Solito by Javier Zamora

If you are going to only read a book or two about the Central and South American immigrant experience, I would recommend this one, which details the author's story about leaving El Salvador largely alone (his grandfather travels with him to southern Mexico, but then leaves him with his coyote) as a nine year old boy to reach his parents, who had already illegally immigrated to the United States. It is absolutely not the most harrowing of accounts out there--for one thing he makes it, and for another he is not imprisoned (for long) nor is he raped or human trafficked, both of which are exceedingly common experiences for children who immigrate, either if they travel with family of if they travel alone. Women and girls use birth control for immigration because 85% will be raped and they do not want to bear the children of their rapists. The reason to choose this one is that the author is smart, he is a good writer, and he is worthy of our attention. Zamora is best known for his poetry, which shows in his gorgeous descriptions of nature, borne at least in part, from childlike wonder and attention to detail. The audiobook, narrated by Zamora himself, at times takes on the lilt of spoken word, a feature that makes the story more immersive and heart-wrenching. For those who don’t speak Spanish, the audiobook offers an opportunity to glean intent from tone and inflection rather than pausing to translate. Zamora’s English writing often adopts Spanish grammar in a hugely successful formal choice that emphasizes the link between language and identity.