Think Like a Freak

The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain

By: Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner

Narrated by: Stephen J. Dubner

Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

The New York Times best-selling Freakonomics changed the way we see the world, exposing the hidden side of just about everything.

Now, with Think Like a Freak, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner have written their most revolutionary book yet. With their trademark blend of captivating storytelling and unconventional analysis, they take us inside their thought process and offer a blueprint for an entirely new way to solve problems. The topics range from business to philanthropy to sports to politics, all with the goal of retraining your brain. Along the way, you’ll learn the secrets of a Japanese hot-dog-eating champion, the reason an Australian doctor swallowed a batch of dangerous bacteria, and why Nigerian e-mail scammers make a point of saying they’re from Nigeria.

Levitt and Dubner plainly see the world like no one else. Now you can, too. Never before have such iconoclastic thinkers been so revealing - and so much fun to read.

Steven D. Levitt, a professor of economics at the University of Chicago, was awarded the John Bates Clark medal, given to the most influential American economist under the age of 40.

Stephen J. Dubner, an award-winning journalist and radio and TV personality, has worked for The New York Times and published three non-Freakonomics books.

©2014 Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers

Silly title but great book!

You've got to be able to think things through even when your brain wants to take the easy route!

Great book!

What did you love best about Think Like a Freak?

There are so many interesting examples of their ideas illustrated by true stories.

What did you like best about this story?

The example of why David Lee Roth was as smart as Solomon and how brilliant the Nigerian scammers are.

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

Outstanding narration.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

So so

Some substance in the book. The podcast afterwards was pretty lame, sounded like NPR... boring, not much substance or relevance

even better the 2nd time around

even better the 2nd time around. truly fun to kisten too and with great thoughy provoking info

Amusing and lively book

Dubner and Levitt are always entertaining. I have grips with the title and, as many have said, the authors seem to imply they are the only smart people on the planet. Although attacked for somewhat bending data to match their thesis, they are nevertheless fun and thought provoking. You don't have to agree with all their clams to enjoy this book, finely narrated by the author.

Simply love it!

Sophisticated, funny, and very clever! My 14 year old found it fascinating! Love the authors!

Not Quite What Freaks Want

Another intriguing book on freakish stories, freakish data, and freakish results. However, the book kept drifting away from being focused on the intention promised by its title.

Not much new

If I were not a subscriber to the Freakonomics podcast I would give this a 4.5 star rating, but as I listened to the book I realized that much of it had been trotted out on the podcast. The book is one credit. The podcast is free. Where's the economics in that?

Good content. You don't need to buy the audiobook

What did you love best about Think Like a Freak?

Think Like a Freak isn't really a proscription about how to think so much as a bunch of stories about Freak-like thinking. It is up to the listener/reader to draw their own conclusions from the story and apply it to their own situation.

What other book might you compare Think Like a Freak to and why?

Think Like a Freak reminded me a little of "Fooled by Randomness" by Nassim Taleb. The style is very different and it comes at the main point from different directions, but both books do a good job of poking holes in our theory of ourselves and the world around us.

Any additional comments?

You don't actually have to buy the book. You can get almost all of this by just subscribing to the Freakonomics podcast. I don't think there is really anything new in the book that wasn't in the podcast at some point. The nice part of having the book is that it is all put together. Also, go ahead and buy it if you want to support the authors' work.

Helped at work!

I'm starting a new role at work as a data scientist. This book helped me deliver big discoveries in my first report.