Everywhere we’ve been, the same artists follow us. Los Temerarios. Los Bukis. Bronco. Control Machete. Vilma Palma e Vampiros. Los Yonic’s. Grupo Límite.” In his memoir, Solito, the June California Book Club selection, author Javier Zamora traces his 3,000-mile journey from El Salvador to the United States—and shares the music he was exposed to on the trek. Music has an immense effect on how we perceive ourselves, others, and our situation, as this month’s book beautifully recognizes.
Boleros, rancheras, gruperos, and norteñas provide insight into Zamora’s emotions during scenes and passages that mention them. There are many circumstances that the nine-year-old Zamora, called Chepito, does not yet understand—social cues he misses and feelings he can’t quite place—but music seems to untangle some of these situations for him. Check out the California Book Club’s full playlist, Music of Solito, below.
First on the playlist is Javier Solís’s “Payaso.” This piece of regional Mexican music describes painting one’s outward appearance in a mask of happiness, like a payaso, or clown, while inside there is sadness and turmoil. We are first introduced to this song in the context of Zamora’s grandfather: a seemingly strong and fearless man who does not show many emotions but who breaks into tears when he hears the song. Later in the book, as he bids Zamora a final goodbye, his mask slips.
“I’ve never seen his face like this: crunched up and wrinkled like an empty water bag, tense, his veins popped out, his skin pink, all of the emotions of those times tacked onto his face.”
The next song on the playlist comforts Chepito: “Como Te Recuerdo,” by Los Temerarios, a song that Zamora’s grandma and aunt were both fond of. It holds a special place in Zamora’s heart. The lyrics “Si tú supieras cuanto te extraño”—If you knew how much I miss you—are highlighted when he starts thinking of his home, his family, and how his trip is progressing. The mention of the song underscores his homesickness and the emotional turmoil of facing this huge journey by himself.
The album Quiéreme, by Los Bukis, is first introduced as the cassette that Patricia, one of the migrants—“the Six”—who accompany Chepito during the last legs of the dangerous journey, finds so captivating that she brings it along with her as she and her daughter, Carla, travel. The title song of the album, a ballad of unrequited love that takes the Six from El Salvador to the United States, is third on the California Book Club playlist.
Along his journey, Zamora is exposed to both music he grew up listening to and unfamiliar tunes. “How is a song heavy?” he asks himself when Marcelo, part of the group he initially travels with, comments that he likes heavy music like that of the hip-hop group Control Machete. The group’s angry and threatening song “¿Comprendes Mendes?” is featured on the playlist. Chino, another of the migrants on that journey, brings along a rock cassette featuring his favorite band, Vilma Palma e Vampiros. The group’s song “Bye Bye (Déjame Que Te Toque la Piel)” is what Zamora thinks about as he prepares to leave Mexico. The song’s themes of loneliness and aching for human touch mirror Zamora’s sense of longing at that moment: he wants to hug someone, anyone, tightly.
Los Yonic’s and Bronco pivot the playlist back to music Zamora grew up with, as well as music that serves to lighten his thoughts—however briefly. Patricia and Chino playfully argue about “Pero Te Vas a Arrepentir,” by Los Yonic’s, featuring Marco Antonio Solís. And Bronco’s “Que No Quede Huella” keeps Zamora smiling as he eats, since it reminds him of his grandma.
Grupo Límite’s “Te Aprovechas” closes out the playlist. It marks the start of Zamora’s third attempt at crossing the Mexico–United States border. Zamora’s resilience is on full display in this final chapter of the book, where he admits he’s tired but remains determined to try again and again until he reunites with his parents. Alicia Villarreal sings, “Y te aprovechas, porque sabes que te quiero” (And you take advantage, because you know I love you). The song evokes a yearning like the one that permeates Zamora’s book.
This journey is traumatic for Zamora. Yet love for his parents and the idea of living as a family in California keep him moving. While some strangers mistreat and take advantage of him on his journey, the care of those of the Six who help him is sustaining and meaningful.•
Join us on June 20 at 5 p.m. Pacific time, when Zamora will sit down with CBC host John Freeman and special guest Ingrid Rojas Contreras to discuss Solito. Register for the Zoom conversation here.
