Lowest of the Low – Günter Wallraff

The book Ganz unten by Günter Wallraff was published in 1985 and is one of the most famous reports on discrimination and exploitation of migrants in the Federal Republic of Germany. For his research, Wallraff worked undercover for several months, posing as a Turkish guest worker named "Ali". In this way, he was able to experience first-hand the conditions under which many migrants in Germany had to live and work.

In the book, Wallraff describes his experiences in various jobs, such as on construction sites or in industrial plants. He reports on dangerous working conditions, low wages and a lack of occupational safety. At the same time, he shows how strongly migrants were confronted with prejudice, racist abuse and social exclusion in everyday life. Many of the described situations make it clear that guest workers were often treated as cheap and interchangeable labor.

Ganz unten triggered a broad public debate about racism, working conditions, and the treatment of migrants in Germany after its publication. The book became a bestseller and helped to bring the situation of guest workers more into public awareness. To this day, Wallraff's report is considered an important example of investigative journalism and of critical engagement with social inequality.