From the Publisher
Lively, self-deprecating writing ensures an entertaining read for fans and new readers alike.” — Publishers Weekly
“[A] kooky and counterintuitive collection of economic analysis. ... Plenty to revel in.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Levitt and Dubner... return with more of their signature humor and economic perspective on everyday life. ... Will be a hit with fans of Freakonomics.” — Library Journal
Praise for the Freakonomics Books: “Genius... has you gasping in amazement.” — Wall Street Journal
“We are all Freakonomists now.” — Washington Post
“An afternoon with Levitt and Dubner’s book will transform you into the most interesting person in the room that evening.” — National Public Radio
“A splendid book, full of unlikely but arresting historical details that distinguish the authors from the run of pop social scientists.” — New York Times
“An addictive, irresistible crash course in the populist application of economics.” — The A.V. Club
“Good ideas ... expressed with panache.” — Financial Times
Washington Post
We are all Freakonomists now.
New York Times
A splendid book, full of unlikely but arresting historical details that distinguish the authors from the run of pop social scientists.
The A.V. Club
An addictive, irresistible crash course in the populist application of economics.
National Public Radio
An afternoon with Levitt and Dubner’s book will transform you into the most interesting person in the room that evening.
Wall Street Journal
Praise for the Freakonomics Books: “Genius... has you gasping in amazement.
Financial Times
Good ideas ... expressed with panache.
Financial Times
Good ideas ... expressed with panache.
Wall Street Journal
Praise for the Freakonomics Books: “Genius... has you gasping in amazement.
Washington Post
We are all Freakonomists now.
National Public Radio
An afternoon with Levitt and Dubner’s book will transform you into the most interesting person in the room that evening.
Kirkus Reviews
2015-04-01
The Freakonomics guys return with another kooky and counterintuitive compilation of economic analysis that might appear wildly offbeat but just might be surprisingly spot-on. It's been a decade since Levitt and Dubner (Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain, 2014, etc.) first set the thinking world on end with their provocative investigations into the economics of everyday things. In the intervening years, the uncompromising writers have kept their freak flag flying, penning a series of equally challenging blog posts further aimed at discovering the hidden underpinnings of society. Here, the authors bring together a selection of those posts. The format, however, doesn't always serve the contents. Careening from the oil apocalypse to the benefits of cheating in sports is lots of fun, but the ride can be jarring without a contemplative break in between. In their original form, Levitt and Dubner's blog posts went off like tiny literary land mines. But they allowed time to think and regroup. Here, they often leave readers feeling like they're being repeatedly subjected to a series of head-snapping hit-and-runs. Wait. We should allow folks to vote as many times as they like in elections as long as they pay for it? What? Levitt and Dubner's latest foray is much more successful when it reflects the lively online interactions 10 years of blogging have brought them—e.g., the time they sought out the best aptonyms on the planet and found a dentist named "Chip Silvertooth" and an undertaker named "Eikenberry." Equally pleasing is their account of the episode in which the Internet deftly managed to turn the tables on the supersavvy economists when they attempted to find and congratulate their 400,000th Twitter follower. Opportunistic, to be sure, but the authors provide plenty to revel in if you haven't been keeping up with 10 years of freaky blog posts.
