Jason de León’s “Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling” was recently honored as part of the longlist for the 2024 National Book Award for Nonfiction.
Based on seven years of ethnographic work done by de Leon, the book documents the lives of mostly young men involved in smuggling migrants from Central America and Mexico into the United States. De León follows them to show the complexity of undocumented immigration, as well as the realities and conditions that drive the mass movement of undocumented immigrants. It is the first ever in-depth, character-driven look at human smuggling through the real journeys and work of informants, gang leaders and guides.
De León, a professor of anthropology and Chicana/o studies, serves as the director of the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA. He is also the author of the award-winning book, “The Land of Open Graves: Living and Dying on the Migrant Trail.”
The National Book Award is one of the most prestigious literary prizes, dating back to 1950 when it was established to celebrate the best literary writing in the United States. Finalists for this year’s awards will be announced on Oct. 1, and the winners will be announced on Nov. 20.
