Soldiers and Kings

Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling

By: Jason De León

Narrated by: Jason De León

Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

“A work of extraordinary reportage and compassion...[it] will shock you, move you, and leave you changed.”—Matthew Desmond, Pulitzer Prize-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Evicted and Poverty, by America

“An enlightening, frightening, unforgettable read.”—Sandra Cisneros, bestselling author of The House on Mango Street

An intense, intimate and first-of-its-kind look at the world of human smuggling in Latin America, by a MacArthur "genius" grant winner and anthropologist with unprecedented access

Political instability, poverty, climate change, and the insatiable appetite for cheap labor all fuel clandestine movement across borders. As those borders harden, the demand for smugglers who aid migrants across them increases every year. Yet the real lives and work of smugglers—or coyotes, or guides, as they are often known by the migrants who hire their services—are only ever reported on from a distance, using tired tropes and stereotypes, often depicted as boogie men and violent warlords. In an effort to better understand this essential yet extralegal billion dollar global industry, internationally recognized anthropologist and expert Jason De León embedded with a group of smugglers moving migrants across Mexico over the course of seven years.

The result of this unique and extraordinary access is SOLDIERS AND KINGS: the first ever in-depth, character-driven look at human smuggling. It is a heart-wrenching and intimate narrative that revolves around the life and death of one coyote who falls in love and tries to leave smuggling behind. In a powerful, original voice, De León expertly chronicles the lives of low-level foot soldiers breaking into the smuggling game, and morally conflicted gang leaders who oversee rag-tag crews of guides and informants along the migrant trail. SOLDIERS AND KINGS is not only a ground-breaking up-close glimpse of a difficult-to-access world, it is a masterpiece of narrative nonfiction.

©2024 Jason De León (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“A rare inside look at human smuggling on the border … Smuggling, [De León] says, ‘is not the problem.’ But as his own book memorably recounts, in a world with no shortage of problems, it’s nevertheless one of them.” —The New York Times

“A terrifying journey alongside men who have given up being men and are transformed into “ghosts or demons or dust.” De León, our guia, documents their inter-generational tragedies with full complexity. This book ultimately leads one to question what it means to be human, and, as such, to examine what one’s own responsibility is to this global issue. An enlightening, frightening, unforgettable read.” —Sandra Cisneros, bestselling author of The House on Mango Street

“Rigorously researched and deeply felt, this book is for everyone who wants to understand the despair, sorrow, and violence that migrants and their guides experience each and every day while trying not to lose their humanity. Eloquent and urgent, it calls out to all of us to imagine what a better world might be.” —Ruth Behar, author of The Vulnerable Observer: Anthropology That Breaks Your Heart

Gritty and raw

Gritty and compelling. I dreamt like I came to know the people in this book. A must read for anyone who wants to understand migration and human smuggling.

Honest and enlightening

This book helped me comprehend the reasons why people come to America illegally and struggles they may face in the journey from the southern border.

Outstanding

This is a very unique and very well written book. This provides a much needed voice to a very complex issue. Kudos to the author for having the courage to do the research and heart to writing this book.

You must read this book!

Eye opening book on what migrants have to go through in search of a better life.