andrewong2024

My Read of the Month:

Title: Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (P.S.)Author: Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
Published: 2005
Genre: Socio- politics/Economics
Ratings: 2.0 out of 5 stars

Numbers are fascinating and easily impress. It provides measurable formulas that helps explain or give reason.

That’s why journalists love inserting statistics or figures in their reports. It gives weight to the content.

In this book, the authors’ objective is to encourage critical thinking and think differently about facts and figures; to ask questions before accepting what data is presented.

For instance, if our Housing minister reports that his newly implemented measures has worked in bringing down property prices in Singapore, can we assume that there is a correlation between the two?

This book presents six wholly different topics and does jump randomly from question to question to drive its points. For example in one chapter, it explores the cause of the dramatic drop in the U.S. crime rate.
 
And contrary to what had been publicly reported of better police work or new gun laws being the reasons for this fall, the authors contributed to almost entirely to legalized abortion.
 
Overall, this is a fascinating and controversial read that is relatively short and packed with interesting case studies that exposes conventional wisdom.
 
Who should read it: For anyone that is looking for a book to occupy his or her pleasure time.

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