Why This Book Matters

Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling is an unflinching and deeply human account of how migrants move through one of the most dangerous and misunderstood systems on earth. Anthropologist Jason De León spent years embedding with smugglers, migrants, and families affected by the underground migration economy to reveal the motivations, risks, and relationships behind human smuggling.

This book challenges the dominant narratives that reduce migrants to statistics or frame smugglers as villains. Instead, it shows a world shaped by inequality, survival, and complex moral choices. Through personal stories, field notes, and reflections on power and violence, De León gives readers a nuanced and urgent portrait of the global migration crisis from the ground level.

Soldiers and Kings is especially useful for immigration justice organizers, educators, policymakers, and movement leaders working at the intersections of border policy, humanitarian response, and narrative change. It offers a deeper understanding of the human systems behind migration and the structural forces that create them.

Use it to shape educational curricula, inform campaign messaging, or anchor public programs in real migrant experience. It is a sobering but vital read for those committed to justice and dignity at the border and beyond.