Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Jason De León begins by stating his premise that smugglers are human, rather than attempting to “humanize” them. How did this direct approach shape your initial reaction to the book and its subjects? Did it change the way you read their stories?

2. For those who have read De León’s previous book, The Land of Open Graves, how does Soldiers and Kings build upon or depart from its predecessor? For readers new to his work, how does this book compare to other nonfiction accounts of migration you may have encountered?

3. Which character’s story or specific scene resonated with you most deeply after you finished the book? What made it so memorable or impactful?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. The book highlights the power of the “migrant telephone,” where rumors of death, like the false report about Papo, spread rapidly and are often believed. How did Papo’s “resurrection” make you think about the spread of information and misinformation in your own communities or online?

2. De León asks, “How many times does someone have to flee their home before it stops being home?” (256). What does home mean to you?

3. Throughout the narrative, characters like Flaco and Alma act as both protectors and exploiters. Have you ever felt the necessity to make a choice that didn’t align with your moral values?

4. De León shows small moments of kindness, like Kingston sharing a beer with exhausted migrants or Santos defending a fellow Honduran in the desert. Have you or someone you know ever made a point to demonstrate kindness or connection, even when your own circumstances weren’t good?

5. De León often reflects on his own privilege, particularly his ability to enter and exit the dangers of the migrant trail. How did these moments of self-awareness affect your experience as a reader? Do you feel similarly when interacting with people less privileged than you?

6. Near the end, Santos chooses precarious, honest labor over the familiar dangers of smuggling. Do you think you’d do the same in his circumstances? Why or why not?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. In what ways does the book demonstrate the unintended consequences of border externalization policies like Mexico’s Programa Frontera Sur? How does increased enforcement inadvertently create more business for the smuggling industry it aims to stop?

2. How does the examination of masculinity and the hidden stories of women alter broader narratives about migrant culture and the smuggling trade?

3. The narrative shows transnational gangs like MS-13 not just as criminal organizations but as groups that govern territory, collect taxes, and create the conditions that force young people to flee. How does the book complicate common perceptions of why people migrate from countries like Honduras?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. What is the effect of Jason De León including himself as a central character in the narrative? How does his emotional investment, particularly his guilt over Chino’s death, shape the story’s anthropological claims and its emotional impact?

2. How do Chino and Santos function as foils for each other? What do their different choices and ultimate fates reveal about the possibilities for survival and escape on the migrant trail?

3. The theme of The Performative Relationship Between Masculinity and Violence is central to the stories of Chino, Kingston, and Flaco. How is masculinity performed as a survival tool by these men, and in what ways does this performance also trap them in cycles of violence?

4. Jesmyn’s story provides a crucial counter-narrative. How does her character challenge stereotypical depictions of women on the migrant trail, and what does her perspective add to the book’s understanding of agency and survival?

5. Kingston describes the train tracks as a dangerous dog that will eventually bite you, and De León connects the jungle near Palenque to the Maya underworld, Xibalba. How do these uses of metaphor and setting contribute to the book’s fatalistic tone?

6. How does De León’s personal, anthropological approach in Soldiers and Kings compare to more journalistic accounts of migration, such as Sonia Nazario’s Enrique’s Journey? What does his ethnographic method reveal that a different style might miss?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. What might a day in the life of Santos in Arizona, or Papo and Alma in Alabama, look like five years after the book concludes? What new challenges and small victories might define their existence?

2. De León argues that border walls are ineffective and that the root causes of migration must be addressed. What is one small-scale, community-level program or initiative you could design that responds to a specific problem faced by the people in this book, such as the lack of medical care Chino received or the vulnerability of new arrivals in Pakal-Ná?

3. Chino’s death is barely noted by a local newspaper, a common fate for those who die on the trail. What would a fitting memorial to him and the many others who perish anonymously look like? What story would it need to tell to be meaningful?