Superfreakonomics by Steven D Levitt and Stephen J Dubner (2009)

Superfreakonomics by Steven D Levitt and Stephen J Dubner (2009)
Read: February 2010

Somehow I managed to miss the first book by this pair, Freakonomics. Scott did read it and raved about it - especially the tale of the coffee concession at Waterloo Station that we would pass every time we went into town - so it was good to get a copy of this book and find out for myself what all this was about.

This was really my sort of book as it's a little bit academic but a bit fun as well. It made me realise how similar to economics some aspects of my degree and interests are. They used odd bits of academic research and compared results to come up with interesting and often surprising conclusions. For example they compared data on the number of people injured and killed when driving drunk with those who were walking drunk. Separate data sets, but when you compare figures it is actually less dangerous to be driving....maybe not all of these theories should be tested, but interesting stuff for me.

I wasn't too keen on their global warming section which attempted in one chapter to go against all commonly understood theories on global warming and preventative action. Some of the points were fair, but half a chapter that concluded a huge hose needed to be put into the troposphere to add water vapour wasn't the most balanced of topics.

I'll try and get my hands on the first book and in the mean time will be lending this one out to as many people as possible.