Today, in the Life Writers Vlog, we look at a unique memoir, written in present tense and in a child’s voice.
The voice is that of nine-year-old Javier Zamora as he recounts his eighty-seven-day immigration journey from La Herradura, El Salvador, through Guatemala and Mexico in hopes of being reunited with his parents in La USA.
Zamora is well-known as a poet, and this is his first memoir. His prose is vivid, fluid, beautiful, and a joy to read despite the challenging experiences he describes.
If you have strong personal or political beliefs about illegal immigration, this might not be the book for you. But if you are open to connecting to the experiences of a young boy making his way to the US without family, solito or alone, this book will likely impact you profoundly.
Tell us if you are familiar with this book and what your experience is/was in reading it.
I’d love to hear your thoughts about the book, but I don’t want to know what you think about illegal immigration. This isn’t the forum for that.
When it comes to writing your story, remember, the only way to do this wrong is to not do it at all!
An eye-opening story.
A riveting page turner. I immediately connected with Javier and the title of this book. Not knowing my parents and having no siblings, I learned early in life what it felt like to be alone even though my grandparents were alive.I too began a “trip.” Known as a life journey. I also learned another definition for family. Those not related to me biologically. Living and learning with those you do not know involves trust. A valued commodity. One of his blessings was a vivid imagination and his understanding of “trip.” An adventure. He had no preconceived ideas as to what… Read more »
A must read