When to Rob a Bank
...And 131 More Warped Suggestions and Well-Intended Rants
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3.9 • 72 Ratings
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
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 the Freakonomics website. 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 happens when two rogue economists apply their data-driven insights to the world’s quirkiest problems?
Counterintuitive Questions: Explore the hidden logic behind everyday puzzles, like why flight attendants don’t get tipped and why KFC always seems to run out of chicken.Unconventional Wisdom: Discover the surprising data on the best way to cut gun deaths and the real reason you should never rob a bank (hint: the ROI is terrible).Behavioral Economics in Action: Dig into the data to see what people really lie about, and why cheating is a prominent feature in just about every human endeavor.A Personal Look at Freakonomics: Go behind the scenes with authors Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner as they reveal their personal passions, from gambling and golf to the abolition of the penny.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
As coauthors Levitt and Dubner explain at the start of this delightful collection, a decade ago, concurrent with the publication of their book Freakonomics, they decided to start a blog with the same name. Eight thousand posts later, they're still writing, even though the blog generates no income and probably cannibalizes sales from their books. For the site's anniversary, they've finally bowed to reader demands to turn it into a book. The result is this energetic, charming assortment of posts, thematically arranged, on topics as varied as terrorism, restoration of the draft, getting rid of the penny, car-seat safety, obesity, the U.S. crackdown on Internet poker, steroid use in the Tour de France, the D.C. gun ban, and "No Gas Day." Lively, self-deprecating writing ensures an entertaining read for fans and new readers alike. It seems likely to prove the authors right in their gamble that even content available for free can be a viable product, especially with such a large, devoted fanbase.
Customer Reviews
Superwriters
I can always sit down and read a book by these guys. Its always attention grabbing, hard to put down and the truth IS the truth.
Pales in comparison to Freakonomics
I enjoyed Freakonomics so much that this was a let down when I bought it hoping for a strong follow up effort
Not the same or as good as their other books
Even though I read the description of what this book was, I thought it was going to be more interesting.