Freakonomics
Through powerful storytelling and humorous insight, Freakonomics shows that economics is, at root, the study of incentives. It is how people get what they want or need, mainly when other people want the same thing. This book probes the hidden side of everything. It covers the truth about real-estate agents, the inner workings of a crack gang, the myths of campaign finance, even the secrets of the Ku Klux Klan. It establishes an eccentric premise: If morality represents how we would like the world to work, then economics depicts how it actually does work. With Freakonomics, you will be equipped with enough riddles and stories to last a thousand cocktail parties. But more than that, this book will redefine the way we view the modern world.
“If Indiana Jones were an economist, he’d be Steven Levitt… Criticizing Freakonomics would be like criticizing a hot fudge sundae.”
— Wall Street Journal
“Provocative… eye-popping.”
— New York Times Book Review: Inside the List
“The guy is interesting!”
— Washington Post Book World
“The funkiest study of statistical mechanics ever by a world-renowned economist... Eye-opening and sometimes eye-popping”
— Entertainment Weekly
“Steven Levitt has the most interesting mind in America... Prepare to be dazzled.”
— Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink and The Tipping Point
“Principles of economics are used to examine daily life in this fun read.”
— People: Great Reads
“Levitt dissects complex real-world phenomena, e.g. baby-naming patterns and Sumo wrestling, with an economist’s laser.”
— San Diego Union-Tribune
“Levitt is a number cruncher extraordinaire.”
— Philadelphia Daily News
“Levitt is one of the most notorious economists of our age.”
“Hard to resist.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review