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

If you like the podcast...

I really like the Freakonomics podcast so this was an obvious choice for me. It has podcasts at the end but I don't mind.

You Gotta Love Stephen Dubner

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes, because most of my friends have not had a novel thought in years.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

This is entertaining pop psychology. They call it economics (not your father's economics), but it is a amalgam of behavioral psychology, neuro-marketing, and predictive analytics for the general public. It's entertaining and has a bunch of "really?" moments. His mantra that correlations are not necessarily causal eludes most people I know. We all need to work on this. Least interesting and most surprising was the 1 hour and 20 minutes of replayed "Freakonomics" podcasts at the end. I have subscribed to their podcast for years, but it was good to hear some again.

What does Stephen J. Dubner bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Stephen Dubner is a pro narrator. Very entertaining and an easy listen. He has found his niche. I sure wish he narrated many of the other Audible books I buy. (Accents aside, it's the trailing off whisper at the end of sentences that should earn lashes for some other notable narrators, but not Dubner.)

Was Think Like a Freak worth the listening time?

Absolutely. Did I learn anything? Yes. Things are not always as they appear and it is always nice to be reminded of that.

Any additional comments?

Stephen talked of quitting. Why? I don't think so.

Great read for the empirical minded

As a statistician, I loved it. Freakanomics is a micro concept departure from the prodominantly macro economic perspective we are all familiar with.

Not freaky at all!

Awesome content. A real think outside-the-box experience. Opens the mind to discovering alternate approaches to common dilemmas.

Love it!

Please continue writing freakonomic books! Super freakonomics is next on my list. I'm looking forward to reading/listening it, too. I'll probably do both. This collection of Freakonomic books will definitely make my home library book shelves. Thank you!

Lateral Thinking

Would you listen to Think Like a Freak again? Why?

Yes. It stands out from the herd.

Would you be willing to try another book from Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner ? Why or why not?

Yes. I would exhaust there Pod casts between books as well.

Have you listened to any of Stephen J. Dubner’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I enjoyed there pod cast.

If you could give Think Like a Freak a new subtitle, what would it be?

Lateral Thinking.

Any additional comments?

A brief look in to books based off of evolutionary psychology can greatly add to this reading experience.I like to start with the basics before i look too deep into anything. All in all I was left wanting more....and with the pod cast I was very pleased to get just that.

Kicked my head into top gear

Where does Think Like a Freak rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's right near the top of audiobooks I've listened to.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The soccer penalty shooter was my favourite character. As he's described by Dubner, he makes the kind of dumb decisions I often do :-)

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The one story I go back to over and over again is the soccer penalty story. It was close to the beginning of the book.

Any additional comments?

Great book that got my mind whirling, as to how we make decisions, and how bad we are it sometimes, for the silliest reasons. P.S I really don't like the questions you've asked in this review. They don't feel like they match the book at all.

Good book

Good info. Interesting examples. Recommend to students and those who deal with problem solving or solution finding.

Diminishing returns

The book is interesting, but not as fresh as the first two. The authors need a more cohesive theme.

Not as good as I hoped…

I enjoyed Freakonomics and enjoy this type of material generally but this book was only OK. The last section on quitting seemed a bit forced.