Freakonomics

Revised Edition

By: Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner

Narrated by: Stephen J. Dubner

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 economist 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 the conventional wisdom on its head. Thus the new field of study contained in this audiobook: Freakonomics.

Levitt and co-author Stephen J. Dubner show that economics is, at root, the study of incentives: how people get what they want, or need, especially when other people want or need the same thing. In Freakonomics, they explore the hidden side of...well, everything. The inner working of a crack gang...the truth about real-estate agents...the secrets of the Klu Klux Klan.

What unites all these stories is a belief that the modern world is even more intriguing than we think. All it takes is a new way of looking, and Freakonomics will redefine the way we view the modern world.

©2006 Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (P)2006 HarperAudio

Critic reviews

"Refreshingly accessible and engrossing." (Publishers Weekly)

Interesting, but not riveting

I listened to Freakonomics while driving to and from work. While I found it interesting, I didn't find myself engaged in the reading of the book or its content. Frankly, based on its rating, I expected more.

The Podcast is Better

I love the Freakonomics podcast and I am a big fan of Levitt and Dubner, so I was excited about listening to this wildly popular bestseller. What a disappointment! I was bored but listened all the way through; when I finished, I thought, "Is this it? There is nothing new and exciting in this book. I've heard or read all this stuff before. I don't get what all the fuss was about." Perhaps the book was original and ground-breaking when it first came out and that would account for it's popularity. Perhaps the book was aimed at people who have never heard of behavioral economics or the statistics of sociology. Maybe the aim of this book was to educate people who don't think logically or rationally and for whom this material would be life-changing. But as someone who thinks logically and rationally and as someone who listens to the weekly Freakonomics podcast and stays informed about studies in behavioral economics and sociology statistics, I found this book disappointing and not worth my time or credit.

enjoyed

only negative I have is I HATE how there was music added it was too frequent and random most of the time. Very annoying.. whyyy add music

Why the Muzak?

I can’t stand the Muzak that was played inbetween certain portions of this audiobook, really annoying.

Excellent!

This is a fascinating book filled with interesting statistics which reveal many interesting things. It was very enjoyable.

Interesting thoughts...

Provides another side to the story of personal economics. Now, in the days of social media, I have similar to the ‘homeless man with nice ear buds’ question. How do self-described middle- or lower-middle class people go on so many exotic vacations? Etc. someone needs to ask those questions...

Its OK!

What did you like best about Freakonomics? What did you like least?

Well, the start takes you by a storm before you realise that the second part of the book is mainly spent in somehow irrelevant less

Which scene was your favorite?

The first two chapters.

Could you see Freakonomics being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No.

Good but...

Lots of repetitive bonus material. Dives deep on a few topics, none of which really interested me much. I wish there had been more content. A book like this would likely be better read than listened to due to the data and charts cited.

Enjoyable.

Cause and effect stated simply by an economist. I enjoyed this book very much. I recommend it to all high school kids to spark innovative thinking.

a good example of proper research/analysis

interesting he used regression analysis since I used that at uni. simple data analysis getting at the core of questions who's answers people peddle around without an actual factual basis.