Common Read
2026-27 Common Read
Solito by Javier Zamora
In this memoir, poet and author Javier Zamora recounts his journey as a nine-year-old migrating alone from El Salvador through Guatemala and Mexico to reunite with his parents in the United States. Zamora brings readers along his journey filled with danger, uncertainty and unexpected moments of human kindness, showing how strangers can become family in the most difficult of circumstances. The book was nominated by Anthony Ocampo, professor of sociology, who appreciates how Solito reveals the deeply human realities behind migration. Ocampo believes the themes of resilience, family separation, and belonging would resonate deeply with first year CPP students, and spark meaningful campus conversations about migration, empathy, and community.
