This book allows people to realise that stagnant sciences like economics in this case do not necessarily need to be boring / repetitive. Some really 'out of the box' explainations have been provided for some really important questions. Reads more like a story then a book on economics.

I give this book a negative review mostly because of another reviewer's title statement: "Smarter for having read it"; the book consistently criticizes experts in various media, and then proceeds to engender the deplorable "expert" mentality in casual readers, like us, who are really not good judges of what's going on. There is so much at stake in their claims, which they hasten through, that to consider yourself more learned after the fact may be only the process of self-blinding. Dubner and Levitt aren't necessarily wrong, but to read them without severe skepticism is to throw your mind into a vast pool of questionable correlations and grossly vague statistics, where some people may never escape their own illusory intelligence and sophistication.

I enjoyed this book. It blows your mind when you take everyday scenarios and throw in economics. This book is entertaining all the way through and you learn things you didn't know. For instance, Why did Murder rates drop in New York City....was it the police - NO....You must buy the book to find out.

Very good book. Full of insights and interesting topics. I liked it because it presents the facts with a brief opinion, but still lets you make up your own mind weather you believe it or not. I, personally, believed about half of what they said, but its still interesting to read through all the topics. It may all be true, but the facts they presented convinced me only sometimes.

Seeing how succesful this book has become, economics is becoming to the eyes of society less dry and more understandable. I have always seen economics like that, permeating everything and not just covering GDPs and inflation.
In one chapter that will shock and evangelist and hard core christians, will explain the reasons why crime dropped in the US in the 90s. In another it will show how the economics principles are also watched carefully by criminal organizations.
What you might gain with this book? Entertaiment at least. Perhaps you will question more the flawed statistics we read and many assumptions. And maybe you will began liking economics.
I think this book will be very imitated in the future, maybe its already happening.

I found this book to be very entertaining. It was interesting to learn about subjects that I don't know much about (e.g. sumo wrestling). However, I did not always agree with the assumptions that the authors used when making their point. To me, this book's value was to give me some interesting party triva. It wasn't an earth shattering, paradigm shifting work. This book is just another example that you can prove anything with statistics. Again, it was an entertaining read, just don't take it too seriously.

I am a bit late in reading this presentation of statistical daisy-chains, but I believe it is worth a read beyond being 'current' on hip business books. My principal take-away from Freakonomics is the reminder that causality of behavior or outcome is not on a one-to-one ratio with inputs. This of course means that if you have a unique understanding (or narrowly held understanding) of some dynamic in your company's market, it can be exploited in ways that are atypical and can drive disproportionate returns. Its helpful to occasionally read this sort of perspective changer, regardless of publishing date.

I think some of the points made in this book are pretty funny. It reads really quickly and lightheartedly about things that are rather deep in nature (cheating, racial prejudice, parenting, terrorism, drug traffickers, etc). I did not, however, know of the authors' agenda in trying to prove the theory of crime going down as abortion rates rise, which is nearly impossible statistically to prove 'ceteris paribus', when I bought this book second hand. Its like Mark Twain said "There's lies. There's damn lies. And then there's statistics." I think Levitt and Dubner do a fairly decent job of pointing that out w/blurring the lines between causality and correlation. Their statistics in correlating those two variables neglect several other IMPORTANT variables as Lott, a critic of this older theory, points out. The irony, however, is that they would stipulate a strong correlation between abortion rates going up and crime going down and the importance of information (chapter on term life insurace and the KKK) and yet neglect the facts that the abortion rate has cut the black populaces growth to 1/4 of what it was in the 1960s before Roe V Wade. They depict the KKK as these evil hate mongers, which I have no doubt they were/are, who are stupid and unintelligent bigots and yet they convolude the statistics the same way but are more intelligent w/their bigotry as the black people have been most gravely affected by abortion statistically speaking, in the U.S.A. That was the goal of Margaret Sanger (founder of Planned Parenthood)who not ironically also espoused much of the beliefs as the KKK did in trying to hault the population growth of Catholics, Jews (which eugenics became taboo after WWII b/c Hitler was soooo German in his efficiency of carrying out the eugenics movement) and blacks and others deemed undesirable. Weird how Levitt and Dubner seem to promote abortion and yet eskew bigotry. Statistically speaking, abortion is a very bigotted social experiment in the U.S.A.- against black people and women.

It is important to point out correlation does not equal causality. There are books out on the market called "How to Lie with Statistics". I could just as easily say that as the contraceptive rates in the U.S.A. have gone up since the early 1900s, the divorce rate has a parallel growth incline statistically speaking. HOWEVER, there are a multitude of other factors to consider that should be considered just as Levitt and Dubner did NOT consider in their statistical model on this topic of abortion and crime. It shows a certain biasness. Strong correlation does NOT equal causality nor should the issue of biasness, even by good statisticians---especially by good statisticians like these guys, ever be taken off the table when reading stuff like this.

What do Cliffs Notes and Spark Notes have in common with the book Freakonomics? Both do an unbelievable job of making the complicated and mundane appear accessible and understandable. Those who feel apprehensive and gain a sense of anxiety at the utterance of the words "economics" and "statistics" need not fear the way that Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner tackle many pressing issues in today's society. Their ability to put complicated math and statistics into layman's terms makes this book a delightful and quick read.

Levitt and Dubner make fascinating comparisons and ask intriguing questions that challenge conventional wisdom and demonstrate the difference between an ordinary person's world view and an economist's world view. These comparisons and questions include, but are not limited to
* What Do Schoolteachers and Sumo Wrestlers Have in Common?
* How is the Ku Klux Klan Like a Group of Real-Estate Agents?
* Why Do Drug Dealers Still Live with Their Moms?
* Where Have All the Criminals Gone?
* What Makes a Perfect Parent?
Using facts and statistics, Levitt and Dubner use an economic world viewpoint to answer these questions.

Although at times the book does stretch the imagination, Levitt and Dubner do present compelling arguments on the topics they present. The narrative nature of the book does not overwhelm the reader with statistics and graphs, but instead paints a picture with numbers and rational arguments that are continually reiterated throughout the book. Readers my not agree with all of Levitt's and Dubner's conclusions, but they will find upon completion of the reading that the two author's provide a paradigm shift in thinking.

This is a great book. If you enjoy the human sideshow and how the workings of economic systems reflect human nature, you will enjoy this tremendously. Highly recommended.

Let me preface this review by saying I know just about zilch about economics, but I consider myself a smart guy. I'm interested in the way things interact in the world. As such, I'm smack dab in the middle of the target audience for this book.

I can't get into (as some have) why this book is a good or bad economic piece. Nor can I explain whether it's a light read, a technically accurate one or whether it really deserves its hype.

All I can tell you is that the book has has helped me understand that things don't always fit together as they seem.

For me, this book introduced me to the world of economics, which I am beginning to understand on a rank amateur level. But it also has a more human touch. One which leads you to understand motives of people and also how systems can be manipulated.

Excellent work!

This book was a quick, fairly interesting read, but I can't understand why it's been so popular. The major idea the authors propose (the one about abortion) is still under contention. Their other points are very slight or obvious: real estate agents work harder to sell their property than when they sell their own - wow, who would have thought? Popular names follow fashion, race and social class - is that why I called my youngest Joseph and not Tyrone? People who sell crack on street corners don't actually earn much money - what insight!
If you want a book to occupy your mind when on a short flight, this is OK, but don't expect too much.

Loved this book. Totally worth all the hype: very thought-provoking, easy to read, fun, discussion-sparking, changes the way you look at and think about things. You'll love it.

A very pessimistic take on our great country for purposes of pushing a political agenda. Its no wonder this book is so well liked by the New York Times. There is too much opinion and not enough evidence in the pages of this book.

It's been over a month since I've read this one, which is to say that Freakonomics left a good impression on me. From the first chapter with the interesting discussion of "incentives" this book had me hooked, so to say. The information is easy to comprehend, and can be read over the course of a few days. This is not to say that Freakonomics is simple by any means. I found this book provided another lens to understand how economics can be applied to many important issues in our life today.

From the terror behind the Ku Klux Klan to the harsh reality of the modern drug dealer, Levitt's explanations are relatively sound. The controversial chapter comparing abortion rates with the rise of crime will definitely stir up emotions in many. Whatever one's beliefs are the information is argued in a well-written style that is always fresh. [...]

Levitt and Dubner seek to reveal the true statistics and economics behind a myriad of topics. In one example the authors criticize a number of officials for taking credit for a decrease in crime rates because their analysis indicates that the legalization of abortion had more to do with the drop in crime than any other factor. Their logic is usually sound, though it misses a few points occasionally, for which I'll give them the benefit of the doubt - you don't write a book without considerable research. But there are most definitely times where the authors are guilty of the same mistakes they charge others with: misrepresenting the data.

Whereas the targets of the authors' criticism seek to gain public approval by making claims people wish to hear, the authors stand to gain by challenging conventional wisdom - they sell more books. It certainly takes an unbiased mind to assert that abortion prevents crime but I think that lack of bias also lead the authors astray, especially with the pool versus guns issue.

The authors say 550 kids under the age of 10 drown each year and there are 11,000 residential pools, therefore, the likelihood of death by pool is somewhere around 1 in 11,000. 175 kids under the age of 10 die each year from guns and there are 200 million guns so the likelihood of death by guns is 1 in 1 million-plus.

These data are perhaps informative separately but nowhere near comparable. I will assume the authors had the presence of mind and the ethics to not count kids who drown in lakes, bath tubs and who knows how else and I sincerely hope they're not counting the millions of guns stored at the thousands of police stations, military bases, museums, etc around the US. Even if that were the case (the authors don't say) the data still can't be compared. For one thing, every house only has one pool but if a house has at least one gun, chances are it has several. A more accurate statistic would be number of households with pools and number of households with guns. Is that enough to make a difference? I can't say and they don't either. What I do know is that in a book which criticizes hasty and irrational stretches of statistical claims you should be extremely careful about the claims you make. In this case I think it was a poor decision to try to compare pools and guns with the data they had. They should have either dug deeper or left the issue alone.

The book started well enough and I went along with the majority of their logic but the pool and gun issue was a big problem for me. Near the end they spent much too long talking about trends in names; it was overly tedious with lists and lists of names that correlate with economic status during given time periods. I would have appreciated further explanation and discussion of their logic on earlier topics and less lists of names at the end.

This book is definitely not for everyone - you really have to take the theories presented with a grain of salt. However, I think the authors clearly present the arguments as correlating factors, not causal factors.

But, putting that aside, the main premise of the book, that there may be correlations and causal relationships between the most unlikely factors in life is worth taking a look at and exploring - IF you are willing to put aside your own biases toward the subject matters presented.

For example, if you are willing to put aside your biases that abortion has nothing to do with changes in society, you may discover that overall, the legalization of abortion COULD have a far-reaching implication on society, such as changes in crime rate, then you may have something new to think about by reading this book.

OR, if you are willing to look at different factors that may contribute to student success rate, other than the quality of schooling, then you may have something new to think about by reading this book.

That's what I garnered from reading this book, and that is precisely why I believe it's a great book. In fact, that is, in my opinion, what makes a great book: one that opens and expands your mind beyond the ordinary.

I can't believe an entire book was created about such minutia, nor did I find the process by which they came to some of their conclusions to be so profound. Thank god I only picked this up at the library. After a quick perusal through the book on a train ride home, I decided to return it. I found it tres boring.

As the subtitle of this book implies, there is a hidden side to everything; explanations which experts offer, and the general public buys into, are at times inaccurate or flat-out wrong. With most complicated issues (take crime, for example, a subject discussed at length in this book) there are usually unnoticed factors at work which influence events in unexpected ways. We, as humans, want explanations which just "make sense", yet the world is a complicated place and things aren't always the way they seem, or the way we would like them to be.

If you've ever taken a course of research methodology or statistics (or economics, of course), you probably won't find the premise of "Freakonomics" very ground-breaking or innovative. Yet, the treatment of the topics raised by the authors is very entertaining, and this is indeed a quick, enjoyable read. Overall, this book is certainly worth reading, if only to reaffirm one's sense of the complexities of life and human behavior.

This is one of the more overrated books on economics out there, first and foremost because most of its content has little to do with economics. It should really just be called "what the statistics tell us". It really lacks any of the insights into behavior and outcomes that are found when one is really utilizing economic principles. In fact, its focus on statistics reinforces the wrong perception that economics is all about numbers and math - it's not. At it's core, it's about fundamental and basic principles of human psychology, behavior and the difference between intent and desire and result.

Freakonomics gets me thrown out of a lot of parties. Now that I know what really makes the world turn I cannot resist butting in on folk's conversations and putting them right.
`Zero tolerance', someone will say, `that's what cut crime in New York'.
`No it didn't', says I, `it was the 1973 legalisation of abortion that cut crime. Fewer young men means fewer young criminals.' A few dirty looks and off I go to another group.
`My estate agent is marvellous; she sold my house in no time. A little under my asking price but she got me the best deal she could'.
`No she didn't', I interrupt. `She sold your house below your asking price for a quick sale. She makes more money selling lots of houses cheaply than fewer houses for a fair price.' More unfriendly stares. Next group.
'Drug dealers are all rich, living off the backs of their victims.'
'Oh yeah? Says I,`Then how come most of them live with their moms?'
And so on until they show me the door.
Freakonomics has turned me into a know-all. It explains the real reasons things happen as opposed to the conventional thinking. Written in a style that tells you that you are among friends, Freakonomics leads you gently from a world of easy assumptions to a world of questioning. You will never be quite the same again.
My only bicker is that it is too short. Are they writing a Freakonomics II? I do hope so. Maybe they can explain why know-alls get thrown out of parties.

Casino - Heads we win tails you lose (Spawater Chronicles III) How casinos really work

I recieved a copy of this book at a recent conference I attended, and found it be a very enjoyable and easy read. The authors offer a non-traditional view on the world of economic theory, and do so without getting too bogged down with the heaviness of the subject matter. Some of the subject matter and related conclusions may be viewed as controversial to some, particularly the connection between Roe vs. Wade and the declining crime rate, but I actually found these connections to be the most interesting. The book really encourages the reader to think outside the box and look at the world differently. I highly recommend this book.

Freakonomics was a great book that shares insight into how things that you would expect to not fit together, like schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers, actually have a lot in common. The book shows different correlations between unlikely things. It is a book on economics and shows the correlations in a easy way to understand and see how the world is changing.

Attempts to prove that socio-economic status is much more a hindrance to advancement than race.

A strange connection is made between a drop in violent criminals and the Roe v. Wade decision. It suggests these "criminals" were never born into the poverty that would have made them criminals in the first place.

This doesn't take into account 2 things:

1. The counter effect that could have been made by those born into abundance, had they not been aborted. Poor people (and who defines that anyway) are not the only ones who abort babies.

Who lives in "poverty", by itself, is a whole different mindset that can't be measured. I would go so far as to say that the majority (not all) of those living in so called "poverty" have a television, a DVD player and a microwave, sleep in a bed, use indoor plumbing, eat 3 meals a day, wear shoes, have access to some form of transportation and have a roof over their head.

This made them a criminal????

2. It assumes that the vast majority of invidiuals born into poverty would be destined to stay that way rather than make their own decisions to prosper.

It's cause/effect implication just can't be proven; conditions can only be observed, but there is no scientific way to attribute a definite cause. It's simply a poor comparision.

Then again, economics isn't exactly a science.

The book Freakonomics: A Rouge Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner skillfully interweaves economic analysis and everyday occurrences to make an interesting and enjoyable book. The authors set out to prove to the world that economics has to do with much more than just finance, and that statistics actually mean something in our lives. Along with economics, Freakonomics also touches on sociology as it explains how incentives drive human behavior. Levitt, an economist, shows the reader that economics relates to the real world by including a number of interesting examples in his book. Economics helps to answer the questions society faces today and explains why things work out the way that they do. The book aims to abolish common misperceptions about the world and to challenge the conventional thinking that is widely used (or misused) today.
The authors seem to complement each other perfectly. Steven Levitt is an Alvin H. Baum Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago. He earned his B.A. from Harvard and PhD from M.I.T. In 2004, he won the John Bates Clark Medal, which is an award that recognizes the most influential economist in America under forty years of age. He was recently featured in Time magazine's "100 People Who Shape our World." Stephen J. Dubner is an award winning author and journalist. He taught English at Columbia University. His journalism appears mostly in "The New York Times" and "The New Yorker." These two combine forces to create a compelling economics book. (There's an oxymoron.)
The authors ultimately reach the reading audience because of the subjects that they focus their research on. There does not seem to be any unifying theme to the examples, except that they teach readers that familiar things are not always what they seem to be, and that open-minded thinking can lead to fascinating conclusions. The topics of the chapters range from real estate agents to sumo wrestlers to drug dealers. Levitt explains to readers how teachers cheat on standardized testing, how the secrets codes of the Klu Klux Klan were revealed, and how the drop in crime rates and the legalization of abortion are related. Levitt's conclusions can be considered astonishing, shocking even, but whether or not the reader agrees with them does not seem to be the point. The way Levitt's mind works is truly extraordinary. That is not to say the book is without flaws. It seems to be stuck in an awkward spot as it tries to balance reader appeal and an understanding of economics. Economists will argue that some of the methods used in the book are not really using economic analysis. They say that the book only lays down the very basics of economics, and that it needs to be longer and more in-depth to provide a truly comprehensive understanding of the subject. On the other side, readers will find their interest dwindling when reading pages and pages of statistics and economical details. Ultimately though, the book is well written in straightforward, clear, language and it manages to add some sparkle to economics and analysis in everyday life. When picking up this book, the reader will find an engaging and thought-provoking venture into the freakier side of economics.

This is a great book, unfortunately, I lent my copy to someone and it was not returned. I'd like to order a paperback version but don't see one available.

I got this for my husband and ended up reading it as well. It's a fascinating take on the world around us. I enjoyed reading his theories and the data he uses to support his theories make sense. It certainly made me look at the field of Economics in a whole new light.

I believe that the author is trying to help others in the world through writing this book. Steven Levitt is currently a professor of economics at the University of Chicago. Levitt is a well known economist around the world with many supporters. Stephen Dubner is a journalist who has written a lot about his co author, Levitt. I think he accomplished his goal very well in writing this book. But sometimes their claims seem a bit far fetched. For example, in this book they claim that swimming pools are more dangerous than guns to our children. Otherwise they gave us acceptable claims which could help us in our daily lives. Moreover, another crazy claim was that bees are more dangerous than sharks. I have always thought that more people died by shark attacks than by bees stinging them. Most of these claims even though full with spin, are very amusing to the average day Joe.

I bought this book as I had heard great reviews about it. After reading countless reviews I bought it. I was a little disappointed. I personally dont believe that abortion rates can be connected with crime rates. That is quite a far reach, and in the book i don't believe it is properly explained. Secondly the author tried to show the similarities between the KKK and real estate brokers. Again, a far reach. Overall i think my expectations were too high, but if you want to buy it... Go ahead.

Freakonomics is the most interesting and informative book I have ever read. In this book, it discusses extensive research that the two authors, Stephen B. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner have found. Anything from teachers cheating to the house market can be found in the book. The authors show throughout the book that numbers don't lie about anything. It can be confusing at times and is very challenging to understand the vocabulary and research. I would recommend this to anyone who likes finding facts about everyday things. I enjoyed it because It was an easy read that I just couldn't put down. After finishing the book, I felt like I had learned so many new things. I give Freakonomics two thumbs up.

Perhaps I am doing something wrong with the font size. The bolded words mentioned in the text are not bold on the Kindle. The tables do not work in the Kindle format.

Can I get my money back?

Abortion is largely responsible for the drop in the crime rate!
Real estate agents will sell your house for less than his/her own.
There it is, the only shreds of value in the entire book!

This book is mostly an exercise in patience, with admittedly no central theme. This turns out being just a series of data, with little or no useful information for the layman.

Listening to the the data was painfully like reading a spreadsheet aloud.
The World is Flat cost far less and although I already read it, was far more interesting and revealing than this.

I applaud people who keep track of miscellaneous information hoping it will amount to something someday, but this book does not.

My purchase motivation was to peer into the criminal mind, but I ended up cursing at the cd player when the long list of baby names kept going on and on.

Buying this was a very poor choice, I hope you don't have to experience it.

Regards,
Mike

This book attempts to explain how the study of the influence of incentives upon behavior can be applied to questions of human behavior that are not strictly financial. He has some interesting ideas, and his methods are usually sound and persuasive, if not absolutely convincing. Probably the most eye-opening and controversial topic in the book is his conclusion that the primary explanation for the decrease in crime over the last fifteen years or so was the legalization of abortion. His reasoning is that unwanted children commit more crimes, and that the legalization of abortion meant fewer unwanted children. He does a good job of demonstrating that most of the standard alternate explanations for the decrease in crime don't hold water, and his thesis is in this case (like the others) is persuasive, regardless of how it might violate anyone's ideology.

But there just isn't very much material in this book. There are only six topics discussed, of which the link between abortion and crime is one. Another of the six is the influence of people's first names on their ultimate economic or educational success - and after about 30 pages, he comes to the conclusion that there is no link!

After only 191 pages, the book is padded with "Bonus material," which begins with an almost embarrassing puff piece that co-author Dubner wrote about Levitt when he first met and interviewed him. The rest of the "Bonus material" is a collection of columns and blogs written by Levitt, and a large portion of it covers the same topics that were covered in the 191 pages of the book proper.

There just isn't much substance here. I read the entire book on a non-stop flight from Nashville to Las Vegas, and still had time for a nap. It's a mildly diverting read, but not particularly thought-provoking, and certainly not challenging, for the intelligent reader.

A facinating exposition of the power of economic analysis - enabled by modern computing power - in solving non-traditional problems.

Authors Levitt and Dubner provide a nicely readable, thought-provoking look at economics by investigating human behavior. The authors examine such diverse questions as how hard real estate agents work for their clients, why many drug dealers live with their mothers, and what percentage of office workers pay for their bagels under the honor system. Readers see how parental tardiness ended up increasing when a day care center began fining parents that arrived late to pick up their kids - the modest fine assuaged guilt better than it dented pocketbooks. We also see how public schools in Chicago used an exam algorithm to catch elementary teachers that cheated on a standardized test - as a high school teacher in that system I remember minor temptations on a similar test we gave.

One weakness is that the authors don't always document their claims (e.g., more police equals less crime). Also, President Al Gore might not agree that individual voting doesn't matter - he lost in 2000 when in New Hampshire and Florida a few voters that mostly favored Gore over George Bush individually (and thus collectively) voted for Ralph Nader. Despite these flaws, this is a nice look at human behavior, one that makes economics interesting to laymen and women. I hope the authors write more editions.

This book is mainly a primer/workbook on how to see things in terms of economic incentive.
It definitely uses a variety of examples, like No Child Left Behind testing, sumo wrestling tournaments, and others. That keeps things interesting. At times, the authors go off on completely uninteresting tangents full of mind-numbing details. I recommend skipping those sections.
If you're pretty new to economic theory, I would definitely recommend checking this book out to get a sense of very basic principles.
People follow incentives. It takes these guys a couple of hundred pages and way too many footnotes to say this, but they're pretty good at driving home the point.
Sadly, while the authors don't skimp on discussing the fluctuations of baby names (???), they made a book that's, overall, pretty short. It's deceptive in its layout: the last hundred-ish pages are actually footnotes, appendices, and, yep, baby names.
A great, engaging read most of the time, and short enough that you want to get out there and pick up a copy of Economist magazine. Seriously!

While this book was well written, it lacked basic economic sense on many topics, and even had some chapters devoid of economic analysis all together. This is a good book for serious economists to laugh at. Levitt needs to go back to the basics, because he seems to have forgotten much from his undergraduate years. If you wanted a new way to look at economics, this isn't it. It is a bastardization of economics.

oversold, not even close to any sensational material. I am surprised it became a bestseller...

I very much enjoyed reading this book. I think this is a book more about sociology rather than economics but it does show how these two subjects are correlated. It gave me a basic idea how economics can provide an understanding of social and cultural trends. The author discusses many interesting issues that make it really worth your reading. For example he challenges the perception that campaign spending determines elections. In general, this is an entertaining read that can open up some new ways of thinking about everyday events. Very much recommended. I also suggest reading The Success Principles(TM): How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be

Except for linking a decline in the national crime rate to the advent of legal abortion, nothing discussed in this book is new or looked at in a particularly novel manner. And even the chapter linking legalized abortion to a drop in crime rates lacks any statistical data supporting the belief that most or even a significant amount of the abortions were being had by poor and/or poorly educated woman.

I read Freakanomics back when it first came out. I fell for the hype generated by its release and was sorely disappointed. If you want to read it, borrow it from someone. It is certainly not worth your money to buy it.

I liked this book because now people can see how it is a curse to be an economist!!!! The daily observations of an economist is pretty interesting stuff to the non-economist I guess...

This is a popular and fun to read introduction to some economics ideas applied to a random selection of subjects. If this piques your interest, the back of the book has a bibliography of the related research so you can read more in depth. See also The Undercover Economist.

Economics is not always one of the most interesting and enjoyable subject matters around. However, Freakonomics dispels that notion and brings lots of enjoyable quality to the subject. Whether you agree with his points or not, this book will make you think and want to analyze the supposed "conventional" wisdom of our society and how we function.

A lot of the points in the book make complete sense, but it's not as if an agenda is being pushed on you. It forces you to think about the issues that he presents and challenges you to think: Do you buy this? He presents interesting issues that are controversial and his writing opens up debate and questioning to econ nuts and non-economists alike.

I really enjoyed the book and couldn't put it down. I give it 5/5 because it is one of the more interesting books I've read and Levitt writes as if he's in a conversation with you by offering unique perspectives on topics we have already sort of formulated a generic and typical response too...

5/5

This is a fascinating and readable book that offers an interesting perspective on that which we, the general public, generally accept as the truth. In fact, it is so readable that one must take caution not to fall into the trap of believing the authors' claims based merely on the fast and enjoyable writing style that tends to lull critical thinking skills to sleep and make a person feel smart simply for having read the book. Moreover, the spirit of the book, a deliberate thumbing of the nose towards existing beliefs surrounding usually serious subjects such as abortion, crime, drug dealers, parenting, and cheating, leads to a sense of optimism for the authors' cause. Frequently, one finds one's self wanting to believe everything in this book because it is so enjoyable to read. Bearing this in mind, Freakonomonics is a worthwhile book with a unique perspective on a variety of topics.

While Levitt and Dubner's arguments are not without supporting facts, there is room for counterpoint on most of the topics that get examined. Still, the book's approach of assaulting the mountains of data supporting years of conventional wisdom with simple observations about incentives and human nature is consistently effective. Also in the authors' defense, many of the ideas put forth are frequently offensive to a broad range of people. For example, the most talked about idea in the book, the notion that the drop in crime during the mid 1990's is a result of legalized abortion, offends conservative types because it appears to be an argument in favor of abortion. Liberals take offense to this notion because it suggests that a significant number of abortions are performed on poor inept mothers-to-be and much of late twentieth century urban crime has been the result of their parental incompetence. Whether or not the argument is correct, and there is some reasonable evidence presented in the book to suggest that it might be, the authors are not pandering to any particular group for fast and easy support and openly tell the reader on more than one occasion that what lies ahead is not for the squeamish.

Ultimately, this book succeeds because it has a genuine point that is correct and works as a common thread that runs through the variety of topics. The point is that conventional wisdom is frequently wrong. Specifically it is wrong because it is founded upon statistics which are based on correlations which often get confused with cause. And correlation and cause are not the same thing - because something indicates something else does not mean that same something causes that same something else. An example from the book tells of a government program basing a free book distribution program on the strong positive correlation between student reading scores and the quantity of books in student homes. The book distribution program was a failure because it mistook the quantity of books in the student homes as a cause of higher student reading scores rather than a correlation - smarter families like to read more, hence they have books in their homes. Simply increasing the quantity of books in a home will not make a child read more, or at a higher level. This example is typical of the ideas and arguments that permeate this book. Again, the authors are up front about the fact that a good deal of the material is not for the easily offended.

This is a tricky book to evaluate. On one hand, it is as "five-star" a book as has ever been written regarding its page-turner writing style - think Da Vince Code in the world of non-fiction and economics. On the other hand, it could be penalized for perhaps trying to use that writing style to sneak one by the reader. Ultimately, this book ends up as strongly recommended. The reason for which is this: The idea for this book started out as a controversial graduate thesis in Economics by one of the authors, Stephen Levitt. The fact that it was controversial should be enough to indicate that the material has its merits, some of which get discussed in the book. The fact that someone managed to make something so enjoyable and interesting to read out of an Economics thesis, while maintaining integrity, is enough to warrant high praise from the most cynical critic - read it, keep your guard up, and enjoy it - 5 stars.

Before I read this book, I was told that it was the most thought provoking piece of literature in the last decade. Everyone I talked to raved about it, and said that the way they look at things will be forever changed. This is a slight exaggeration, but not far from my actual experience.

After reading this book and being thoroughly disappointed, I have to ask the question - Have you actually ever thought about these issues before? If you had, Levitt's answers would seem pretty obvious... The book isn't bad per say, but it definitely is not worthy of praise. Seriously people, let's think about it. Drownings are more common than accidental gun shots? How many pools are there in America versus hand guns? How much more likely are small children to play at a pool without being supervised? Shocked? Hardly.

If you have thought about any of these issues before, the book is not worth your time, energy, or money.

I was expecting an above average economics book - you know, a few graphs, some discussion of fed policy and GATT. I was expecting a bit of a forced read.

Happily, none of that "boring stuff" appears in the book. To quote one of my old econ professors, this book focuses on an "economic way of thinking" rather than economics per se.

Rest assured, this is a fun, informative read. It's the kind of book that drives my wife nuts because I just had to start telling her about some of the things Levitt and Dubner wrote about. This one is well worth your time.

I don't like economoics at all. I had to read this book for class, and I actually found it fairly enjoyable.

I read this book and was great; we can learn many things reading this book.