In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the landmark book Freakonomics comes this curated collection from the most readable economics blog in the universe. It’s the perfect solution for the millions of readers who love all things Freakonomics. Surprising and erudite, eloquent and witty, When to Rob a Bank demonstrates the brilliance that has made the Freakonomics guys an international sensation, with more than 7 million books sold in 40 languages, and 150 million downloads of their Freakonomics Radio podcast.
When Freakonomics was first published, the authors started a blog—and they’ve kept it up. The writing is more casual, more personal, even more outlandish than in their books. In When to Rob a Bank, they ask a host of typically off-center questions: Why don’t flight attendants get tipped? If you were a terrorist, how would you attack? And why does KFC always run out of fried chicken?
Over the past decade, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner have published more than 8,000 blog posts on Freakonomics.com. Many of them, they freely admit, were rubbish. But now they’ve gone through and picked the best of the best. You’ll discover what people lie about, and why; the best way to cut gun deaths; why it might be time for a sex tax; and, yes, when to rob a bank. (Short answer: never; the ROI is terrible.) You’ll also learn a great deal about Levitt and Dubner’s own quirks and passions, from gambling and golf to backgammon and the abolition of the penny.
What are my thoughts?
Freakonomics authors Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt are at it again — and they nailed it! When To Rob A Bank is a collection of some of the best blog posts from the authors blog Freakonomics. These posts are entertaining and vary in topic and content. Each comes back around to the strange ways in which function within our society.
When To Rob A Bank, while not a spiritual book in any sense, had me thinking about the uniqueness of the created world. With so many unique stories I couldn’t help but think about the hope they can find in Christ. There are some posts in the book about religion and God, and even there I began to wonder how two men, that are so very brilliant and observant of this world, could miss the beauty of God flowing through it.
When To Rob A Bank awaked my mind the world around me. It was a fun and compelling read.
