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Home ยป Freakonomics Rev Ed: (and Other Riddles of Modern Life)

Mollie Marti "Founde @ 2007-09-16

Freakonomics Rev Ed: (and Other Riddles of Modern Life)

$13.99
I picked up this book for one reason and finished it for a very different one. I expected to find a book discussing how economics impacts our society and every day life. What I found was a light, entertaining read by an unorthodox and clearly intelligent economist.

It became quickly evident that this book was not a substantive read on economics when the authors presented several correlations between societal factors and couched them in terms of causal explanations and theories. As an economics or statistical book, this book would be misleading. Much of the "statistical analysis" reminded me of George Burn's classic joke, which goes something like, "If I live to be 100, I'll have it made. After all, you don't hear of many people over the age of 100 dying."

Yet this book survives as an entertaining and interesting read. The topics change quickly and they cover a lot of ground (including abortion, drug dealers' income, cheating teachers and Sumo wrestlers, political funding, the dangers of guns vs. swimming pools, adoption, naming children . . . just reading the hodgepodge of topics can make you dizzy). Buy this book if you are interested in a quick, quirky read on a broad array of theories (that may or may not be right) that might make you look at the world in a different way.

Mollie Marti, Ph.D.
Author, Selling: Powerful New Strategies for Sales Success