Review of Freakonomics

Have you ever tried connecting two seemingly unrelated concepts, such as slices of pizza eaten and the grade you will receive on a test the next day?  If so, you should read Freakonomics, written by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner.

Although Levitt seems a little conceited (every chapter is prefaced by a line from a New York Times magazine article about how Levitt is so amazing), his writing is very down to earth and easy to read.  If you’re afraid of economics, this book won’t scare you away, I promise, there is very little in-depth econ involved.

The most controversial part of the book is the discussion of abortion and crime.  Levitt hypothesizes that the legalization of abortion led to a huge decrease in the crime rate.  He compares the US before and after Roe v. Wade, and finds that about 20 years after, crime dropped substantially.  Clearly this is not enough to prove anything, so Levitt goes further and uses all sorts of interesting facts that point towards supporting his hypothesis.

If you’re going to read the book, you’re going to have to put any strong moral ideas you might have on the shelf for a while, and just try to read objectively.  But trust me, it is totally worth reading.

9/10 Stars.

http://www.freakonomics.com