A TELEGRAPH BOOK OF THE YEAR 'Solito is my travel book of the year.' Telegraph 'Heartbreaking... A rare, eye-opening rendition of the brutal reality of border-crossing.' Lea Ypi 'If there's any justice, Solito will someday be considered a classic.' Rumaan Alam Young Javier dreams of eating orange sherbet ice cream with his parents in the United States. For this to happen, he must embark on a three-thousand-mile journey alone. It should last only two weeks. But it takes seven. In limbo, Javier learns what people will do to survive - and what they will forfeit to save someone else. This is a memoir of perilous boat trips, relentless desert treks, and pointed guns. But it is also a story of tasting tacos for the first time, of who passes you their water jug in the crippling heat, and of longing to be in your mother's arms.
Javier Zamora Books
Javier Zamora is a rising star in American letters, whose poetry and prose delve deeply into themes of history, borders, and memory, particularly through the lens of immigration. His work often explores the complexities of living between worlds, the collision between El Salvador and the United States, and the personal experience of growing up undocumented. Zamora employs a powerful, urgent language to illuminate often overlooked perspectives, offering readers a poignant look at the cultural and emotional landscape of displacement and identity. His approach is both personal and political, examining universal human desires for belonging and freedom within the specific context of his own journey.


My Shouting, Shattered, Whispering Voice
- 128 pages
- 5 hours of reading
"Ever had an emotion or experience you wanted to express, but didn't know how? This guide encourages teens to find their voices, step up and speak their truths, and articulate what matters to them most--both personally and politically--whether it be boldly to an outside audience or just privately for themselves. Young adults are reading and writing and performing poetry more than ever before, and yet it's the most difficult form for schools to teach. Written in short, easy-to-digest chapters, My Shouting, Shattered, Whispering Voice includes prompts and inspiration, writing suggestions and instruction, brief interviews with some current popular poets such as Kim Addonizio, Safia Elhillo, and others, and poem excerpts scattered throughout the book. My Shouting, Shattered Whispering Voice offers ways to express rage, frustration, joy, and sorrow, and to substitute apathy with creativity, usurp fear with daring, counteract anxiety with the joy of writing one word down and then another to express vital, but previously unarticulated, thoughts. Most importantly, here you can discover the value of your own voice and come to believe that what you have to say matters"-- Provided by publisher