Freakonomics Rev Ed: (and Other Riddles of Modern Life) (P.S.). A fascinating and easy to read explanations of whys. Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? Why do drug dealers still live with their moms? How much do parents really matter? How did the legalization of abortion affect the rate of violent crime?
These may not sound like typical questions for an econo-mist to ask. But Steven D. Levitt is not a typical economist. He is a much-heralded scholar who studies the riddles of everyday life—from cheating and crime to sports and child-rearing—and whose conclusions turn conventional wisdom on its head.
Freakonomics is a groundbreaking collaboration between Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, an award-winning author and journalist. They usually begin with a mountain of data and a simple question. Some of these questions concern life-and-death issues while others have an admittedly freakish quality. Thus the new field of study contained in this book: freakonomics.
I’ve also read their follow-up book, SuperFreakonomics, also excellent. There’s a new one coming out next month: Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain to help train your thought processes to be more productive. lazy brains!
