When To Rob A Bank
...And 131 More Warped Suggestions and Well-Intentioned Rants
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3.8 • 17 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Why do educated women get fewer responses on online dating websites? Is buying local food economically efficient? Does bribing kids improve their performance on school tests?
Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, the quirky geniuses behind Freakonomics, SuperFreakonomics and Think Like a Freak, are back at it. For the last ten years, they’ve used the tools of economics to answer some of our most unanswerable questions on the Freakonomics.com blog. Here, for the first time, the very best of their more than 8,000 posts are together in a single place. We learn why it’s so hard to predict the Kentucky Derby, why babies born in summer tend to score lower on standardized tests, and why rich people tend to be happier than poor people, but rich countries no happier than poor ones. When to Rob a Bank showcases the brilliance that has made Levitt and Dubner an international sensation, and the eloquence and wit that has always made them such a joy to read.
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
When to rob a bank
Absolutely fabulous read. I enjoyed it start to finish.
A man talking nonsense
This was trash! Just two guys writing nonsense. There is a post about the NHS in the UK, this book decides that a healthcare system designed to support fellow citizens is a bad idea. A real waste of money.