Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling by Jason de León

From Penguin Books WINNER OF THE 2024 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR NONFICTION A TIME 10 Best Nonfiction Book of 2024 - An NPR Book We Love 2024 - A New York Times Notable Book of 2024 - A Boston Globe Best Book of 2024 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, internation