Books : Freakonomics [Revised and Expanded]: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

Rating: - Surprisingly Enjoyable. Unless You're an Econ Nerd.
I was apprehensive about this one. It had all the makings of a book I would loathe. Two authors, a catchy, goofy title, simplistic analyses. The only thing this one lacked to make its literary cliché complete was Oprah's stamp of approval.

It should be a wonder then that I enjoyed this book as much as I did. Chapters like the incendiary attack on the real estate profession, the stark comparison between the celebrity dreams of Hollywood starlets and Ghetto drug traffickers with about equal return on time invested and the survey of parental educational backgrounds and the names with which they curse their kids made for some fascinating reading. But nothing was more interesting than the comparison between reduction in crime rates and legalization of abortion even if the authors fall into their own post hoc ergo propter hoc trappings.

Yes it was simplistic. Yes some econ geeks will be screaming "correlation vs. causation." Yes, Leavitt is no David Ricardo. But if it's Ricardo you want, go drink some afternoon tea with the rest of your humorless friends since you probably won't get any of the satire in this book anyway.

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Rating: - Quick, Interesting Read -- more like Sociology than Economics
Very interesting. I expected to hunker down and "learn something" with this book, but found that I read through it as fast as a mindless fiction novel. Topics and thoughts put forth by the author are controversial for sure. His theory about abortion and crime rates is certain to ruffle feathers. But I believe that his conclusions are theories, not necessarily proven truths about why certain phenomena exist in our society. And while I think at first glance his ideas sound discriminating, I can tell he is compassionate about people and interested in understanding how groups of people are affected in a "big picture" kind of way. I definitely learned something about the business of drug marketing. I see this book as less economics and more sociology, although the author himself and sociologists would disagree. It was a very interesting book.

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Rating: - An engaging read
Whether or not you agree with the conclusions, the logic on display in Freakonomics is thought-provoking. At the very least, it gives a fascinating insight into some very off-the-wall topics. Part sociology, part economics and part political game theory, it never gets too deep into any theory for the non-academic. The chapter on the economics and motivations of a drug gang is the highlight of the book, IMHO. Even the weakest chapters don't disappoint.

The writing style is easily accessible and entertaining. While I don't agree with some of the conclusions, you never get the sense that the authors are arguing in bad faith.

Well worth the money and the time you'll spend in reading it.

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Rating: - Great and funny book
I read this book and then passed it along to someone else - it is a great book and very funny - most people I have spoken to - don't finish - don't go in with the right attitude - but it is a way to compare how society looks at certain things for what is right and wrong - good or bad - when you understand the premises of the book - then you get it right away - have fun with this book - don't let the author's career choices scare you - they have a great sense of humor.

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Rating: - Debunked
Some of the notions that the author presents as fact in this book have been debunked. This author has no credibility any more.