SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance [NOOK Book]

Innovative

The information is super-useful. Some of it was of immediate use in the classes I've been teaching at college. Only caveat is that sometimes there is an inductive leap in the reasoning chains--but once that is understood it is an extremely useful, creative and worthy book.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Great Follow-up!

It's funny because as his intro explains the issues they had trying to get their book's title approved and the way the book may have an un-cohesive structure and as I listened to this sequel, so to speak, I realized how true it was but at the same time, how "Tarantino-esque" their approach was which made it even more enjoyable (who doesn't like a good Quinten Tarantino film??). The book would take you into a subject which it would sentence-summarize in the beginning, then send you all over the world into different directions and down back roads through a scenic route and then BOOM! The subject's point is reached, and you're almost sad because it means the trip is over! lol I would recommend it to anyone whose interests include a variety of scientific and historical facts and fascinations.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Not as good as the original...

...but some interesting thoughts nonetheless. I highly recommend the global warming chapter (at a minimum) for all the 'environmentalists' out there.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

This would be your standard fare, modest follow-up to a surprisingly successful first effort, if it weren't for the final 20% of the book.

This would be your standard fare, modest follow-up to a surprisingly successful first effort, if it weren't for the final 20% of the book. Here the authors apply their lens of data and incentives to the global issue of Climate Change. They change the focus from the left-right divide of "whether" there is climate change and to what extent it is manmade to the more meaningful question of what do we do about it. Therein is the revelation. The unintended (some have argued conspiratorially intended) consequences of the single course of remedial action of dramatically reducing manmade carbon through Cap-n-Trade legislations, which would greatly add to costs and taxes in developed countries, would significantly reward the Gore-like doomsayers by creating a mega-market for their carbon-offset investments, while dramatically limiting vast swaths of the planet from advancing beyond subsistence existence.

(As a side note: given the atmospheric harm done by the methane gases in ruminate belches and farts, an adult could, by a factor of three, decrease their carbon footprint more by cutting out red meat from their diets then by driving a hybrid.)

But, I digress. The key question is are we looking for a solution or must we accept the tremendously high cost proposals presently being pushed forward. The myopic carbon focus is particularly troublesome especially if there are far less costly and more elegant solutions. Superfreakonomics' review of these possible alternative solutions reveals how little has been included in the public policy debate. The most sobering consideration is that the narrow solutions being driven at Kyoto, Copenhagen and next year, at Mexico City could create as much adverse impact on life as the worst case planetary scenario. But at least Al Gore would have made a pile of money!

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Reasoned and logical...and fun!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a quick read, partially because of the subject matter, and partially because it is just over 200 pages long. I think what is especially cool about “Super Freakonomics” is that you never quite know what you’re going to read about next. The chapters deal with seemingly disconnected (but all interesting) topics and even within the course of a single chapter a half dozen different topics might be touched upon. This also means that it isn’t necessary to have read the earlier “Freakonomics” book to understand and enjoy this one. (I have yet to read the previous book.) The two books share little, I would guess, except the title. Especially appealing to me was the reasoned and logical method of the authors and the investigators they highlight. For instance, it was fun to revisit the Kitty Genovese murder (a story I remember from college Sociology) and read more facts and research into this event. To learn that, well, it might not have been exactly like I was taught in college. But also that, perhaps in some ways, it was. Another favorite chapter—though I thought it wouldn’t be—was the one on Global Warming. Though not necessarily skeptics themselves, the authors do a great job of seeing many sides of the issue, all in a reasoned and logical (i.e. not panicked and alarmist) manner. They also present a possible solution offered by a team in Seattle. As a past Microsoftie myself, it was cool to see what other former employees are up to, especially one who, in this case, I remember quite well from company meetings. (The chapter also tends to make many prominent environmental activists seem more about control and power then about solutions.) Anyway, this is a great book. Read it and learn something new. I think the theme could best be summed up by the words from “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”: Don’t Panic!

Awsome!!!!

It gives a great,different,cool veiw on things

Two Thumbs Up!

SuperFreakonomics! Although I didn't read the first book by Levitt and Dubner, Freakonomics, SuperFreakonomics was excellent in its information and point of views. The authors provide the reader with shocking statistics and tests to remove prejudices from political affilations and odd cultural services. The book shows the importance of an underestimated subject, economics, and how often we need to look into this subject to truly understand many every day happenings. Regardless if you care about "Patriotic Prostitues" or not, this book has something to you! A truly great read.

*****

Entertaining, and very engaging!

Superfreakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner is an entertaining book that makes one look at topics at a very different angle, with very intriguing results. It looks at such topics as global warming, prostitution, hospital sanitation, terrorism, and various other topics. However, these points are looked at from an economist's point of view, and it provides some eye-opening realizations. One such example would be by using statistics, it can be determined that walking home drunk is actually much more dangerous than driving home drunk. There are actually more walking related deaths under the influence of alcohol than driving related ones, even taking the innocent deaths into account. The style of the book is engaging, and humorous as well, however it is not overly wacky or goofy. It is witty in its hilarity, and I found myself laughing out loud while reading it. Dubner says while explaining climate change, "Rising sea levels, for instance, 'aren't being driven primarily by glaciers melting,' Wood says, no matter how useful that image may be for environmental activists. The truth is far less sexy". However, during the global warming chapter some of the information that is in the book is actually false after researching. Many climate specialists and economists denounce Dubner and Levitt's argument that geo-engineering is a viable option as opposed to CO2 emission reduction in order to prevent global warming. The diction and language choices are not difficult, and just about anyone can follow along easily. Regardless, the points talked about in the section, and the rest of the book is extremely stimulating. I enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in quirky or interesting truths, or anyone who likes to see everything from more than one perspective.

Awesome book

This was a very eye opening experience. This book exposed a lot of seemingly random correlations.

Absolutely Great!

Super Freak was uniquely funny as well as genuinely interesting. For those who have read/enjoyed the original, this feels like going back to a comfortable friend. Dubner and Levitt have scoured the records for interesting data, and their thorough research is evident in every chapter. Truly an enjoyable and "smart" read! If you have not read Freakonomics, read it before this one, as it will help you understand the "inside jokes" the authors present at the beginning. An easy book to get into even if economics is not your forte!

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Not as good as Freakanomics

This seemed like the light version, filled with leftovers that didnt make it inti the original

Not as good as the first

Don't waste your money

I really liked Freakonomics and was looking forward to the sequel Super Freakonomics . What a major disappointment!!! The content of each chapter wondered unmercifully from the chapter titles. Old material form Freakonomics was rehashed and the new material was not very interesting except for the subject on global warming. DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK. I would ask for a refund if I could. P.S. The book contained about 320 pages of which the last 50 pages were appendices!!!

Highly Recommended

If you love learning about economics and what influences people's actions, then you'll love this book. This is an extremely enjoyable book for it's hilarity, and true life stories of human experiences, and the influence that economics has on their choices.

Good read

There is some great research in this book that can be applied to many other aspects of daily life.

This was a better stand alone book than a "sequel"

Superfreakonomics establishes itself very early as the same as Freakonomics, only different. Huh? Again the Stephens portray not only an excellent array of theses and research but also follow the same logical and methodical presentation as Freakonomics. Overall I enjoyed this book. It was an easy weekend read and it gives me something to talk about at overly-pretentious parties with people I don't know.

Very fun read

If you were a fan of the first one, you'll find more of the same here. The writer's unabashedly take on hard subjects like prostitution and global warming, addressing the issues in novel ways that most readers won't hear in the media.

interesting book!

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an easy, curious book to read and more entertained that didactic

hope that nobody expects big lessons of economic from this book. its very basic and serves above all to see how once can apply approaches of economic base and statistics to any part of our lives. its examples are very limited and both authors try hard to shock and amaze the audience, but the organization is scattered and the evidences seems questionable.