Soldiers and Kings by Jason De Leon

Soldiers and Kings by Jason De Leon, this story is about human smuggling in Latin America and what it’s really like. Jason De Leon, a very smart anthropologist who won big awards, spent seven years with smugglers, called coyotes, to understand their lives. Coyotes are people who help migrants cross borders, which is illegal but happens because many people need work or are escaping problems like poverty or bad weather.

Usually, people think of smugglers as scary and violent, but this book shows the truth about them. It tells the story of one coyote who falls in love and wants to stop smuggling. It also talks about other smugglers, like beginners learning the job and gang leaders who feel bad about what they do but still lead teams to guide migrants.

This book, called Soldiers and Kings, lets you see into a secret world that is very hard to learn about. It is both sad and exciting, telling real stories in a way that feels like you’re right there with them.