Freakonomics

A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

By Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner

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Average Rating: (See all 3 reviews) Format: Paperback, 336 pages Published In: United Kingdom, 06 April 2006 Quantity Available: 167 Ships within 6-12 days Cult bestseller, new buzz word..."Freakonomics" is at the heart of everything we see and do and the subjects that bedevil us daily: from parenting to crime, sport to politics, fat to cheating, fear to traffic jams. Asking provocative and profound questions about human motivation and contemporary living and reaching some astonishing conclusions, "Freakonomics" will make you see the familiar world through a completely original lens. About the Author Steven Levitt, the man with 'the most interesting mind in America' (Malcolm Gladwell), is the rogue economist whose controversial ideas have caused a sensation on both sidea of the Atlantic. In Freakonomics he joins forces with Stephen Dubner, New York Times and New Yorker journalist and bestselling author of Turbulent Souls and Confessions of a Hero Worshiper, to create a gripping, revolutionary new take on the world. Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd ISBN: 0141019018 EAN: 9780141019017

An interesting read that needs to be taken with a grain of salt (or several!). This book has been much talked about regarding some of the conclusions that it reached, especially the link it draws between abortion and crime, but many of the chapters are light-hearted and interesting. I felt that another couple of chapters would have been nice to complement the first few, but it is nice to see that economists aren't all boring! It's a very easy read.

I can't say that I've ever felt compelled to read a book by an economist before, until I discovered Freakonomics. Who'd have thought that there was a connection between sumo wrestlers and high school teachers? or that there was a common-sense reason for drug dealers to still live with their mothers? An entertaining and informative read.

With controversial subjects such as how the legalisation of abortion led to a drop in crime 20 years later and the correlation between your name and your chance of being successful, Levitt writes smooth-flowing, thought provoking arguments which often turn conventional thinking upside down. This is a great book - you don't have to be an economist to enjoy it - which may make you chuckle, but will certainly make you wonder about conventional 'wisdom'.