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Freakonomics
- Revised Edition
- Narrated by: Stephen J. Dubner
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
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SuperFreakonomics
- Written by: Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
- Narrated by: Stephen J. Dubner
- Length: 7 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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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? What do hurricanes, heart attacks, and highway deaths have in common? Can eating kangaroo save the planet? Levitt and Dubner mix smart thinking and great storytelling like no one else.
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Awesome - listened over two days.
- By Anonymous User on 2021-05-25
Written by: Steven D. Levitt, and others
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When to Rob a Bank
- …And 131 More Warped Suggestions and Well-Intended Rants
- Written by: Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
- Narrated by: Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner, Erik Bergmann, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, the quirky geniuses behind Freakonomics, SuperFreakonomics, and Think Like a Freak, are back at it. For the last 10 years, they've used the tools of economics to answer some of our most unanswerable questions on the Freakonomics.com blog. Here, for the first time, the very best of their more than 8,000 posts are together in a single place.
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Just fine
- By Amazon Customer on 2020-08-09
Written by: Steven D. Levitt, and others
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Think Like a Freak
- Written by: Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
- Narrated by: Stephen J. Dubner
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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The New York Times best-selling Freakonomics changed the way we see the world, exposing the hidden side of just about everything. Then came SuperFreakonomics, a documentary film, an award-winning podcast, and more. Now, with Think Like a Freak, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner have written their most revolutionary book yet. With their trademark blend of captivating storytelling and unconventional analysis, they take us inside their thought process and teach us all to think a bit more productively, more creatively, more rationally.
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Contains Liberal propaganda
- By Zastels on 2021-01-27
Written by: Steven D. Levitt, and others
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Blink
- The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
- Written by: Malcolm Gladwell
- Narrated by: Malcolm Gladwell
- Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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In his landmark best seller The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell redefined how we understand the world around us. Now, in Blink, he revolutionizes the way we understand the world within. Blink is a book about how we think without thinking, about choices that seem to be made in an instant, in the blink of an eye, that actually aren't as simple as they seem. Why are some people brilliant decision makers, while others are consistently inept?
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Interesting and well told, but.
- By Alexandre L'Écuyer on 2019-12-07
Written by: Malcolm Gladwell
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Outliers
- The Story of Success
- Written by: Malcolm Gladwell
- Narrated by: Malcolm Gladwell
- Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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In this stunning audiobook, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of "outliers" - the best and the brightest, the most famous, and the most successful. He asks the question: What makes high-achievers different? His answer is that we pay too much attention to what successful people are like, and too little attention to where they are from: That is, their culture, their family, their generation, and the idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing.
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Nothing like Malcolm Gladwell in your ears
- By Hala on 2020-05-24
Written by: Malcolm Gladwell
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The Wealth of Nations
- Written by: Adam Smith
- Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
- Length: 36 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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The foundation for all modern economic thought and political economy, The Wealth of Nations is the magnum opus of Scottish economist Adam Smith, who introduces the world to the very idea of economics and capitalism in the modern sense of the words.
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a must!
- By Bean on 2022-02-17
Written by: Adam Smith
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SuperFreakonomics
- Written by: Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
- Narrated by: Stephen J. Dubner
- Length: 7 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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? What do hurricanes, heart attacks, and highway deaths have in common? Can eating kangaroo save the planet? Levitt and Dubner mix smart thinking and great storytelling like no one else.
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Awesome - listened over two days.
- By Anonymous User on 2021-05-25
Written by: Steven D. Levitt, and others
-
When to Rob a Bank
- …And 131 More Warped Suggestions and Well-Intended Rants
- Written by: Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
- Narrated by: Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner, Erik Bergmann, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, the quirky geniuses behind Freakonomics, SuperFreakonomics, and Think Like a Freak, are back at it. For the last 10 years, they've used the tools of economics to answer some of our most unanswerable questions on the Freakonomics.com blog. Here, for the first time, the very best of their more than 8,000 posts are together in a single place.
-
-
Just fine
- By Amazon Customer on 2020-08-09
Written by: Steven D. Levitt, and others
-
Think Like a Freak
- Written by: Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
- Narrated by: Stephen J. Dubner
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The New York Times best-selling Freakonomics changed the way we see the world, exposing the hidden side of just about everything. Then came SuperFreakonomics, a documentary film, an award-winning podcast, and more. Now, with Think Like a Freak, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner have written their most revolutionary book yet. With their trademark blend of captivating storytelling and unconventional analysis, they take us inside their thought process and teach us all to think a bit more productively, more creatively, more rationally.
-
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Contains Liberal propaganda
- By Zastels on 2021-01-27
Written by: Steven D. Levitt, and others
-
Blink
- The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
- Written by: Malcolm Gladwell
- Narrated by: Malcolm Gladwell
- Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In his landmark best seller The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell redefined how we understand the world around us. Now, in Blink, he revolutionizes the way we understand the world within. Blink is a book about how we think without thinking, about choices that seem to be made in an instant, in the blink of an eye, that actually aren't as simple as they seem. Why are some people brilliant decision makers, while others are consistently inept?
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Interesting and well told, but.
- By Alexandre L'Écuyer on 2019-12-07
Written by: Malcolm Gladwell
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Outliers
- The Story of Success
- Written by: Malcolm Gladwell
- Narrated by: Malcolm Gladwell
- Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
In this stunning audiobook, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of "outliers" - the best and the brightest, the most famous, and the most successful. He asks the question: What makes high-achievers different? His answer is that we pay too much attention to what successful people are like, and too little attention to where they are from: That is, their culture, their family, their generation, and the idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing.
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Nothing like Malcolm Gladwell in your ears
- By Hala on 2020-05-24
Written by: Malcolm Gladwell
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The Wealth of Nations
- Written by: Adam Smith
- Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
- Length: 36 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
The foundation for all modern economic thought and political economy, The Wealth of Nations is the magnum opus of Scottish economist Adam Smith, who introduces the world to the very idea of economics and capitalism in the modern sense of the words.
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a must!
- By Bean on 2022-02-17
Written by: Adam Smith
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The Tipping Point
- How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
- Written by: Malcolm Gladwell
- Narrated by: Malcolm Gladwell
- Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Discover Malcolm Gladwell's breakthrough debut and explore the science behind viral trends in business, marketing, and human behavior. The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire. Just as a single sick person can start an epidemic of the flu, so too can a small but precisely targeted push cause a fashion trend, the popularity of a new product, or a drop in the crime rate.
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A book by a guy who follows his own advice
- By Jeff Alpaugh on 2018-03-14
Written by: Malcolm Gladwell
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Thinking, Fast and Slow
- Written by: Daniel Kahneman
- Narrated by: Patrick Egan
- Length: 20 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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The guru to the gurus at last shares his knowledge with the rest of us. Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman's seminal studies in behavioral psychology, behavioral economics, and happiness studies have influenced numerous other authors, including Steven Pinker and Malcolm Gladwell. In Thinking, Fast and Slow, Kahneman at last offers his own, first book for the general public. It is a lucid and enlightening summary of his life's work. It will change the way you think about thinking. Two systems drive the way we think and make choices, Kahneman explains....
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Very difficult to follow in audio format
- By Amazon Customer on 2017-10-06
Written by: Daniel Kahneman
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The Essays of Warren Buffett
- Lessons for Corporate America, Fifth Edition
- Written by: Lawrence A. Cunningham, Warren E. Buffett
- Narrated by: Brennen Blotner
- Length: 15 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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The fifth edition of The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America continues a 25-year tradition of collating Warren Buffett's philosophy in a historic collaboration between Mr. Buffett and Prof. Lawrence Cunningham. As the book Buffett autographs most, its popularity and longevity attest to the widespread appetite for this unique compilation of Mr. Buffett’s thoughts that is at once comprehensive, non-repetitive, and digestible.
Written by: Lawrence A. Cunningham, and others
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Capital in the Twenty-First Century
- Written by: Thomas Piketty, Arthur Goldhammer - translator
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
- Length: 24 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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What are the grand dynamics that drive the accumulation and distribution of capital? Questions about the long-term evolution of inequality, the concentration of wealth, and the prospects for economic growth lie at the heart of political economy. But satisfactory answers have been hard to find for lack of adequate data and clear guiding theories.
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Life-altering, fantastic
- By Stu B. on 2019-07-31
Written by: Thomas Piketty, and others
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Smarter Faster Better
- The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business
- Written by: Charles Duhigg
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Drawing on the latest findings in neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral economics - as well as the experiences of CEOs, educational reformers, four-star generals, FBI agents, airplane pilots, and Broadway songwriters - this painstakingly researched book explains that the most productive people, companies, and organizations don't merely act differently. They view the world, and their choices, in profoundly different ways.
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Smart book
- By Megan on 2018-09-19
Written by: Charles Duhigg
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Understanding Power
- The Indispensable Chomsky
- Written by: Noam Chomsky, John Schoeffel - editor, Peter R. Mitchell - editor
- Narrated by: Robin Bloodworth
- Length: 22 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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A major new collection from "arguably the most important intellectual alive" ( The New York Times). Noam Chomsky is universally accepted as one of the preeminent public intellectuals of the modern era. Over the past thirty years, broadly diverse audiences have gathered to attend his sold-out lectures. Now, in Understanding Power, Peter Mitchell and John Schoeffel have assembled the best of Chomsky's recent talks on the past, present, and future of the politics of power.
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Truly essential Chomsky
- By Dustin Lawtey on 2018-09-14
Written by: Noam Chomsky, and others
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David and Goliath
- Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants
- Written by: Malcolm Gladwell
- Narrated by: Malcolm Gladwell
- Length: 7 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Explore the power of the underdog in Malcolm Gladwell's dazzling examination of success, motivation, and the role of adversity in shaping our lives, from the best-selling author of The Bomber Mafia. Three thousand years ago on a battlefield in ancient Palestine, a shepherd boy felled a mighty warrior with nothing more than a stone and a sling, and ever since then the names of David and Goliath have stood for battles between underdogs and giants. David's victory was improbable and miraculous. He shouldn't have won. Or should he have?
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Yet another great look at the way we look at life.
- By Rob on 2018-11-07
Written by: Malcolm Gladwell
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Life on Earth
- Written by: David Attenborough
- Narrated by: David Attenborough
- Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the book’s first publication, David Attenborough has revisited Life on Earth, completely updating and adding to the original text, taking account of modern scientific discoveries from around the globe....
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A breath of Fresh Air for all of time
- By Anonymous User on 2021-02-18
Written by: David Attenborough
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Perennial Seller
- The Art of Making and Marketing Work That Lasts
- Written by: Ryan Holiday
- Narrated by: Ryan Holiday
- Length: 7 hrs
- Unabridged
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How can we create and market creative works that achieve longevity? Holiday explores this mystery by drawing on his extensive experience working with businesses and creators such as Google, American Apparel, and the author John Grisham as well as his interviews with the minds behind some of the greatest perennial sellers of our time.
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A big nothing-burger
- By lyleg on 2023-03-07
Written by: Ryan Holiday
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The Lost Continent
- Travels In Small Town America
- Written by: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: William Roberts
- Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Hardly anyone ever leaves Des Moines, Iowa. But Bill Bryson did, and after 10 years in England he decided to go home, to a foreign country. In an ageing Chevrolet Chevette, he drove nearly 14,000 miles through 38 states to compile this hilarious and perceptive state-of-the-nation report on small-town America.
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Disappointing!
- By Pierre Gauthier on 2021-05-17
Written by: Bill Bryson
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Integrity
- The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality
- Written by: Henry Cloud
- Narrated by: Henry Cloud
- Length: 5 hrs and 14 mins
- Abridged
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Integrity. It is more than simple honesty. It's the key to success. A person with integrity has the, often rare, ability to pull everything together, to make it all happen no matter how challenging the circumstances.
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Why missing paragraphs?
- By Tom J. on 2023-02-17
Written by: Henry Cloud
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Alchemy
- The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life
- Written by: Rory Sutherland
- Narrated by: Rory Sutherland
- Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Why is Red Bull so popular, though everyone—everyone!—hates the taste? Humans are, in a word, irrational, basing decisions as much on subtle external signals (that little blue can) as on objective qualities (flavor, price, quality). The surrounding world, meanwhile, is irreducibly complex and random. This means future success can’t be projected on any accounting spreadsheet. To strike gold, you must master the dark art and curious science of conjuring irresistible ideas: alchemy.
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Rory Sutherland's narration is truly special
- By Shane Duquette on 2020-04-29
Written by: Rory Sutherland
Publisher's Summary
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? How did the legalization of abortion affect the rate of 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 riddles of everyday life, from cheating and crime to sports and child-rearing, and whose conclusions turn the conventional wisdom on its head. Thus the new field of study contained in this audiobook: Freakonomics.
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 explore the hidden side of...well, everything. The inner working of a crack gang...the truth about real-estate agents...the secrets of the Klu Klux Klan.
What unites all these stories is a belief that the modern world is even more intriguing than we think. All it takes is a new way of looking, and Freakonomics will redefine the way we view the modern world.
What the critics say
"Refreshingly accessible and engrossing." (Publishers Weekly)
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What listeners say about Freakonomics
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Zane Gates
- 2021-01-28
Only For Young People
I would only recommend this book to a teenager or young adult. The concepts might prove useful for them to be exposed to. Basically the concepts of this book are that, unless you want to be very naive and risk being taken advantage of, you should take the term "expert" with a grain of salt. There are no shortage of careers in which people self-aggrandize or try to hoard information to make themselves appear more competent than they are. The internet is making these folks somewhat obsolete, but they continue using greasy and weasely means of trying to maintain their power structure.
There's a whole chapter outlining the mechanics of how a gang operates. If you have lived an incredibly sheltered life, this might be eye opening to you. But for anyone who's been paying attention, these concepts will all seem trite and obvious. And not the kind of obvious that seems obvious after you're exposed to it - the type of obvious where if it wasn't obvious to you, you simply haven't been paying attention. Or you've been deluded, or you float through life with a childlike submissiveness and unquestioning nature towards those in positions of power or leadership.
The fact that this book is lauded as being intrepid or unusually introspective in some way is concerning. It speaks to a culture of dimwits. Don't be a dummy - pay attention. If you need this book to help you get that message, that's good I suppose. But you'd be better off learning that yourself. You want to learn how to be critical in a functional manner.
1 person found this helpful
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- Suzanne Prémont
- 2022-11-20
Interesting book, more N-words than I expected
The data presented in this book is very universal and interesting, however, it is already showing signs of aging poorly. Still worth reading though. Fair warning: if you are sensitive to the uncensored N-word there are at least 3-4 occurences in there.
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- Robby W
- 2022-08-08
Thought Provoking
Loved this book - had me anticipating the car rides so i can listen to it
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- Andre Costa
- 2021-06-17
A collection of curious facts
Data and numbers are up to interpretation. It’s true numbers don’t lie but can be interpreted differently. I didn’t like the way homosexuality was treated at the end when the author discussed about the economics of sex and aids. It leans to a conservatism that seems not supported by all interpretation of the data.
Overall is a good book with some interesting insights.
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- RobKYEG
- 2021-04-09
Fascinating
Thoroughly interesting, well read, good conversational topics. The only weird thing is the occasional guitar interlude which makes it sound like ... like a Sheryl Crow song is starting.
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- Michaela
- 2021-03-10
A different way of looking at things
I’ve been wanting to read/listen to this book for the better part of a decade and finally managed to get it done. I was not disappointed.
The content is interesting and offers one great thought experiments and solutions to complicated questions. I knew going in what some of the topics and conclusions were but still enjoyed listening to Levitt justify his findings.
Given that I’m a listener of Steven Levite’s podcast and used to the high production value he now offers, I found this recording lacking a certain spark. It’s not bad, just average.
I would recommend this book to everyone. It’s a great way to learn how to objectively look at a question and formulate an unbiased conclusion based solely in the evidence.
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- Ryan G.
- 2020-12-30
Must read!
This book is revolutionary and a must read for all! Have your life transformed as you read this book!
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- Clyde Smith
- 2019-09-24
Great book
Insightful. A must read.
Will definitely recommend reading/listening to this one.
On to Super....
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- Iain
- 2018-11-09
Interesting but flawed
It's troubling that someone who professes to love delving deep and thinking different is able to derive pleasure from firing a bunch of teachers for cheating, without delving deeper into story behind the cheating.
An original thinker is all well and good, but everyone has bias, and any claim that one professes to be apolitical, yet implicitly embraces free market Capitalism should raise eyebrows.
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- everyman
- 2018-09-13
Life is so fascinating!
This book makes life seem so fascinating and makes you think twice about the most mundane things, especially what you hear on the news. There are so many things like sumo wrestling and people's names that I wouldn't have thought twice about, but this book dives into them with such interest that I was hooked from almost the first page. Thanks #Audible1
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- Shackleton
- 2008-07-03
Good, but be careful
As a PhD statistician, I love a good data-driven story. Increasing, people in politics, business, and academia are looking for decisions that are based on what the data say. Leavitt's research is engaging and accessible and I, for the most part, enjoyed this book.
HOWEVER, without exception, Leavitt presents his findings as gospel and continually fails to acknowledge the limitations of his methods and his data. He mentions his use of linear regression to obtain his results, but fails to mention the limitations of this method (e.g., results are probabilistic, results are based on model assumptions which may be entirely incorrect). His results obtained from this method sometimes also appear to tell too convenient of a story and seem to be cherry-picked. Moreover, all his results are based on single data sets and may not be as universal as he would like. Finally, he often takes one result (e.g., reading to your kids does not affect their standardized test scores) and makes huge, sweeping generalizations that lead you to believe that reading to your kids doesn't have any affect on any outcome of interest and that you're a bad (or naive) parent for even trying.
These are dangerous practices, though I can see why he does what he does - making all sort of caveats would water-down his findings and make his book less sensational. Nevertheless, he runs the risk of misleading his readers. Judging from the comments posted here so far from people who assume these conclusions are certain, I would say he's succeeded in this endeavor.
1,158 people found this helpful
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- Carl
- 2011-01-17
Easy read
This is a compelling book, but it will offend many. Race is dealt with quite a bit, and is pretty hard on blacks. We get mostly conclusions, and little of the data and methodology. Some conclusions are based on assumptions.
For example, they say that adoption correlates to lower success. If the data proves that, fine. But when they conclude that this must be because "The type of person to give up a baby for adoption tends to have a lower IQ"... I think this is an ASSUMPTION that can't possibly be supported by data, given that most adoptions are closed. How do they know the IQ of the mothers?
The idea that crime fell off precipitously in the 90's because of abortion is compelling but I see some flaws. They ASSUME that the unwanted, aborted babies were the most likely babies to have become criminals. At the same time they fall heavily on the nature side in the nature vs nurture debate (I agree) and imply that intelligent, successful parents tend to produce the same sort of children. So, who is really having all the abortions? Unintelligent and uneducated women, or upwardly mobile women that don't want impediments to careers and education? If the majority are in the latter group, couldn't it be argued that those kids would have been LESS likely to be criminals? Where is the data on this? I'm sure it's out there but not mentioned in the book. Also, what about all the aborted children that were essentially replaced by the children of immigrants? There has been no precipitous drop in population in America, unlike, say Italy, despite abortion and contraception because of immigration, correct? So, they must be saying that there's not a drop in teenagers, but just a drop in BAD teenagers, and I don;t see how this has been proven.
They sometimes cite hypothetical and anecdotal cases which are purely imaginary.
Despite these shortcomings, it was a fun read with interesting ideas. I just wouldn't take some of their conclusions as gospel.
160 people found this helpful
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- Greg
- 2008-01-06
Interesting yet lacks unity
Bottom line - I recommend this book. It is full of interesting threads comparing one part of life to another. The book tries to show how human behavior is governed less by morality than by economics. The reader/listener must be willing to accept that economics is more than the study of finances and as explained is understandable.
There are parts of this book that will disturb some listeners. The idea that crime reduction is primarily the result of Roe v. Wade is difficult for some to accept.
Other topics include parenting for childhood success in school, racial bias in baby names, real estate agents who sell out, teachers who cheat on tests, and the anatomy of drug dealing.
My biggest problem with the book is that it lacks a unifying theme. In fact, near the end the author admits to this and gives us little to tie it all together. It contains some very interesting concepts that I will listen to again. Perhaps then will I start to see their connections to each other.
One irony I cannot fault the author for is more Audible.com's fault. The author spends a good deal of time describing which parenting traits impact their child's academic performance and which do not. One argument he makes is that the amount of time a parent reads to their child does not affect that child's ability to do well in school. Whether or not you agree, the irony occurs at the end when Audible inserts an advertisement lauding the significance to a child's academic success as dependent on hearing others read books to them. I found this amusing.
78 people found this helpful
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- Taylor
- 2015-08-30
I appreciate the concept
Any additional comments?
Although I love this clever approach of comparing things that seem so unrelatable and finding the similarities that you wouldn't ordinarily see, the statistic based approach wasn't exactly a reliable leg to stand on in my eyes. It isn't that I doubt how thoroughly they researched these topics, it's that I don't think statistics alone can tell a whole story. I was intrigued by the ideas, and I did enjoy the subject matter.It was a decent read, but I wouldn't actively recommend it.
45 people found this helpful
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- Rick
- 2009-02-01
Everyone should read this book
First and foremost: this book has absolutely nothing to do with the economy. Nada. Zip. Zilch. This book, does, however, have everything to do with stepping back and looking at things from a different perspective.
As the summary says, this book covers a range of topics: realtors, drug dealers, school teachers, crime, etc. But the point is not so much to teach you something new about those topics, but instead to get you to look at how those topics have been presented to you by others. Then, to shift your perspective and think about them in another way.
This book isn't an education into the "what" or "who" or "where" or "how" that you generally see, but into the "why" of things. It shows that rarely can you take an explanation at face value, but instead you need to keep digging. Stopping at what seems to make sense isn't good enough -- you need to pick at it until you get to the true heart of the matter.
I would recommend this book to absolutely anyone, and have been.
39 people found this helpful
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- Frank
- 2017-01-18
Boring
I've had so many friends tell me to read this book, so maybe my expectations were just too high. But my initial reaction after finishing it was boredom. The statistics are slightly interesting, but there is a lot of conjecture and subjective material that leads the reader on a little. Plus, there is no overarching theme to it. Just a collection of random case studies.
20 people found this helpful
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- John
- 2012-01-14
Interesting Connections
I had been meaning to read this book for a long time. It really makes some very fascinating connections and allows one to see the world in a different light.
One thing that bothered me is that the book rather uncritically suggests that my hometown of Atlanta was a hotbed of Klan activity. Although there was Klan activity in Atlanta and most of the South (and in other parts of the country), the book does not mention that Atlanta (birthplace of Dr. King) also boasts a long history of African-American entrepreneurship. Further, the City of Atlanta has had African-American mayors since the 1970s. At another point, the book suggests the crime rate here is very high. Yes, Atlanta has crime, but the City of Atlanta is a small part (about 500,000 people) of a 5.5 million metropolitan community. Crime stats focusing only on the City can be misleading.
These observations should not detract anyone from reading the book, but since the authors focus on discovering the truth about connections others do not make, I felt it important to make these points.
20 people found this helpful
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- Richard
- 2010-03-09
Compelling out-of-the-box thinking
Good for expanding one's point of view, and questioning conventional wisdom. Causes one to look at the motives behind the things we take for granted may not be as simply judged as first believed. Definitely worth the investment. I plan to buy the sequel. Narration is smooth and easy on the ears. Voice as enough inflection and personality to keep from being droll, but not so much that it is distracting or annoying.
16 people found this helpful
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- Amy Norman
- 2017-09-06
Interesting, but easy to tune out.
I learned a lot about incentives and what drives some decision making (microeconomics) but sometimes the data wasn't presented clearly. There seemed to be a lot of thoughts and information that felt like tangents. Still interesting, but sometimes it felt like there was too much information, so the point wasn't made clear. The baby names chapter especially wasn't easy to follow. Maybe I just need to listen to it again to catch anything missed.
Also, I would've appreciated a warning about language before listening to it in the car with my young kids in back... If there was one, I must've missed it. Oops.
12 people found this helpful
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- Brad
- 2009-02-13
So-so
This book comes highly recommended.
I thought it was too obvious.
Maybe coming from a Science background (myself), we are taught to question everything, so the results in this book are not ground-breaking to me. Yet, I think non-science people must be reading this and saying, "wow, I never thought of it that way before". Welcome to the true science world.
9 people found this helpful
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- Ray
- 2022-10-03
A must-read
A brilliant deconstruction of some dominant ideologies, using smart data analysis.
Makes you see things differently.