In 1990, when Javier Zamora was one year old, his father escaped the bloody El Salvadorean civil war, taking the dangerous and illegal overland route into the United States. Three years later, his mother followed, leaving the boy in the care of his grandparents. When Javier was nine he received the news he had been desperate for; his parents had saved the money to pay the ‘coyotes’ – people smugglers – to get him into the United States. It was his turn to make the arduous 3,000-mile journey by bus, truck, boat and finally on foot through the Sonoran Desert, and join his family in California.
His grandfather was with him as far as Guatemala but for the bulk of his journey he was unaccompanied by anyone he knew. However, belying the book’s title, he was far from alone, experiencing solidarity and support from strangers and forging strong bonds with his travelling companions.
