John’s Blog

09 May, 2005

Freakonomics, by Steven Levitt

Posted by: John In: Books

This is a fun book that grew out of a New York Times article a few years back. Steven Levitt is an unconventional economist at the University of Chicago who likes applying economic techniques to unusual questions. Like "why do most drug dealers live at home with their parents?" Answer: you make pretty lousy money selling drugs. (He’s got a bunch of data to support that.

It’s an easy & fun read — none of the stuff in it is super deep or life changing, but it’ll change the way you think about which questions to ask. Thumbs up.

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  • John: There is a Bird on Your Head is indeed a fine choice. Well picked, MrZ's son.
  • mrz: My son wonders why Mo Willems isn't on this list (we've moved on and are no into "There is a Bird on Your Head!" which he can read on his own and crac
  • Dan Barrett: Amen. The book is a very enlightening window into the man. The more I learn about him the better I like him. I am a political junkie, and I can hones

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