Malcolm H. Major
1/10/13
 AP Lang: Book Review

         “Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything” co-authored by an economist, Steven D. Levitt and a New York Times writer, Stephen J. Dubner, claims no unifying theme. As this book progresses we see a theme materialize, which is looking at the world in a revolutionary way; from an economics perspective. Levitt looks away from conventional “wisdom” and looks through the eyes of an economist, from parenting to crack dealers to the secret codes of the Klu Klux Klan and Real Estate agents. By wading through mountains of information Levitt shifts the data into cohesive answers to his many questions.
         This duo of Dubner and Levitt have created a book that conveys large amounts of information without boring its readers. It uses clear and concise language to change some of the many misconceptions surrounding our world. He looks at names, race, cheating sumo wrestlers and Schoolteachers, and abortion, all in ways that have not been thought of before. As you progress farther into the book, the duo makes many surprising statements that upset the preconceived ideas of the masses. The book begins with by asking what Schoolteachers and Sumo wrestlers have in common. It is our first look at incentives, which are the main focus of economics and at how easily these incentives can change our actions. It also explains the three basic incentives types: economic, social, and moral, with an example of the anti-smoking movement to easily show the meaning. The following chapter entitled “How Is The Klu Klux Klan Like a Group of Real-Estate Agents?” deals with using information to get a leg up. It shows how these two incredibly different groups use information asymmetry (where one group has better or more information than the other and use it to their benefit or the detriment of others). In the next chapter the book deals with conventional wisdom and how flawed it is. It turns out to be made up or flawed in an alarming amount of cases, with “experts” lying about statistics for personal gain. They show the damage of crack cocaine among black Americans while showing how only a small amount of drug dealers make it to the top while rest make very little money, exemplifying the falsities of our conventional wisdom. The next chapter asks “Where Have All The Criminals Gone?” where the authors plunge into massive amounts of data to discover the cause of the crime drop-off in the 1990’s. They argue very controversially that legalizing abortion has cut crime rates in the United States by using logical analysis of facts and dispelling fictitious ideas. In the following chapter they say that parenting doesn’t affect the child, but genetics plays the lead role. It also looks at experts that contradict each other despite seemingly being sure of what they are saying. The books final chapter deals with names and how they affect success. As the parents “first official act,” Levitt shows just how much effect names have on the outcome of the child. It also talks about the difference in black and white names and why names are chosen in the first place. The final chapter ends the book with giving you a little more knowledge about the world we inhabit and how it works.
          I really enjoyed this book, it was interesting, a word I do not usually associate with nonfiction book. Levitt’s mission to find out how the world works deeply interests me, which is part of the reason I enjoy this book so much, but also because how is it is written so to be easily understood. I would recommend this book to any.