Freakonomics

Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner is the 2nd consecutive non-fiction book I’ve read, and only the 2nd since I graduated school.  I wrote about reading Predictably Irrational earlier.  I borrowed this one, so had to move it up on in my way too long reading list.

Basically, the author takes questions that people may or may not have asked ever, analyzes the numbers and statistics with economic theories, and either draws their conclusions or lets the readers draw their conclusions.  What are some of the questions that they ponder?  They include things like why do crack cocaine dealers live with their mom?  What was the cause in the sharp drop in violent crime?  Are teachers helping students cheat on standardized tests?  Does parenting really matter?  They also go into topics such as if your real estate agent really has your best interests at heart, if sumo wrestlers cheat, and much more.

I thought that some of the questions and stories that were talked about in the book were interesting.  The most interesting to me were the ones he told about parenting, and whether or not parenting really mattered to a kid becoming good, successful, etc.  The statistics he provided and the analysis that he did seemed to show that how successful a child became had more to do with who and what the parents were rather than what it was that they did.  A child didn’t grow up successful because his parents read to him every night or took him to museums or whatnot.  He was successful because his parents had money or had him when the mother was older and not, for example, a teenager.  I thought this chapter and the one about if a name has an impact on a child’s future were quite interesting.  Makes the people who always make fun of parents who over-parent seem like they are correct and such.

The book is not very long and so makes for a short read.  It covers some rather controversial topics as well, one in which people might cringe and cry foul in disbelief.  These topics include things like abortion, guns, the KKK.  Whether or not you agree with some, none, or all of what is written here, I think its worth reading if only because it will get you asking questions, both to yourself, and hopefully to others.  If that happens, isn’t that in and of itself make the book worth reading?