Review by Choice Review
Levitt (economics, Univ. of Chicago) and journalist Dubner, authors of Freakonomics (CH, Nov'05, 43-1689), have written a book for readers and thinkers who are willing to train their brains to think fearlessly. With their trademark blend of storytelling and unconventional analysis, the authors include mini case histories of people whose major discoveries were initially ridiculed. Other information focuses on the surprising role of incentives in such contexts as toilet training, making charitable donations, and quitting jobs. Examples of people ranging from hot dog eating contestants to medical researchers provide insight into new, more productive ways of looking at problems. Readers who follow the guidelines in the book may find themselves admitting they do not know the answers to simple questions, but they will probably have a better understanding of why those questions are the wrong questions. The informal, conversational tone is backed by sound research described in the notes; readers might need to check the notes to determine whether a particular part contains new information or is from an earlier book. --Eileen G. Ferris, Goodwin College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The bestselling bards of gonzo economics return with this new compendium of nifty, if occasionally shallow contrarian mind-warps. This time University of Chicago economist Levitt and journalist Dubner clothe their Freakonmics schtick in flimsy self-help garb by instructing readers on how to "think like a Freak": ignore conventional wisdom; focus on data; test theories with experiments; don't confuse correlation with causality (married people may be happier, they note, because no one wants to marry a grump); most of all, attend to the devious workings of callow self-interest that rule all things (a principle that comically backfires when one of them uses candy bribes to toilet-train his daughter). Levitt and Dubner apply these nostrums to problems having little to do with economics, including competitive hot dog-eating, why Nigerian con artists advertise themselves as Nigerian con artists, and the game-theoretical ploys of King Solomon and David Lee Roth. Their arguments are lucid, catchy, and sometimes dubious; their brief for the efficacy of medieval trial-by-ordeal is no more convincing than their hackneyed attack on Britain's national health system. The result is brief, blithe, but ill-digested provocations that stimulate controversy, but are too sketchy to settle it. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Co-authors Levitt (Economics/Univ. of Chicago) and journalist Dubner (Super Freakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance, 2009, etc.) continue on their mission to get people to think in new ways in this lively book about decision and persuasion.Building on their first two books, the authors offer advice for dealing with "minor lifehacks or major global reforms." Most people, they argue, "seek out evidence that confirms what they already think, rather than new information that would give them a more robust view of reality." They urge openness to evidence that may seem obvious, counterintuitive or even childish. Children, they conclude, are much more likely than adults to focus on small, solvable problems rather than "intractable, hopelessly complex" issues. "Small questions are by their nature less often asked and investigated.They are virgin territory for true learning," they assert, and much more likely to inspire change. Nine fast-paced, story-filled chapters offer nuggets of useful advice: Don't be afraid to say, "I don't know." It's essential for learning. Reframe questions: "If you ask the wrong question, you are almost guaranteed to get the wrong answer." Stay alert to the real root cause of a problem; it may be far different from what people generally assume. Levitt and Dubner analyze the upsides and downsides of incentives and consider the insidious power of "herd thinking." Genial storytellers, the authors admit that much of their advice may seem like common sense (and, of course, they covered much of this territory already in their previous books), but they cite study after studyby psychologists, sociologists, educators and scientiststo show that sometimes common sense is severely underutilized.Upbeat and optimistic, Levitt and Dubner hope that by thinking "a bit differently, a bid harder, a bit more freely," readers will be able "to go out and right some wrong, to ease some burden." Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
