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Shared on Tue, 02/06/2007 - 00:10Freakonomics: A rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything
Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
Rating: 4 & 1/2 stars
If you think differently after reading Freakonomics then the authors of this book have done what they’ve set out to do.
Sure most writers – simply by the nature of their craft – are out to change the frequency of your brainwaves with their prose. Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, however, don’t veil their intention to change the way you see the world. Not for a second. And their methods are straightforward and intelligent.
The authors’ mix of statistics and clever writing are a perfect pairing, easy to consume and intoxicating like a glass of Riesling with baked salmon. Dubner, who writes for the New York Times and the New Yorker, met Levitt, a much-praised albeit controversial economist, in 2003 when the journalist was assigned to profile the young economist who had been making intellectual waves.
As the story goes, the economist found the journalist to be the exception to the rule that all reporters are dumb. And the journalist found the economist to be the exception to the rule that all number-crunchers are dullards. They got along famously.
Levitt is a journalist’s dream – someone who can analyze data, find strange and interesting trends and present them in an exciting way. If that weren’t enough, the “rogue economist” seems to stumble across results that stir controversy and buck the morality trend. Take his theory on why crime rates dropped dramatically across the U.S. in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Levitt suggests that one event on January 22, 1973 did more to slice the crime rate than innovative policing strategies, increased reliance on prisons, tougher gun control laws and an increased number of police all rolled up together: Roe vs. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling to legalize abortion across America. Levitt says visible crimes are committed mainly by lower income, black youths – exactly the demographic dramatically reduced by legalized abortion.
Crack open the book and you’ll likely find several more theories that bruise your morality.
I saw the book long before I bought it. You’ve probably spotted it yourself. The cover is orange, green and white. On it is a picture of an apple sliced open to reveal the innards of an orange. A quote by a reviewer on the front says it all: “Prepare to be dazzled”. Being a bookstore browser – I love nothing more than to wander a big bookstore, touching books and reading covers – I picked up Freakonomics several times before making the decision to buy it.
Remember: A book isn’t only a financial investment; it will become your companion for the duration of its pages.
So what kind of companion was this non-fiction offering, which has peaked at number 2 of the New York Times bestseller list? One who would be fun to bring to a party where you could watch your friends’ reactions as he asks strange and silly questions, such as “Why do drug dealers still live with their moms” – then watch as their rolling eyes and sniggers turn into amazed looks as he smoothly answers the bizarre question with data, research and well-argued reasoning.
All of that said, what’s the point of reading the book’s 191 pages (it includes a hefty amount of bonus material, including excerpts from the Freakonomics blog) if you aren’t left with something?
The question is best answered by a quote from the book: “The most likely result of having read this book is a simple one: you may find yourself asking a lot of questions. Many of them will lead to nothing. But some will produce answers that are interesting, even surprising.”
If you do buy a copy or pick it up from the library, expect to be inspired, but don’t expect your IQ to instantly jump several notches. It will take effort on your part to start asking a lot of questions. If you want to go down that road, however, Freakonomics is a good start.
OTHER INFO:
Publisher: William Morrow
Released: April 12, 2005
Pages: 336 (hardback edition)
ISBN: 0-06-123400-1
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Just finishing Eragon - that review is coming soon!
Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
Rating: 4 & 1/2 stars
If you think differently after reading Freakonomics then the authors of this book have done what they’ve set out to do.
Sure most writers – simply by the nature of their craft – are out to change the frequency of your brainwaves with their prose. Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, however, don’t veil their intention to change the way you see the world. Not for a second. And their methods are straightforward and intelligent.
The authors’ mix of statistics and clever writing are a perfect pairing, easy to consume and intoxicating like a glass of Riesling with baked salmon. Dubner, who writes for the New York Times and the New Yorker, met Levitt, a much-praised albeit controversial economist, in 2003 when the journalist was assigned to profile the young economist who had been making intellectual waves.
As the story goes, the economist found the journalist to be the exception to the rule that all reporters are dumb. And the journalist found the economist to be the exception to the rule that all number-crunchers are dullards. They got along famously.
Levitt is a journalist’s dream – someone who can analyze data, find strange and interesting trends and present them in an exciting way. If that weren’t enough, the “rogue economist” seems to stumble across results that stir controversy and buck the morality trend. Take his theory on why crime rates dropped dramatically across the U.S. in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Levitt suggests that one event on January 22, 1973 did more to slice the crime rate than innovative policing strategies, increased reliance on prisons, tougher gun control laws and an increased number of police all rolled up together: Roe vs. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling to legalize abortion across America. Levitt says visible crimes are committed mainly by lower income, black youths – exactly the demographic dramatically reduced by legalized abortion.
Crack open the book and you’ll likely find several more theories that bruise your morality.
I saw the book long before I bought it. You’ve probably spotted it yourself. The cover is orange, green and white. On it is a picture of an apple sliced open to reveal the innards of an orange. A quote by a reviewer on the front says it all: “Prepare to be dazzled”. Being a bookstore browser – I love nothing more than to wander a big bookstore, touching books and reading covers – I picked up Freakonomics several times before making the decision to buy it.
Remember: A book isn’t only a financial investment; it will become your companion for the duration of its pages.
So what kind of companion was this non-fiction offering, which has peaked at number 2 of the New York Times bestseller list? One who would be fun to bring to a party where you could watch your friends’ reactions as he asks strange and silly questions, such as “Why do drug dealers still live with their moms” – then watch as their rolling eyes and sniggers turn into amazed looks as he smoothly answers the bizarre question with data, research and well-argued reasoning.
All of that said, what’s the point of reading the book’s 191 pages (it includes a hefty amount of bonus material, including excerpts from the Freakonomics blog) if you aren’t left with something?
The question is best answered by a quote from the book: “The most likely result of having read this book is a simple one: you may find yourself asking a lot of questions. Many of them will lead to nothing. But some will produce answers that are interesting, even surprising.”
If you do buy a copy or pick it up from the library, expect to be inspired, but don’t expect your IQ to instantly jump several notches. It will take effort on your part to start asking a lot of questions. If you want to go down that road, however, Freakonomics is a good start.
OTHER INFO:
Publisher: William Morrow
Released: April 12, 2005
Pages: 336 (hardback edition)
ISBN: 0-06-123400-1
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Just finishing Eragon - that review is coming soon!
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