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☆ What Jason De León learned shadowing smugglers in Mexico
▼ + stars: | 2025-01-04 | by ( Catherine E. Shoichet | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

CNN —The nuns inside a migrant shelter in southern Mexico gave Jason De León an ominous warning: “Whatever you do, don’t go outside. They were human smugglers — or, as they put it, guías (guides) for migrants traveling through Mexico and trying to reach the US. Life has gotten increasingly dangerous for migrants passing through Mexico, according to De León. De León's book also explores issues of race and migration, delving into the lives of Black smugglers he met in southern Mexico. This image from De León's field work shows two Garifuna smugglers in a safe house in Mexico City in 2019.

Persons: Jason De León, don’t, De León, ’, “, De, — “, hadn’t, — Juan Roberto Paredes —, De León’s, who’s, …, ” De León, it’s, They’re, There’s, Jason De Léon, —, Michael Wells, Covid, Trump, Jason De León I’m, we’ve, Jason De León I’ve, who’ve, I’ve, De Léon, What’s, you’ve, You’ve, Manu Chao Organizations: CNN, Cotsen, of Archaeology, Patrol, Trump Locations: Mexico, That’s, Pakal, Ná, Honduras, Venezuela, Haiti, Veracruz, United States, Chiapas, Central America, Mexico City, Phoenix

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.

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

Percival Everett’s new novel, “James,” a retelling of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” from the perspective of Huck’s enslaved companion, won the National Book Award for fiction on Wednesday. Critics have called Everett’s retelling “a slyly funny masterpiece.”The National Book Award is the latest in a string of accolades for the 67-year-old author, who has dozens of books and short stories under his belt. One of Everett’s books, “Erasure,” was adapted in 2023 into a film, “American Fiction,” starring Jeffrey Wright. The National Book Foundation awarded Jason De León’s “Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling” in the nonfiction category. In response, National Book Foundation executive director Ruth Dickey has said Coates was being honored for his body of work rather than any individual publication.

Persons: Percival Everett’s, “ James, ”, Huckleberry Finn ”, “ James ”, Mark Twain, Jim, Everett, ” Everett, “, Huck Finn, James ”, Booker, Jeffrey Wright, Jason De León’s, Barbara Kingsolver, Paul Coates, Critics, Coates, Ruth Dickey Organizations: BBC, Foundation, Black Classic Press, Book Foundation Locations: America

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