Superfreakonomics - Book #108

-------------+----------------------------------------|
| Title | Superfreakonomics |
|-------------+----------------------------------------|
| Author |Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner |
|-------------+----------------------------------------|

| Genre |Nonfiction (Economics) |
|-------------+----------------------------------------|

| Pages |216 |
|-------------+----------------------------------------|
| Publisher |William Morrow |
|-------------+----------------------------------------|
| Copyright |2009 |
|-------------+----------------------------------------|


Synopsis (from web-site)

SuperFreakonomics, the highly anticipated sequel to the best-selling Freakonomics, was released on October 20, 2009. Steven Levitt, professor of economics at the University of Chicago, and author Stephen Dubner have again teamed together to apply economic reasoning to a wide range of real-world questions. As with the original Freakonomics, SuperFreakonomics is largely based upon the research of Professor Levitt, who has tackled problems inside and outside the field of economics.

Why I read It

Loved book one and really love odd ball correlations.

The Good
Some really good stuff to make you think. They pull stuff from all over and show how it is all inter-related.

The Bad

There could be a tendency to think these relationships between events is the absolute truth. As I am sure the authors would say themselves - this stuff is interesting but it doesn't mean it is fact.

The Ugly (my opinion)

I really liked this book. I always become reflective on my own life when I see two seemingly unrelated things brought together in interesting ways. I believe most of us become dismissive of these relationships in our own lives and either miss out on some wonderful opportunities, or more likely, we abuse these relationships until they die. Interesting factoids - the chances of getting on trouble with the law for using a prostitute is almost nil. Drunk walking is just as dangerous (if not more) than drunk driving. The big controversy in this book though is their dismantling of the global warning hype. That is true religion to a lot of people so it stirred up a lot of strong emotions.

The Truth? (other reviews)

Guardian
Louisville Courier Journal

Mormon Mentions
None

Author Biographies
Steven LevittSteve Levitt is the William B. Ogden Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago, where he directs the Becker Center on Chicago Price Theory. Levitt received his BA from Harvard University in 1989 and his PhD from MIT in 1994. He has taught at Chicago since 1997. In 2004, Levitt was awarded the John Bates Clark Medal, awarded to the most influential economist under the age of 40. In 2006, he was named one of Time magazine's “100 People Who Shape Our World.” Steve co-authored Freakonomics, which spent over 2 years on the New York Times Best Seller list and has sold more than 3 million copies worldwide. SuperFreakonomics, available this October, includes brand new research on topics from terrorism to prostitution to global warming. Steve is also the co-author of the popular New York Times Freakonomics Blog.

Stephen DunbarStephen J. Dubner is an award-winning author and journalist who lives in New York City. He is the co-author, with Steven D. Levitt, of Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything. He is also the author of Turbulent Souls: A Catholic Son's Return to His Jewish Family (1998), Confessions of a Hero-Worshiper (2003), and a children's book, The Boy With Two Belly Buttons (2007).