Reviews tagging 'Deportation'

Solito by Javier Zamora

43 reviews

aduran037's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.75


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readandfindout's review against another edition

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emotional tense medium-paced

4.25

Style/writing: 4 stars
Themes: 4 stars
Perspective: 5 stars

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okiecozyreader's review

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adventurous challenging emotional tense medium-paced

5.0

“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. Like the one Simba goes on before he comes home.” Around the same time they sent me Aladdin, Jurassic Park and The Lion King…” 
    This first paragraph blows your mind as you think about a nine year old boy, leaving on this “trip” from El Salvador to the United States, by himself, with a network of Coyotes.

This was all written from his point of view as a child. It seems amazing what he was able to remember, or put together from his memories and journals, because it reads like a novel. His bravery and how he trusted and stayed the course through multiple setbacks. 

He shares what he did each day of this 9 week journey (and a little before that, as his family waited for instructions). We see the love of his grandfather and his  found family during the trip who gave him a sense of safety and belonging. 

We are so fortunate to have his story, an El Salvadoran immigrant or migrant. His success and stories are just one example of how our system doesn’t work and it is so sad he and his family went through all of this.

https://www.today.com/video/jenna-bush-hager-talks-with-javier-zamora-about-memoir-solito-147808325782

He recommends THE LINE BECOMES A RIVER by a former border patrol agent who became a friend, CHILDREN OF THE LAND by Marcelo
Hernández Castillo and BROWN NEON (and also THERE THERE by Tommy Orange and HOW TO SAY BABYLON by Safiya Sinclair). 

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celticthistle's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional informative inspiring slow-paced

4.5


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thehomiemona's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0


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rachelschloneger's review against another edition

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challenging emotional tense medium-paced

4.0


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kegifford's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

4.0

Heart wrenching memoir of the author's migration to the United States from El Salvador, traveling alone and undocumented at the age of nine. The story is well told, with the kind of detail and emotional depth that leave a lasting impression.

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alyssatuininga's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

4.0

3.5/5
I always find memoirs hard to review. This one was heartbreaking and really shows how much people go through to get to the US for a better life. I found it a little long-winded at times, I really didn't need to hear about every meal and every bus trip in so much detail. I also found the recollections a little suspect for a 9-year-old kid. Overall though I am really glad that I read it. 

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fanchera's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5


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alexisgarcia's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

5.0

wow wow wow. i cannot explain my love for this book. this is such a harrowing tale and at some points i forgot it wasn’t fiction. my heart just broke for the people in the story and it got so tense at times i worried for the survival of javier that i forgot i was reading a memoir. i will never forget this book. 

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