Solito by Javier Zamora, a review and a reading challenge for 2023

 

When we watch the news, or recently, watch election debates or read about candidates' positions on anything, but particularly about things like border crossings or abortion, it's very easy to miss how personal that these stories are and how humans are at the heart of these so-called political issues. This memoir, which has generated a lot of fervor, puts the humanity of the issue at front and center.

Javier Zamora, a success poet and also a migrante (someone who walks across the border), wrote about his experience crossing the Sonora Desert at the age of 9 to join his parents in this memoir. Zamora grew up in a fishing village in El Salvador, not really knowing his dad (who left for La USA when Zamora was 1). His mother left somewhat later - but by the time that we meet Zamora, they had both been in Northern California for quite some time. They had left as a result of war that was impacting the country. Zamora was loved by the family in El Salvador that cared for him, that much was obvious. Approximately four years after his mother migrated, the plan was made to send Javier to the States to be with them under the guidance of a coyote. His parents would pick him up at the border of Mexico and the US, at Tijuana. Instead, he tries three times - the first two having not been successful - and croses in Arizona. Javier has been left to fend for himself, dependent on strangers.  His family has no idea where he is for a lengthy period of the trip. And he's put in detention for a while. 

I loved this book - it's humanity and beauty and the stories that it tells. It reminds us that there are people involved in the issues that politicians fight about and seem to forget. There were funny moments - the pronunciation of the word f*** and the naming of the cacti as fuzzies being two of them. But the stress and scariness of the situation is never forgotten - the pressure of having to use the right words or they'll be reported to authorities, the fear of not having enough food or water, being held at gunpoint by authorities (yes, even a nine year old). What I loved though is that there were themes of family - family that is blood and family that is people that help in times of stressful, when there aren't blood ties. Javier had a group of peole that looked after him on the trip out of the goodness of their hearts and that's amazing. 

I found this book fascinating and I think it's one that everyone should read. I found it a quick read, mainly because I found it very difficult to put aside. I loved it.  

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It's probably not surprising that I read a lot of book blogs and I came across a reading challenge that I wanted to participate in in 2023: the Southern Literature Reading Challenge. The rules are over at the website.  I am going to aim for level 4 because I read a lot and can probably manage that. There are a list of ideas of books to read here and here. Will you join me?