Adventure, romance, investigation, fantasy, there are several literary genres that fill bookshelves and shelves. But did you know that there is a fusion of literature and journalism?! It is from this mixture that report books are born: literary works that tell a real story. 

The report books contain stories told in detailed and extensive writing on their pages. This is not characteristic of conventional media, in which the news must be conveyed with an objective lead

With report books, journalists gain freedom in their writing, being able to use literary techniques, which results in a text that is closer to literature than conventional journalism. Furthermore, it is common for journalists to position themselves as characters or narrators in literary works. 

Now that you know what report books are, grab your pad of paper and a pen to write down these reading tips to enhance your bedside table: 

Route 66, Caco Barcellos

You have certainly read or seen a report by Caco Barcellos, journalist responsible for Profissão Repórter. Route 66 is a work acclaimed by critics and the public, published in 1992, revealing the origins of the creation of an extermination system, the “official death squad” set up in São Paulo. 

Hiroshima, John Hersey

A classic of reportage books, the work covers the story of the atomic bomb that killed 100,000 people in Hiroshima in 1945. The book was written a year after the explosion and contains reports from six survivors. Furthermore, it served to alert the world to the catastrophes that could be caused by nuclear weapons. 

The eye of the street, Eliane Brum

Eliane is one of the biggest names in this literary genre in Brazil and in this work she reveals the story behind the 10 reports within the book. The journalist narrates behind the scenes, shares the dilemmas, discoveries and pains of an investigation. 

In cold blood, Truman Capote

This book is considered the milestone in the birth of literary journalism, published in 1967. The work tells the story of how the author ended up getting involved with a man in prison who murdered a family in the state of Kansas. Capote tells the story of the crime from every possible angle. 

Brazilian Holocaust, Daniela Arbex

The 2013 work denounces one of the biggest genocides in Brazil, at the Psychiatric Hospital Center of Barbacena, in Minas Gerais, where more than 60 thousand inmates died. The author brings reports from former employees and survivors of the center that daily received patients diagnosed with mental illness, homosexuals, prostitutes, among others - people considered outside social standards.

Are you ready to start venturing into this literary/journalistic genre? Tell us in the comments which of these books you can't wait to start reading 💜