Freakonomics [Revised and Expanded]: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Freakonomics [Revised and Expanded]: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
Book Review: Freakie World out there!
Summary: 3 Stars
I enjoyed this book. Levitt andd Dubner gives things a "twist". It is intersting and makes you think. I laughed alot. It was however, too short, not nearly long enough. Some of the language in one of the stories were not really appropiate for children or in my opinion even younger teens. For that reason I gave it a 3 star instead of higher. I have found myself using the stories in normal conversation with friends on several occasions. It is worth your time to read it. Book Review: Something for everyone
Summary: 4 Stars
This book has something for everyone. It is a quick and easy read with information that you can use. My favorite chapters were the ones on parenting and baby names. If you are expecting a baby, these chapters would be good to read. It is interesting to see how names rotate in popularity and how they can represent economic class.Book Review: Food for thought
Summary: 4 Stars
Levitt's ideas may not be popular among liberals, conservatives, or other people who have already made up their minds about how the world should work.
It's quite interesting, however, to learn that the drop in violent crime in the 1990s correlates more strongly with the demographic wave of Roe v. Wade (fewer unwanted kids born into primarily poor and stressed families, who would have been more likely to fall into violent crime as they became teenagers in the 1990s) than with any of the feel-good theories about innovative policing strategies, harsher punishments, etc.
I was stunned to see that dealing drugs is pretty much like working for Wal-Mart -- the vast majority of 'associates' get paid next to nothing, working their butts off to be promoted to getting paid a little more than nothing, and only the lucky few on the top can really make a good living from it. This explains why so many drug dealers don't even make enough money to move out of their mother's apartment, let alone live the good life.
Freakonomics is a thought-provoking read, good for at least a few jaw-dropping revelations. You'll probably enjoy it as much as I did.
Book Review: Should Be Required Reading
Summary: 5 Stars
"Freakonomics" should be required reading for every politician and every voter in America. Dr. Levitt has shattered commonly-held beliefs and turned a lot of conventional wisdom upside down. How? With a rather simple and ingeneous tool: data.
By rigorously analyzing lots of data, Dr. Levitt has shown how many things actually work, and how misguided politicians use taxpayer money in an attempt to solve the wrong problem.
"Freakonomics" was superbly co-written by Stephen J. Dubner, and not for one second do you think you are reading the work of an economist. I could not put the book down and devoured it in an extremely pleasant afternoon.
Read this book. You will start asking yourself a great number of questions the next time you pull the lever in the voting booth or sign your income tax return.
Book Review: Interesting, amusing, yes, but incredible? I think not
Summary: 4 Stars
I wish they had 1/2s, in which case I would have assigned a 3 1/2 to this book.
I would recommend the book because it gives one a different perspective on things. It is a fast, easy read. But after reflecting on it you realize that you acquired some interesting bits of information but information that is not terribly useful. OK, so we learn sumo wrestlers cheated while in a pinch, as did some school teachers. No great surprise there, especially when careers are potentially significantly impacted. So, then we learn that a swimming pool is a much greater, and upon reflection, more likely, killer than a gun. Again, no big surprise. Levitt also makes it a point to insert death figures from the Holocaust to put things into perspective for us. Odd indeed.
Nonetheless, I think readers will find this an interesting and fun book to read, even though they may then say, "Oh, how nice. Now what?"
There are some other interesting bits of information that really sell the book and will create controversy. The fall in the crime rate over the past decade, Levitt tells us, was, in fact, not due to superior policing, but due to the legalization of abortion. We are also told the real name of Roe and the origin of the name of the KKK (to list a few).
Take it to the beach this summer, and maybe look at things a bit askance.