YA Buddy Readers' Corner ♥ discussion

Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? Why do drug dealers still live with their moms? How much do parents really matter? What kind of impact did Roe v. Wade have on violent crime? Freakonomics will literally redefine the way we view the modern world.

These may not sound like typical questions for an economist to ask. But Steven D. Levitt is not a typical economist. He is a much heralded scholar who studies the stuff and riddles of everyday life -- from cheating and crime to sports and child rearing -- and whose conclusions regularly turn the conventional wisdom on its head. He usually begins with a mountain of data and a simple, unasked question. Some of these questions concern life-and-death issues; others have an admittedly freakish quality. Thus the new field of study contained in this book: freakonomics.

Through forceful storytelling and wry insight, Levitt and co-author Stephen J. Dubner show that economics is, at root, the study of incentives -- how people get what they want, or need, especially when other people want or need the same thing. In Freakonomics, they set out to explore the hidden side of ... well, everything. The inner workings of a crack gang. The truth about real-estate agents. The myths of campaign finance. The telltale marks of a cheating schoolteacher. The secrets of the Ku Klux Klan.

What unites all these stories is a belief that the modern world, despite a surfeit of obfuscation, complication, and downright deceit, is not impenetrable, is not unknowable, and -- if the right questions are asked -- is even more intriguing than we think. All it takes is a new way of looking. Steven Levitt, through devilishly clever and clear-eyed thinking, shows how to see through all the clutter.

Freakonomics establishes this unconventional premise: If morality represents how we would like the world to work, then economics represents how it actually does work. It is true that readers of this book will be armed with enough riddles and stories to last a thousand cocktail parties. But Freakonomics can provide more than that. It will literally redefine the way we view the modern world

Going to try to read a couple chapters each day, unless I get entirely sucked into it and finish it in a sitting as occasionally happens xD

Sure thing :) I've still got 2 audios to go before this one, so it'll still be a few days. I'm behind, as was to be expected.

Intro and Chapter 1 (view spoiler)[ This is a very fascinating look at economics, and a side to the subject I've never considered. There are a few humorous moments and I found the first chapter, comparing cheating patterns between teachers and sumo wrestlers, actually quite interesting. There's a lot of facts in this that I wasn't aware of. Levitt has a very creative approach, such as attributing a decrease in crime to the legalisation of abortion. He's not traditional, but it's a very fresh way to look at what I'd normally think of as boring. (hide spoiler)]

You liking it?

Maddison wrote: "You liking it?"

Yes, it's very different to anything I've read before! It's very clever how they make connections between things you'd think are entirely unrelated.

Haha can't wait.

Chapters 2 and 3 (view spoiler)[ I love how this teaches me about things that I've never even thought of. It includes a brief history of the KKK and how estate agents sell their houses. I don't know much about either but it gives a really cool overview. I loved the bit about Venkatesh and the gangs as I had to read Venkatesh's book for my uni course and have a lot of background on that, so it was really cool to see an economist's viewpoint on it. (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 4 and 5 (view spoiler)[ As someone really interested in Soviet history, I found it fascinating and horrifying reading about the Communist director of Romania who taxed women for not conceiving. There are some very interesting discussions about abortion here. The chapter on parenting was equally interesting, seeing what actually correlates to being more successful. I was surprised by some of the results. I also love the governor's idea to send children a book a month! I think it was a great idea xD (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 6 and Epilogue (view spoiler)[ This chapter was awful and hilarious xD Someone actually called their children Winner and Loser, and Winner was a criminal and Loser was successful. There is also the amazing name 'Shithead', pronounced 'shu-teed'. I laughed out loud xD Other than that, there were some interesting discussions on race and why cultures name children in certain ways. The epilogue was pretty much a round up of the book! (hide spoiler)]

Extra content (view spoiler)[ The edition I read had some cool extras at the end, including some really interesting articles written by the authors about things like voting and race car safety. Entirely random but fun! I also enjoyed reading about Levitt's life and impact, and the Q and A had some very funny moments. (hide spoiler)]