Solito: A Memoir
by Javier Zamora
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Author gives in-depth interview about 3000 mile solo journey
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The author answers some difficult questions here, including whether or not he feels that his parents did the wrong thing in leaving him behind in El Salvador and then expecting him, at age nine, to make the trip to the U.S. in the company of a paid “coyote.” Showing great compassion for his parents, fellow migrants, and his own younger self, Zamora says that writing in the voice of a child allowed him to avoid becoming distracted by the politics of immigration.
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Author live interview for latest “Read with Jenna” pick
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The author sits down with Today hostesses to answer a few questions about his NYT best-seller. He says the process of bringing up all the old memories necessary to write the book and working through all the relevant traumas was extremely difficult. He gives a shout-out to the people who cared for him when he was abandoned by the “coyote” hired to escort him safely to the U.S., people with whom he has lost touch but hopes will find him again via the book.
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Publications
The New York Times: The Harrowing Migration Story of One 9-Year-Old Child
The Washington Post: A migrant child’s long journey to Gringolandia
National Public Radio: 'Solito' is a personal story of immigration that sheds light on the universal
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