Book
Solito, solita : crossing borders with youth refugees from Central America / edited by Steven Mayers and Jonathan Freedman ; with a foreword by Javier Zamora.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781608466184
- ISBN: 1608466183
- Physical Description: xi, 316 pages : portraits ; 22 cm.
- Publisher: Chicago, Illinois : Haymarket Books, 2019.
- Copyright: ©2019
Content descriptions
| Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references. |
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| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Holdable? | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince Rupert Library | 362.77914 Soli (Text) | 33294002048676 | Adult Non-Fiction | Volume hold | Available | - |
- Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2019 March #1
This collection of oral histories documents stories of refugees from various Central American countries who have sought asylum in the U.S. Fifteen young adults share what prompted them to leave their homes and families to seek new lives as undocumented citizens in a new land. Their individual accounts bear witness to a catalog of horrors: eyewitness accounts of the murders of family members, gang violence, sex trafficking, assault, imprisonment, betrayal, and horrific travel conditions through jungles and treacherous terrains just to reach the American border. There they are met by violence, turned away, arrested, or actually permitted entry only to live in unrelenting fear over being sent back home. The title translates in English to Alone, Alone. Even though thousands of refugees have fled to the border, each one represents a unique voice that deserves to be heard. Coedited by Pulitzer Prizeâwinning journalist Freedman (The Last Brazil of Benjamin East, 2015), this bears testament to desperate individuals who are just seeking a chance for a new life. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews. - Kirkus Reviews : Kirkus Reviews 2019 January #2
A journalist and a historian gather 15 refugee stories that underscore a brewing humanitarian crisis.Conducted between 2014 and 2018, these extensive interviewsâby Mayers (English/City Coll. of San Francisco) and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Freedman (The Last Brazil of Benjamin East, 2015, etc.)âoffer intimate portraits of the people currently fleeing horrendous violence in Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. Among other terrifying experiences, these first-person accounts ("solito, solita" means "alone, alone") tell of children witnessing the murders of their parents and grandparents because of their refusal to join gangs or provide the extortion money demanded by the gangs. These young people, often facing a lack of education and likely a life of crime, were sent away by relatives to often abusive coyotes at such an exorbitant cost that it has left them vulnerable and in debt for the rest of their lives. Some of the interviewees caught La Bestia, or the p erilous freight trains in Mexico, where many perished along the way and others became "cyclical migrants" after repeated deportations. Even for the lucky few who made it to the United States, the immigration process was fraught and uncertain (even more so since the 2016 election). In the book's helpful timeline, glossaries, and appendices, the editors give a sense of the historical context in Central America that has fed the current crisis since the 1930s: authoritarian regimes bolstered by American business and politics; gangs that formed in sanctuary cities like Los Angeles only to have their members deported to create havoc in the Northern Triangle (Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador); and the changing, often restrictive immigration policies of the U.S. Thankfully, along with the seemingly countless heartbreaking details, the interviews tell of hopeful moments, tooâof arrival to safety and the promise of work, school, and love. The editors also include a useful sectio n entitled "Ten Things You Can Do." A poignant, uncompromising addition to the growing literature on the plights of migrating asylum-seekers from Central America. Copyright Kirkus 2019 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved. - Library Journal Reviews : LJ Reviews 2019 April
Mayers (English, City Coll. of San Francisco) and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Freedman (
Copyright 2019 Library Journal.From Cradle to Grave ) portray the sadness and heartache of people emigrating primarily from Central America in evocative detail in this oral history that pulls no punches, chronicling everything from sexual abuse and mental torture to the emotional pain of having to leave behind loved ones, or getting separated from family members while trying to enter the States. The story of each interviewee is headlined with their names, country of origin, and perhaps most poignant, age. Children as young as nine speak about running from violent drug cartels, corrupt governments, extreme poverty, and family dysfunction. Each narrative provides a face and a genuine experience, challenging readers to avoid sweeping generalities and engage in the visceral humanity at play.VERDICT An authentic and impactful collection of personal narratives portraying the human experience of immigration. The authenticity and honesty with which the stories are relayed leave no room for emotional distance on the part of readers, creating a book that is not only illuminating but deeply touching.âKathleen Dupré, Edmond, OK - Publishers Weekly Reviews : PW Reviews 2019 March #2
In this moving and expertly researched collection of 15 narratives, Mayers, a historian and professor, and Freedan, a Pulitzer Prizeâwinning journalist, offer readers oral histories told by some of the "thousands of children... trekking from Central America to El Norte" and some of the mothers making the journey with their children . Readers meet Cristhian, who fled an abusive home in Honduras at age 10 only to be beaten in detention in Mexico and repeatedly deported from Mexico and the U.S. over the next 18 years; Isabel, who fled El Salvador after her gang member husband nearly killed her; and 17-year-old Gabriel, from Honduras, who was repeatedly raped by his uncles and left for dead. As the editors' detailed timeline makes clear, many of the countries children are fleeing today were subjects of U.S. interventions in the 1980s. If migrants survive dangerous travel through Mexico, Mayers and Freedman write, they often receive abusive treatment in the United States when seeking asylum. The authors end by urging readers to take political action to help migrants like those interviewed here. This work carries a harrowing message. (Apr.)
Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly.
