When to Rob a Bank by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner

(hb; 2015: nonfiction)

From the inside flap:

"When Freakanomics was first published, the authors started a blog --and they've kept it up. The writing is more casual, more personal, even more outlandish than in their books. In When to Rob a Bank, they ask a host of typically off-center questions:

"Why don't flight attendants get tipped?

"If you were a terrorist, how would you attack?

"Why does KFC always run out of fried chicken?

"Over the past decade, Levitt and Dubner have published more than 8,000 blog posts on Freakanomics.com. Many of them, they freely admit, were rubbish. But now they've gone through and picked the best of the best. You'll discover what people lie about, and why; the best way to cut down on gun deaths; why it might be time for a sex tax; and yes, when to rob a bank. (Short answer: never; the ROI is terrible.) You'll also learn about Levitt and Dubner's own quirks and passions, from gambling and golf to backgammon and the abolition of the penny."


Review:

If you are a fan of Levitt and Dubner's earlier books, chances are you'll enjoy Rob, which updates past stories they have written about, as well as the usual blend of humor, politics, sports and social elements, especially the sometimes-regrettable quirks of human nature.

This is a good read, worth checking out from the library.

Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain, by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner

(hb; 2014: nonfiction.  Follow-up work to Freakonomics and Superfreakonomics)


From the inside flap:

"Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner single-handedly showed the world that applying counter-intuitive approaches to everyday problems can bear surprising results.

"Think Like A Freak will take readers further inside this special thought process, revealing a new way of approaching the decisions we make, the plans we create, and the morals we choose. It answers the question on the lips of everyone who’s read the previous books: How can I apply these ideas to my life? How do I make smarter, harder, and better decisions? How can I truly think like a freak?

"With short, highly entertaining insights running the gamut from 'The Upside of Quitting' to 'How to Succeed-With No Talent,' Think Like A Freak is poised to radically alter the way we think about all aspects of life on this planet."


Review:

Like Freakonomics and Superfreakonomics, Think illustrates and celebrates the art of looking at things (whether it's a hot dog eating contest or more meaningful life experiences) in different, intuitive and fact-based ways to arrive at fresh results and outlooks, whether they're successful or don't-do-that learning experiences (what some would call "failure").

What differentiates Think from those first two books is that it expressly shows how readers, with a few simple steps, can break out of everyday acceptance of "common sense" thinking that often limits what we (can) do, collectively and individually.  Levitt and Dubner don't offer easy solutions to anything, but Think, with its entertaining examples and its re-examinations of experiments mentioned in their previous books, does offer an intriguing read, as well as actions we can take to make this a better, gentler and more productive world.

Even if you find yourself disagreeing with Dubner and Levitt's suggestions, Think will (likely) compel you to (more) consciously consider your decision-making processes and worldview, as well as those of the people around you.

This is book, out of the many books I've read, is one of the few that I plan to not only own*, but re-read in a few years (to refresh my memory).  Check it out.


[*In my reviews I often say certain books are "worth owning" - and they are, at least in my estimation.  This, however, doesn't necessarily mean that I actually own all of them, as I have limited space to keep them. ]

SuperFreakonomics, by Steven D.Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner

(hb; 2009: non-fiction.  Follow-up work to Freakonomics; precedent work to Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain)

From the inside flap:

"Four years in the making, SuperFreakonomics asks not only the tough questions, but the unexpected ones: What's more dangerous, driving drunk or walking drunk? Why is chemotherapy prescribed so often if it's so ineffective? Can a sex change boost your salary?

"SuperFreakonomics challenges the way we think all over again, exploring the hidden side of everything with such questions as:

"How is a street prostitute like a department-store Santa?

"Why are doctors so bad at washing their hands?

"What's the best way to catch a terrorist?

"Did TV cause a rise in crime?

"What do hurricanes, heart attacks, and highway deaths have in common?

"Are people hardwired for altruism or selfishness?

"Can eating kangaroo save the planet?

"Who adds more value: a pimp or a realtor?

"Levitt and Dubner mix smart thinking and great storytelling. . . whether investigating a solution to global warming or explaining why the price of oral sex has fallen so drastically. By examining how people respond to incentives, they show the world for what it is -- good, bad, ugly, and in the final analysis, superfreaky."

Review:

Another off-beat, real-world smart, logical and compelling read from Dubner and Levitt.

As in Freakonomics, the authors back up their eye-catching chapter titles with solid, economist-minded reasoning -- much of controversial on multiple levels -- that makes practical sense.

Own this, if you're willing to set aside your preconceptions of how people, society, morality, etc., work, and entertain a cooler (as in: more rational) view of how things work.

Freakonomics, by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner

(hb; 2005: non-fiction; precedent work to SuperFreakonomics)

From the inside flap:

"What 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 eally matter? What kind of impact did Roe v. Wade have on violent crime?

"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.

" . . 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."

Review:

Entertaining, off-beat, real-world smart, logical and compelling read, with eye-catching chapter titles: "What Do Schoolteachers and Sumo Wrestlers Have in Common?"; "How Is The Klu Klux Klan Like a Group of Real Estate Agents?"; "Why Do Drug Dealers Still Live with Their Moms?", etc.

The authors back up their flashy chapter titles with solid, economist-minded reasoning -- some of controversial on multiple levels -- that, for this reader, ultimately rings true, and has made this already-wary reader even more wary (but not in a negative way)... even the darkest truths contained in Freakonomics are presented with a skilled, deft hand.

Own this, if you're willing to set aside your preconceptions of how people, society, morality, etc., work, and entertain a cooler (as in: more rational) view of how things work.