Trip. My parents started using that word about a year ago—“one day, you’ll
take a trip to be with us. Like an adventure.”

Javier Zamora’s adventure is a 3,000-mile journey from his small town in
El Salvador, through Guatemala and Mexico, and across the U.S. border.
He will leave behind his beloved aunt and grandparents to reunite with a
mother who left four years ago and a father he barely remembers. Traveling
alone amid a group of strangers and a “coyote” hired to lead them to safety, Javier expects his trip to last two short weeks.

A memoir as gripping as it is moving, Solito provides an immediate and
intimate account not only of a treacherous and near-impossible journey,
but also of the miraculous kindness and love delivered at the most
unexpected moments. Solito is Javier Zamora’s story, but it’s also the story
of millions of others who had no choice but to leave home.

“I read Solito with my heart in my throat and did not burst into tears until the last sentence. What a person, what a writer, what a book.”—Emma Straub

Request a copy of Solito today via CLAMS

Events related to this year’s Town Read!

February 7 at 2:00 PM: On Childhood Migration from Central America–In Conversation with
Javier Zamora

The library will screen an author interview with Javier Zamora that was previously recorded by the Library Speakers Consortium. Tune in for a special conversation with New York Times bestselling author Javier Zamora as he chats with us about his riveting tale of survival and perseverance as told in his award-winning memoir Solito.

February 12 at 4:00 PM: Solito Book Discussion at the library

Join us at the library for a book discussion about Solito. We will explore key themes like, the immigrant experience, identity and belonging, resilience and hope, and family and community.

We encourage participants to reflect on how Solito resonates with your own experiences, perspectives, and understanding of the world today. Whether you’ve read the book or just started, we invite you to come with your thoughts, questions, and personal reflections.

More book discussions are being planned for different venues around town.

March 8 at 2:00 PM: Documentary Screening (Details to follow)

March 15 at 2:00 PM: What’s Next for the Border? – A presentation by Miriam Davidson

Miriam Davidson is a Tucson-based writer whose work focuses on border issues. Her most recent book, The Beloved Border: Humanity and Hope in a Contested Land, tells powerful stories of atrocities and compassion at the southern border. Davidson’s presentation will focus on the history of migration at the border, placing the Falmouth Reads Together selection, Solito, in both historical and contemporary context. She will also share accounts of what life is like south of the border, crossing the Darién Gap and cartel violence in Mexico. As well as discussing the environmental and cultural damage from the border wall and mine construction.

Her award-winning journalism has appeared in the New York Times, the AARP Bulletin, the Arizona Republic, the Nation, the Progressive, and many other outlets. She attended Yale College and the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.