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mrbrownsays's review against another edition
3.0
Does what it says on the tin. Not sure there was a need for a second book, but I am perhaps spoilt by listening to the podcast.
oxnard_montalvo's review against another edition
3.0
Was hoping for something thicker, more in-depth. This seemed to skirt the surface of many interesting ideas without getting to the meat.
trin's review against another edition
2.0
In writing this sequel to the uberbestseller [b:Freakonomics|1202|Freakonomics A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (Revised and Expanded Edition)|Steven D. Levitt|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1157833345s/1202.jpg|5397], did Levitt and Dubner forget everything that made the first book fun? Instead of amusing minutiae, this book attempts to tackle "big issues," but it fumbles them. I think enough's already been said about the bizarre global warming chapter, but then there's also the lame chapter about terrorism (I suppose you could say this about almost anything in retrospect, but doesn't the conclusion about life insurance seem incredibly obvious?), and the chapter about prostitution, which is SuperFreaky, but not in a good way. The book concludes with a short epilogue about monkeys, which is more entertaining—and more like the first Freakonomics—than the rest of the book combined. This is a case where just repeating what made the first book successful and enjoyable would have been enough, but instead the authors tried to reinvent the wheel. Whatever this odd collection of spokes and rubber is, it doesn't work.
_nijinska's review against another edition
Better than the first but still lacking in something, some unity...
ngallion's review against another edition
3.0
While I'm a fan of economics as a tool to study human behavior, this one didn't do much to win me over. The opening chapter on prostitution was interesting (and, indeed, it seems to have won its placement as the first chapter in the book as a means to draw the reader in), but it doesn't really have a significant impact on me or anyone I know, so it doesn't really move past being (mildly) salacious. There are a number of interesting tidbits, to be sure, but there's not a lot that blew my mind. The last chapter, though, felt like a pretty significant misstep to me. Economics, it should be noted, are not climate scientists, and shouldn't pretend that they are. They post a number of interesting ideas in this chapter, but too often they're presented as "See! It's easy to fix climate change!" rather than as theory. They do make a few statements that soften this, but not enough to change this tone. Additionally, the fact that they very quickly gloss over an accusation that a company behind some of these "quick fixes" is a patent troll without any serious exploration of this makes me wonder about some of the other research they did in both this book and the previous one.
In short, I love the economic approach to human behavior, but this book didn't do a lot to advance this for me in any meaningful way. Further, I have some questions about their methodologies and research that make me question the content of the book. Bummer.
In short, I love the economic approach to human behavior, but this book didn't do a lot to advance this for me in any meaningful way. Further, I have some questions about their methodologies and research that make me question the content of the book. Bummer.
cerysejones's review against another edition
4.0
Good. The last chapter was the least interesting but the stuff at the back was cool.
afmartinez2's review against another edition
5.0
Very entertaining and interesting. I was giggling through the book, it made me remember why I fell in love with economics in the first place.