Solito: A Memoir by Javier Zamora is Whatcom READS’ 2026 book selection. Erica Bauermeister, the author of the literary event’s 2025 featured novel, No Two Persons, announced the selection at the close of the March 14 Whatcom READS author presentation at the Mount Baker Theatre in Bellingham, Wash.
In Solito, his debut New York Times bestselling memoir, Zamora retells his nine-week odyssey across Guatemala, Mexico, and eventually through the Sonoran Desert. He travelled unaccompanied, by boat, bus and foot. After a coyote abandoned his group in Oaxaca, Zamora managed to make it to Arizona with the aid of other migrants.
Publisher Penguin Random House writes: “A memoir as gripping as it is moving, Solito provides an immediate and intimate account not only of a treacherous and near-impossible journey, but also of the miraculous kindness and love delivered at the most unexpected moments. Solito is Javier Zamora’s story, but it’s also the story of millions of others who had no choice but to leave home.”
Published in 2022, among its many honors, Solito was a Read with Jenna Book Club Pick, winner of the Los Angeles Times Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiography, winner of the American Library Association Alex Award, and was named to multiple best books of the year lists. On NPR, Gabino Iglesias called Solito “a gripping memoir… Solito is special for many reasons, but the main one is Zamora’s voice and the energy of his vivid retelling of his journey . . . And that makes it required reading.”
Community members may borrow Solito as a book, eBook or eAudiobook from local libraries or purchase it from Village Books, which donates 10% of each sale to Whatcom READS.
Leading up to the author events in March 2026, the librarians, library staff and booksellers on the Whatcom READS planning committee will develop free community programs that explore themes from Solito. Inspired by the book, the 2026 Whatcom WRITES prompt is “Family: Found, Formed and Chosen.” Visit Whatcom READS website, whatcomreads.org, and social media pages for updates and to get involved.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Javier Zamora was born in La Herradura, El Salvador, in 1990. When he was a year old, his father fled El Salvador due to the U.S.-funded Salvadoran Civil War (1980-1992). His mother followed her husband’s footsteps in 1995 when Javier was about to turn five. Zamora was left in the care of his grandparents who helped raise him until he migrated to the U.S. when he was nine. His first poetry collection, Unaccompanied (Copper Canyon Press, September 2017), explores some of these themes. His accolades include a 2024 Whiting Fellowship, 2018-2019 Radcliffe Fellowship at Harvard University, a 2017 Lannan Literary Fellowship, the 2017 Narrative Prize, and the 2016 Barnes & Noble Writer for Writers Award for his work in the Undocupoets Campaign. Zamora lives in Tucson, Ariz. Learn more about the author at javierzamora.net.
About Whatcom READS: Northwest Washington’s premier annual literary event, Whatcom READS celebrates reading, readers and strong communities through the shared experience of one book. Now in its 17th year, Whatcom READS is presented by all the public and academic libraries in Bellingham and Whatcom County – Bellingham Public Library, Bellingham Technical College, Northwest Indian College, Western Washington University, Whatcom Community College and Whatcom County Library System. Village Books is Whatcom READS’ community partner. Learn more at whatcomreads.org.