# Does this type of book have a name? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 3, 2003, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-type-of-book-have-a-name/211096 "2003-11-03T04:32:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SnoopyFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@SnoopyFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnoopyFan)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-type-of-book-have-a-name/211096/1 "2003-11-03T04:32:15Z")
I like books that are exposes of sorts: “Nickel and Dimed,” which detail’s an upper middle class journalist’s 2 years of working unskilled jobs to see what it’s like to try to live on 6 or 7 bucks an hour; “Brothel,” in which some woman lived in a Nevada brothel on and off for about a year to investigate the world of legal prostitution … stuff like that. Does this genre have a name, and have you read anything good lately? Recommend me some books! ---
**Author:** ![SnoopyFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@SnoopyFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnoopyFan)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-type-of-book-have-a-name/211096/2 "2003-11-03T04:35:10Z")
_detail’s_? Must … preview … posts … ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-type-of-book-have-a-name/211096/3 "2003-11-03T05:06:26Z")
[Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) houses books much like these under “Sociology.” (Go to Nonfiction \> Social Sciences \> Sociology \> General.) ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-type-of-book-have-a-name/211096/4 "2003-11-03T05:41:36Z")
Didn’t **George Plimpton** , who passed away recently, write a number of books pertaining to his experiences participating in different sports? There was also a best seller a couple of years ago about a female journalist who went “undercover” as a housecleaner to see how the rich folks live. I can’t recall the title but it was something clever like “other people’s dirt” or something similar. And the movie **Donny Brasco** was based on a book too. Wish I could be more specific with this post but at least you’ve got something to start with. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-type-of-book-have-a-name/211096/5 "2003-11-03T06:10:20Z")
**Black Like Me** by John Howard Griffin fits the profile, too, but there’s a long tradition of women writing books like this, going back to Nellie Bly. These are collectively known as “sob sister” books. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-type-of-book-have-a-name/211096/6 "2003-11-03T06:17:43Z")
:smack: How could I forget about **Slaughterhouse** by _Gail A. Eisnitz_. She did an espose on the meat/poultry industry that’s enough to make you a vegetarian overnight. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-type-of-book-have-a-name/211096/7 "2003-11-03T08:11:48Z")
“Participatory journalism” is what it’s called, at least according to George Plimpton. Hunter S. Thompson did it for his book _ **Hell’s Angels** _