Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
 

Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner

Economics is not widely considered to be one of the sexier sciences. The annual Nobel Prize winner in that field never receives as much publicity as his or her compatriots in peace, literature, or physics. But if such slights are based on the notion that economics is dull, or that economists are concerned only with finance itself, Steven D. Levitt will change some minds. In Freakonomics... (read more)

Top tags: economicsnon-fictionnonfictionsociologybusiness (all tags)

Overview: Groups

What are you reading? 2290 books / 5331 members / 12176 posts A place to talk about books you have read/reading of any genre, or any book talk in general.
Books Featured on The Daily Show & The Colbert Report 255 books / 150 members / 21 posts
In honor of all the serious authors who make it on these ever increasingly popular parody news shows

The Daily Show is a Peabody and Emmy Award-winning half-hour American comical news television program produced by and run on the Comedy Central cable television network. It has been touted the sharpest political commentary shows on American television.

The Colbert Report is an American satirical television program on Comedy Central that stars comedian Stephen Colbert. It is a spinoff and counterpart of The Daily Show. The Report critiques politics and the media, but focuses on the commentary of Colbert's anchorman character, a right-wing "well-intentioned, poorly informed, high-status idiot" who is inspired by cable news personalities, particularly Bill O'Reilly.
What is the name of that Book??? 146 books / 326 members / 876 posts It can be frustrating to try to recall a book when you no longer remember the author or the title, only snippets of detail. Here is a place to tell what you do remember and maybe someone else can identify the book for you.
FrugalReader.com Members 436 books / 44 members / 229 posts A group for Shelfari.com members who are also FrugalReader.com members!
Entreprenuerial stories 22 books / 18 members / 2 posts Inspiritional books for entrepreneurs
Audible Books to recommend 256 books / 206 members / 502 posts I thought it would be nice to have a list of books that people have read that are on audible (i.e., downloads from Audible.com, library CDs, etc).

Often I have to go from book review back to Audible.com to see if it's there before I can check it off to my Wish List (right now I am listening to my books for the most part). I don't like cassette tapes, however, and I have seen where a book may be available on tape but not CD or download. Downloads are less expensive, too. Starlet
Girls Night Out 3 books / 6 members / 1 posts
Kristin's 2008 A-Z New Author Challenge 68 books / 1 members / 20 posts This is a private group set up to keep track of authors read during 2008. Each author must be a new author that never read before beginning with a different letter of the alphabet.

Completed so far: ABCDGHIJKLMNOPQRSTVW
UrBan DiaTribe 27 books / 2 members / 1 posts We read & therefore are -- recreating ivory tower discussions on all lit of piquant wit.
Open to/for/by discussion. Let me know what you're inclined to read/discuss.
Second Thursday Book Club 56 books / 5 members / 11 posts
Mommies Love 2 Read 7 books / 2 members / 1 posts For all the mommies out there who juggle their time between their kids, their books, kitchens, laundry jobs, etc etc
The 400 Pages (or Less) Book Club 73 books / 10 members / 16 posts This is a "no pressure" book club. We will only read books with 400 pages or less - unless we really want to read it :-)


You don't have to finish reading the book or even start reading the book to participate. Come on in & join us for a discussion about why you didn't finish - or what stopped you from picking it up in the first place.

The Darlingbutt/darling, but Reading Group 3 books / 2 members / 0 posts
Coolanomics 5 books / 1 members / 0 posts Because "We may have been Keynesians once, but times change. We are all Freakonomists now."

Because "Economists are the new rock stars".

Readers and Admirers of the new real-life economics.
50 Book Challenge! 2775 books / 2664 members / 14989 posts When asked about the new Amazon Kindle product, Steve Jobs CEO of Apple computer had this to say:

“It doesn’t matter how good or bad the product is, the fact is that people don’t read anymore,” he said. “Forty percent of the people in the U.S. read one book or less last year. The whole conception is flawed at the top because people don’t read anymore.”

Welcome to the the 50 Book Challenge, where we fly in the face of Steve Jobs.

Basically .... the challenge is to read 50 books in one year. OR ... establish a goal for yourself more or less, it's up to you, just because we say 50 books doesn't mean that has to be your goal too.

Start a thread, WITH YOUR NAME IN THE SUBJECT OF YOUR ORIGINAL POST, and log your books. It is a very good idea to bookmark (when in your post, add it to your internet browser's favorites) your post for easy location for future updates. Things move quickly around here.

If you haven't been keeping track of the books you've read, start when you join.


Thanks for being here and have fun. If you have any suggestions or questions, feel free to contact me.

The books we loved in 2007:

1. Harry Potter the final - 15 votes
2. The Kite Runner - 12 votes
3. A Thousand Splendid Suns - 11 votes
4. Twilight - 5 votes
4. The Thirteenth Tale - 5 votes

With 4 votes each:
Water For Elephants, The Road, The Red Tent, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Middlesex, Eat, Pray, Love

With 3 votes each:
Eclipse, My Sister's Keeper, Suite Francaise, Shadow of the Wind, The Lovely Bones, Jane Eyre, His Dark Materials (plus 3 honorable mentions), The Glass Castle, Girl With the Pearl Earring, Darkly Dreaming Dexter

With 2 votes each:
19 Minutes, Black Swan Green, Dogs of Babel, Heart-Shaped Box, In the Woods, Into the Wild, Kafka on the Shore, On Chesil Beach, The Book Thief, The Memory Keepers Daughter, The Stolen Child, No Country for Old Men, Marley and Me, New Moon
Book lovers in Bangalore 84 books / 264 members / 103 posts A place for interaction between book lovers residing in Bangalore,India
Family Reads 3 books / 7 members / 5 posts This is a group for family members to share their books
JUIT Book Lover's Group 1 books / 1 members / 0 posts Its a type of a book club thing, where people can tell which books they have and also recommend each other books that they have read. I think there was need of one such grp ... and as there are online groups for every other damn thing so why not this. After all who knows this may actually do some good.
Asian Institute of Management 6 books / 3 members / 0 posts The premier business school in Asia. Located in the heart of the Makati Central Business District (Philippines), the school has been producing global leader-managers since 1968.
RH OPSIT Managers 15 books / 2 members / 0 posts This is a group for the Managers in the Random House, Inc. Operations and IT areas to use to share what management titles they've been reading and what they recommend.
Insight 4 books / 2 members / 0 posts This is group to share books for work.
Cleveland Park Library Book Club 52 books / 3 members / 1 posts Our groups meets the second Tuesday of every month at the Cleveland Park Library in Washington, DC. We read all kinds of books.
Singapore Shelfari 16 books / 42 members / 13 posts This group is for all the book lovers in country/city of Singapore. Lets recommend, read and talk about some of the best books we have read! If we have any budding writers or aspiring authors, lets share the tips and tricks to writing a good book!
Bham Book Group 54 books / 5 members / 2 posts This is a private group. You need to be invited to join.
AAAS Book Club 5 books / 3 members / 0 posts For those in the AAAS Book Club
Reading Ladies 35 books / 19 members / 19 posts We are women who like to read anything from women's literature to young adult but nothing too naughty.
Crystal Dolphin's Business Reading List 42 books / 1 members / 0 posts This is the listing of books I intend to read to assist me in my business and management knowledge. Not all of the books will necessarily be considered business or management by traditional means.
INSIGHT 7 books / 3 members / 0 posts For good or bad, you have a purpose before you read a book. That it should allow you to see new intellectual shores or see the world with a different lens once you have finished the book. That defines INSIGHT. That is because I cannot see reading books akin to drinking coffee with scope for near-endless consumption. It is an investment to assimilate a book. And you have limited resources. That is why I also dont like the restriction of a category ... the more obscure the genre the better! So which books would you invest in and why?
100+ Book Challenge 399 books / 305 members / 3965 posts Up for a serious challenge? Then come join us! Our goal is to read 100 or more books in one year.

Just start a new discussion post, WITH YOUR NAME IN THE SUBJECT OF YOUR ORIGINAL POST, and log your books.

You can start any time. Our goal really is to read 100 or more books in one year. If you haven't been keeping track of the books you've read, start when you join.


We have a blog, at http://100-book-challenge.blogspot.com/

Our Yahoo Group is: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/100-plus-book-challenge/
Long Beach Book Club 30 books / 22 members / 18 posts Show your literary stripes, LBC! The city by the beach is the perfect place to enjoy good reads and coffee house conversations. Join us and share what you've been reading.

Virtual welcome to Long Beach, California, USA.
Lollapalooza 37 books / 81 members / 37 posts Lollapalooza means an extreme outcome caused due to a combination of mental models working in the same direction. The term "Lollapalooza" has been borrowed from Charlie Munger, one of the smartest men I know of.

This group has been created with the objective of finding and sharing information about great books which encourage multi-disciplinary thinking to be read by members who love "jumping jurisdictional boundaries" of various academic disciplines...

Arpit gave me the idea to create this group. Thanks Arpit!

Sanjay
West Reads 5 books / 16 members / 14 posts A professional book group for faculty at West Senior.
Thunderbird High School DECA 10 books / 1 members / 2 posts THS DECA
University of South Florida Graduate Business 14 books / 10 members / 0 posts Students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the University of South Florida MBA Program.
Healthy Start Hillsborough 15 books / 5 members / 0 posts I know we have a lot of readers here so though it would be a good idea...
TiVoCommunity 269 books / 5 members / 0 posts The TiVoCommunity website frequently has "what are you reading now" threads. This group aims to be central resource for members to see what others are reading at a glance.
Biblio-Ho's 56 books / 8 members / 4 posts If you love to read and like to enjoy beverages whilst discussing books, this is the place for you! We meet once a month at the Borders on Ponce de Leon. There is the possibility of book related movie viewing or lunch in leiu of "coffee". One could even attend meetings online with us if one is so inclined. We don't care what your race, gender, or sexual preference is. You just gotta be a nice human being and be willing to read a book! So come on...get between the covers with us!
Sami's Reading Room 159 books / 1 members / 0 posts A personal exploration in the printed words in many subjects as the "spirit moves me"
My Bookclub 5 books / 5 members / 0 posts
Environment, Energy, Economics 2 books / 13 members / 2 posts Are we facing a critical tipping point in our history? Will the world sustain all of us and our lifestyle? Are we nearing the end of the petroleum age? What are you reading and doing about these issues?

Lets share good books, ideas, and actions...
C21 Business And Management 31 books / 13 members / 0 posts C21 BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT are for entrepreneurs, business men / women, business owners, managers, executives, business studies students, etc. who are interested in reading Business and Management related books.
Mostly Biography, Classics & History 454 books / 88 members / 36 posts This book is for a group of like-minded people who wish to read various books and discuss them. To grow (and to, likely, change) in our opinions and views of the world. Please join me. Just choose from the Books To Read list and we'll discuss which to read. If you feel a book is worth reading by the group, then let me know and we'll see if it gets added to the list.
24 Book Challenge + Chat 625 books / 100 members / 2220 posts The 24 Book Challenge group is currently at full capacity; thank you for your interest.



"In the case of good books, the point is not how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you.", Mortimer Adler

*This is a group for book lovers who prefer to take an under-promise and over-deliver approach to their reading. It's also for those of us who quake at the thought of "committing" to read 50 books in a twelve month period.

The challenge: Set a goal for yourself to read and enjoy 2 books each month.(If 1 would be a s-t-