To examine the issue of human smuggling, De León spent seven years closely studying the lives of men dedicated to smuggling migrants from Central America and Mexico into the U.S. The result was his nonfiction book, “Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling," which on Wednesday garnered De León the prestigious National Book Award for nonfiction. While De León interviewed countless migrants and smugglers, his book focuses on the journeys of nearly half a dozen people from Honduras, Mexico and elsewhere. That’s talking about smugglers, talking about the political economy of undocumented migration — and people don’t want that. Despite his years of experience, De León said he learned new lessons while working on the award-winning book.

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Persons: Jason De León, De León, “, “ I’m, ” De León, ”, De Organizations: U.S, NBC News, University of California, Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, Army Locations: Central America, Mexico, Los Angeles, Honduras, Philippines, Long Beach , California, Rio Grande Valley, Texas, America, U.S