Solito

 Solito

By Javier Zamora

This was a hard but fascinating read. It's a memoir that tells the tale of his migration to the United States.
Zamora is born in El Salvador, where he is raised by his grandparents because both of his parents migrated to the US when he was very young. His life in El Salvador actually seems pretty okay; he hints at poverty, but we didn't really see it. Nevertheless, Javier's life is consumed by a dream to be reunited with his parents, with whom he speaks once every two weeks.

At last, his day comes. Javier is 9. He is led north with five other people by a coyote named Don Dago, who disappears from the trip not long after it begins. He has told the group he will meet them after an 18-hour boat ride from Guatemala into Mexico. But he never appears. Yet The Six, as Javier dubs them, continue on their journey, and are shuffled from coyote to coyote, who seem to care for them and follow through on their promises. 

Finally, they reach "la linea" -- the border with the US. The Six join a group of about 50, who are surprised by La Migra just as they are about to reach their destination. Javier is now one of four: a man, Chino, a woman, Patricia, and her daughter, Carla. These three care for Javier as if he is family, and they try again. And again they are caught, this time by a border patrol agent who brings them back to the border, but doesn't put them in a cage, as Javier describes a jail. 

But third luck proves the charm, and Javier eventually does make it to La USA. We learn little about his life there, except that he eventually loses touch with Chino, Patricia, and Carla, and that he had years of therapy to deal with the trauma of his crossing.

The book stirred a lot of emotions. The compassion that Chino and Patricia show Javier is inspiring. They save his life on numerous occasions. But none of the coyotes ever make contact with Javier's family, leaving them wondering and worrying for weeks. And then there is the immigration system that the migrants bump up against. They are so desperate to come to our country, and we treat their dreams so callously. I don't know what the answer is, but this book makes it clear that we need to do better.