, Chino and Carla got separated from the group during their second trip to the Sonoran Desert and were left to wander for a day in the scorching heat of the desert. This is when they almost died in the heat due to dehydration. They stop, desperate, at a gringo's house to rehydrate themselves with the hose. Then they get caught, which makes them think that it was over for them because they only paid for two trips and they got caught twice. However, a very nice gringo, who himself possibly crossed the same border, drives them back to Mexico so they can try again, one last time.

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"La Migra": border patrol, noun, ex: The whole time they were crossing the dessert, the group were afraid of being discovered by La Migra

"Coyote": Person who helped migrants cross the border from Mexico to the U.S, noun ex: Javier and his group got to know many different coyotes

"Gringo": Latin American term for Americans, noun ex: When Javier arrived at the U.S., he hoped to blend in with the other gringos.

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At just 9 years old Javier leaves his home and his family behind to make an extremely dangerous trip up north to Los Angeles. He's feeling both excitement and fear because he doesn't fully understand the risks.

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Key events- Crossing into Guatemala and Mexico

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Key events- Crossing into Guatemala and Mexico

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Javier begins to realize the scale of this journey as he starts to face problems such as long bus rides, border checkpoints, and a growing uncertainty of whether he'll reach his destination

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Along his journey, Javier develops a strong attachment to fellow migrants like Patricia, Chino, and others who protect him and guide him. They give him a sense of belonging amidst all the danger.

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One of the most intense and dangerous moments of the journey by far. Javier struggles with exhaustion, dehydration, and fear, while relying on his group to survive the desert crossing.

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Key event- Reuniting with his parents in the united states

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Key event- Reuniting with his parents in the united states

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After weeks of enduring everything thrown at him, Javier finally arrives and reunites with his parents, ending the painful journey but leaving lasting emotional scars and traumatic memories of the experience.

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Zamora uses descriptive sensory details to describe landscapes, hunger, thirst, and fear, allowing readers to feel the emotional and physical intensity of the journey.

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Because the story is narrated by Javier's 9-year old self, the language often reflects his limited understanding, which makes the danger and confusion much more impactful to the reader.

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Conversations between Javier and other migrants capture warmth, tension, and survival strategies, giving authenticity and emotional weight to the narration.

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Phrases and descriptions are repeated to mirror Javier's obsessive fears, ongoing discomfort, and longing for his parents, reinforcing the psychological toll of the trip on Javier.

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Cultural or Historical context- U.S. Immigration policies and Border Enforcement 

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Cultural or Historical context- U.S. Immigration policies and Border Enforcement 

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The book takes place during a time when crossing the U.S.- Mexico border was highly dangerous due to the strict enforcement placed on it, the scorching desert, and reliance on coyotes (smugglers). This historical backdrop shapes Javier's experience's and highlights the risks many Central American migrant's have faced and continue to face today.

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Cultural or Historical Context- Civil war and economic hardship in El Salvador

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Cultural or Historical Context- Civil war and economic hardship in El Salvador

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El Salvador's history of violence, instability, and lack of opportunities influenced many parents to send their children north. Javier's journey is rooted in this context, as his parents had already migrated to the U.S. for safety and work, however they had left him to follow later.

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Javier crosses to the U.S. through the Sonoran Desert which is an arid region located in southwest Arizona and southeast California and occupies much of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. There are many organisms that inhabit the desert including a wide variety of cactuses from the Saguaro cactus, the barrel cactus and the prickly pear cactus. In addition, a lot of animals also live there, like big horn sheep, mule deer, coyotes, desert tortoises and Gila monsters. The desert is extremely dry, only receiving 3-15 inches of rain annually

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Sonoran Desert | Map, Plants, Animals, & Facts | Britannica.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 2019, www.britannica.com/place/Sonoran-Desert.

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