Solito

1. General Impressions

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

• How does Zamora’s choice to tell the story from a child’s perspective affect your understanding of the challenges faced by migrants? 
• What do you think Javier’s relationships with his fellow travelers, like Patricia, Carla, and Chino, reveal about the power of found family during difficult times?
• How did the different settings along Javier’s journey—from El Salvador to Guatemala, Mexico, and the United States—contribute to the tension and urgency of the narrative? 

2. Personal Reflection and Connection

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

• How did Javier’s journey make you reflect on the lengths families go to and the sacrifices families make to reunite?
• Have you ever been in a situation where you felt like an outsider or needed to rely on “found family”? What similarities or differences do you see between that experience and Javier’s experience? 
• Javier’s journey brings to light the challenges children face in extreme situations. How did reading about his experiences make you think about childhood resilience and what young people can endure? 
• Throughout the memoir, Javier feels both excitement and fear about finally reuniting with his parents. How does this mix of emotions resonate with any of your own experiences with reunions or long separations? 
• How does Zamora’s story challenge or expand your understanding of immigration? Did it make you see migration in a new way? 
• Javier’s story ends with a bittersweet goodbye to his found family. How did this part of the story make you think about the significance of temporary relationships and their lasting impact on us? 

3. Societal and Cultural Context

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

• How does Solito personalize the issue of Latin American immigration, and in what ways does it challenge or complicate common stereotypes about migrants? 
• What role does codeswitching (using both English and Spanish) play in the story, and how does it reflect the complexity of the migrant experience for Latin American migrants? 
• How does Zamora’s portrayal of gang violence highlight the ways in which Salvadorans—and particularly children—are affected by violence that began decades ago? How does this background help explain why people migrate? 

4. Literary Analysis

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

• How does Zamora use descriptions of nature to illustrate Javier’s sense of displacement as he travels further from El Salvador? In what ways does nature both comfort and alienate him through his journey?
• How does Zamora’s portrayal of borders extend beyond geography? What internal or emotional borders does Javier cross as he moves closer to his final destination, and how are these mirrored in the physical journey? 
• Discuss the impact of names and naming in the memoir, such as Javier’s naming of the lizard Paula or his perception of the cacti as human-like. How do these acts of naming provide Javier with agency or control in situation where he often feels powerless? 
• How does Zamora structure Javier’s journey to reflect themes of isolation and community? In what ways does the journey emphasize Javier’s loneliness, and how is this mitigated by his relationships with his found family?
• How does the memoir’s present-tense narration affect the tone and sense of immediacy in Solito? What effect does this narrative choice have on the reader’s perception of Javier’s emotional state and his experience of the journey? 

5. Creative Engagement

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

• Imagine you are creating a series of postcards that represent key moments in Javier’s journey from El Salvador to the United States. Which scenes would you include, and how would you visually capture the emotions Javier feels in those moments? 
• Write a poem or short narrative from the perspective of the lizard Javier names “Paula” or another element of nature he encounters. How might these natural elements perceive and respond to Javier and his companions as they make their journey? 
• If you were to interview Javier as an adult reflecting on his journey, what questions would you ask him about his experiences, especially regarding his relationships with his found family along the way? Consider how he might view these relationships now. 

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