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Freakonomics  By  cover art

Freakonomics

By: Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
Narrated by: Stephen J. Dubner
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Publisher's summary

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)

What listeners say about Freakonomics

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Clever connect the dots

Since this book was first released, many of its ideas have woven themselves into pop consciousness, so the book no longer feels as groundbreaking as it once probably did. I still enjoyed it immensely and (other than the chapter where they rattled off dozens of baby names) it was very well narrated.

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Great Listen

What did you love best about Freakonomics?

I loved the idea that Freakonomics takes only the numbers into account. It may assume something to start off, but then it proves it with numbers.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Numbers prove...

Any additional comments?

If you think you have a good idea of why stuff happens... you should listen to this book, it'll blow your mind.

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freakonomics

The narrarator was perfect for this story and it was easy to understand. I thoroughly enjoyed the content and would highly recommend this.

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Crack dealers Sumo wrestlers and Abortion

I have to make a confession my interest was peaked in reading this book after watching an episode of the show Orange is the New Black. This book brings up ways of looking at questions of the world one may not have or been afraid to look at. Data driven, one can logically see the correlation of many seemingly unrelated factors that persuade behavior of individuals and socio economic standing of a person. I definitely would recommend it.

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Not as Good as the Podcast

I'm a huge fan of the Freakonomics Radio Podcast and assumed this would be very similar. While the subject matter and narrator were the same, I felt that Dubner didn't have anywhere near the amount of personality (vocal inflections, etc.) that he does on the podcast. Still very informative and overall
a good listen, but a bit on the short side so spend thy credits wisely.

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Crazy good book!

What made the experience of listening to Freakonomics the most enjoyable?

The information will astound you. It changed the way I consumed information.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I was sad when the book ended..

What about Stephen J. Dubner’s performance did you like?

The audio is engaging...

If you could give Freakonomics a new subtitle, what would it be?

Learn to think better.

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anectodes

interesting anectodes in this book and vertical well told. the narrarotor does a great job of holding your attention.

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Required Reading for Adults

I wish my Congressmen would read this (or provide as much detail in their proposed tax code rewrites). @sendavidperdue @senisakson #taxcode #commonsenseplease

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Makes you think differently!

the stats are numerous but the authors present them in a way that makes you want more.

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Review

Great book for any student studying Economics. It’s mind opening and forces you to think more critically.

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