Don't Let the Bench Bugs Bite: Portraits of Homeless New York

by Alan Emmins

When writing a feature about murals painted under the pavements of Manhattan by homeless artists, Alan Emmins was challenged by a homeless dancer to try homelessness himself to better understand what he was writing about. He took up the challenge. Don't Let the BENCH Bugs Bite is a humorous, tender and tragic portrait of an invisible New York City, and a society full of surprises.

"An absolutely fascinating book!" Robert Elms - the BBC

"Digging beneath the depressing statistics and grinding poverty, Emmins' is a more than human portrait" Dazed & Confused

"Cutting edge reportage - Alan Emmins sees the world with such a fresh eye!" William Shaw - Author of Westsiders

Paperback

First published December 29, 2011

About the author

I am a journalist and non-fiction author who was born in England in 1974. My books are published in the UK, Japan and the USA.

"'Mop Men' is half true crime, half memoir. It's either the most emotionally involved crime book I've ever read, or the goriest memoir" Bucky Sinister - New York Post

"For a totally gonzo way of looking at the crime scene cleaning business, try this engrossing, wisecracking assessment of a world we know exists but ignore as we go about our lives," Publishers Weekly

"Alan Emmins has done something masterful here. 'Mop Men' takes you places that you never thought you'd go, introducing you to characters who typically live in the shadows. Compulsory reading for the crime-obsessed, equal parts disturbing and fascinating," Brad Listi, author of Attention. Deficit. Disorder

"A grueling indictment of modern American culture," the Independent