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Freakonomics: Revised Edition Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Steven D. Levitt (Author), Stephen J. Dubner (Author, Narrator), HarperAudio (Publisher)
4.4 out of 5 stars 5,630 ratings
#1 Best Seller in Mathematics

Which is more dangerous: a gun or a swimming pool? What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? Why do drug dealers still live with their moms? How much do parents really matter? How did the legalization of abortion affect the rate of violent crime?

These may not sound like typical questions for an economist to ask. But Steven D. Levitt is not a typical economist. He is a much-heralded scholar who studies the riddles of everyday life, from cheating and crime to sports and child-rearing, and whose conclusions turn the conventional wisdom on its head. Thus the new field of study contained in this audiobook: Freakonomics.

Levitt and co-author Stephen J. Dubner show that economics is, at root, the study of incentives: how people get what they want, or need, especially when other people want or need the same thing. In Freakonomics, they explore the hidden side of...well, everything. The inner working of a crack gang...the truth about real-estate agents...the secrets of the Klu Klux Klan.

What unites all these stories is a belief that the modern world is even more intriguing than we think. All it takes is a new way of looking, and Freakonomics will redefine the way we view the modern world.

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Previous slide of product details
  1. Listening Length
    7 hours and 51 minutes
  2. Author
    Steven D. Levitt, see all
  3. Narrator
    Stephen J. Dubner
  4. Audible release date
    June 14, 2007
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    HarperAudio
  7. ASIN
    B000TK5BS2
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
Next slide of product details

Product details

Listening Length 7 hours and 51 minutes
Author Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
Narrator Stephen J. Dubner
Audible.com Release Date June 14, 2007
Publisher HarperAudio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B000TK5BS2
Best Sellers Rank #3,874 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#1 in Mathematics (Audible Books & Originals)
#2 in Economic Theory (Audible Books & Originals)
#3 in Probability & Statistics (Books)

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
5,630 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book well-written and easy to understand, with interesting background stories and thought-provoking content that makes them think more deeply. They appreciate its wit and humor, with one customer noting it's occasionally laugh-out-loud funny. The book's pacing receives mixed reactions, with some finding it different while others describe it as somewhat disjointed, and its length is also mixed, with some appreciating the large print while others find it too short.

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333 customers mention "Readability"328 positive5 negative

Customers find the book highly readable and informative, with one customer noting it works best when approached as a novel.

"...It was a gutsy book and a fascinating read." Read more

"...this book has been around for a while, it remains a relevant and fascinating read...." Read more

"I thoroughly enjoyed this book. What an interesting concept -- we have zillions of bytes of data; we just need to ask it the right questions!..." Read more

"...Most of all, it inspires a reader to go back and try to re-acquire some of those tools, knowing that the way forward has been revealed...." Read more

324 customers mention "Thought provoking"303 positive21 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking, appreciating its interesting views and background stories that make for engaging reading.

"...There was a fascinating chapter about the most popular `white' names and `black' names according to the racial and economic backgrounds of the..." Read more

"...The book contains equally fascinating studies on topics such as the real estate industry and the crack cocaine epidemic in Chicago...." Read more

"...Fascinating and a fun read. I found the information very approachable. I credit the "marriage" of an economist and a writer with pulling this off...." Read more

"...These books, in my opinion, are the most interesting — and challenging — because they push people to revisit their assumptions and perspectives.[4]..." Read more

203 customers mention "Intelligence"163 positive40 negative

Customers appreciate the book's intelligence, finding it thought-provoking and interesting, with one customer noting how it provides insight into how economists think.

"...Their argument is plausible and backed up with both research and logical thinking...." Read more

"...In a way, it's highly-related to experimental physics and engineering research, which sound like very highbrow topics of study, until you realize I..." Read more

"...I’ve met Steven Levitt. He's a fine person and excellent economist, but this book is too “pop” in its oversimplification of his work and..." Read more

"...science and spins it on its head, making it both entertaining and informative...." Read more

92 customers mention "Ease of reading"84 positive8 negative

Customers find the book easy to read, praising its well-written content and clear explanations.

"...All in all, this is a well written and fascinating book...." Read more

"...Fascinating and a fun read. I found the information very approachable. I credit the "marriage" of an economist and a writer with pulling this off...." Read more

"...The book is extremely well-written, making the math almost a "deux ex machina" device without making the reader feel inadequate...." Read more

"...It's an easy read, and it's about time Economics got a Carl Sagan." Read more

18 customers mention "Humor"18 positive0 negative

Customers find the book witty and written in an entertaining way, with one customer noting it's occasionally laugh-out-loud funny.

"...This book was very entertaining, written in an engaging style...." Read more

"...Freakonomics is a very entertaining book. The tone is light, but also authoritative and convincing...." Read more

"...book to be nowhere near as dry as you might expect and occasionally laugh out loud funny or thought provokingly interesting...." Read more

"...easy-to-understand writing and colorful examples along with some humanizing wit." Read more

14 customers mention "Pacing"9 positive5 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book, with some finding it really different while others describe it as somewhat disjointed.

"...I was impressed how Levitt thought and his methods of coming to his conclusions, how he could do `regression analysis' on a topic by `controlling'..." Read more

"...And that makes this book worthwhile reading. It is a bit disjointed as each section is a different data/economic analysis that stands..." Read more

"...as the authors take drastically different scenarios and compare their similarities...." Read more

"Really different and interesting read. Maybe I'm biased because I tend to think in the way the writer writes...." Read more

13 customers mention "Length"4 positive9 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's length, with some finding it too short and others appreciating its large print format.

"...The book is also too short and since I hated economics is school I find it ironic that I could want more!" Read more

"...is that I thought it was much longer (311 pages) than the actual book (192 pages) is...." Read more

"...This book is relatively short, and was an easy read...." Read more

"...It's a collection of interesting anecdotes, but pretty short. Then it goes on and on about the same things all over...." Read more

31 customers mention "Boredom"0 positive31 negative

Customers find the book boring, with multiple reviews describing it as an absolute waste of time and not very interesting.

"...I gave the book 4 stars simply because this extra material was a waste. The primary book itself, however, is every bit a 5 star read...." Read more

"...This is akin to pop psychology, and just as unsatisfying. Swimming pools are more dangerous than guns? That's true, sort of. So what...." Read more

"...to learn economics regarding QE or Fed rates, then this book is obviously not suitable...." Read more

"...I found the last chapter to be dull compared to the rest of the book although the principles were sound the name game paled in comparison to the..." Read more

Advertised as new - Arrived Used
1 out of 5 stars
Advertised as new - Arrived Used
It has some kind of yellow stain hopefully maybe it’s coffee and not urine.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reading Fan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Gutsy and fascinating!
    Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    Freakonomics is a gutsy, fascinating, post-modern book even if you might not like some of the conclusions. According to the authors, there is no unifying theme, only the `thread' of people chasing incentives. In other words, it is about the effect money has on people. To put it even more simply, a guy named Paul the Apostle once famously said: `Money is the root of all kinds of evil'.

    Economics is called the `dismal science' because it is all about numbers, but in the hands of a rogue economist like Steve Levitt, with help from NY Times writer Steve Dubner, it yields some probable answers to a lot of questions. Why has crime decreased even though the population has increased? Why is a real estate agent in such a hurry to sell your house at a lower price, and does he do the same for his own house? How about sumo wrestlers, school teachers, on-your-honor donut clubs? Are they cheating too?

    I'm not giving away any secrets in saying that Roe V. Wade, the 1973 ruling making abortion legal, is declared to be the cause of crime decrease in recent years; it is very well known that the book says this. Levitt does a masterful job of shooting down the `conventional wisdom' theories of strong economy, aging of the population, gun issues, etc., to finally show that abortions among certain segments of the population has reduced the criminal population. Very simply, there are a lot of criminals who were never born because of Roe V. Wade. Although I am 100% pro-life and remain so regardless of any book, I have to agree with his conclusion. Levitt re-iterates that the study of economics has no moral base and doesn't ask any moral questions, and, in fact, asks no questions at all. He also says that people are more comfortable with root causes they can touch or feel now and not far reaching causes from the past, and I can't argue with that. I was impressed with his right-brained mentality.

    Levitt also tackles some sensitive issues like how unique `black' names seem to hold back the carriers of those names. Does it cause racial prejudice or is it a consequence of racial prejudice? There was a fascinating chapter about the most popular `white' names and `black' names according to the racial and economic backgrounds of the different population segments. He gives charts of the actual names even according to amount of education of the mother, or the age of the mother at her first childbirth. Also, we see that some sets of names chase other sets of names, and those other sets of names consequently move on.

    You'll find, if you read the book, how important `information asymmetry' or information hoarded by experts is. Is someone who is handling your money keeping your best interests or his own best interests in mind? (Three guesses!!) He gives plenty of examples in the book. I can give you one that I'm personally familiar with (not in the book because it is so obvious). Financial advisors like to get their clients into loaded funds, which essentially provide an extra commission to them; independent outfits like Morningstar will tell you never to get into loaded funds because they are a rip-off. There is nothing illegal about that but it shows you how knowledge asymmetry can work against you when you trust an `expert'.

    I was impressed how Levitt thought and his methods of coming to his conclusions, how he could do `regression analysis' on a topic by `controlling' for certain variables to screen out data `noise'. Thankfully, he doesn't get too technical on us, though he does give us some idea of his methodology. I think it's ingenious how he got economics to give up such useful information, and was able to explain it in a non-technical way.

    It was a gutsy book and a fascinating read.
    25 people found this helpful
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  • ADN
    4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, Light (But Not More than the Market Basket Can Hold)
    Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I originally encountered Freakonomics in the New York Times, where the authors currently write an op-ed column to supplement their many sequels. I think I had also heard about the book in the context of its unorthodox approach to statistics, ie. that one of the causes of the decreasing crime rate the United States is the legalization of abortion. I not sure whether that supports a pro-life or a pro-choice argument, but this is not the place for that particular can of sandworms.

    Freakonomics is a very entertaining book. The tone is light, but also authoritative and convincing. Arguments are fully explained with detailed evidence, statistics, and respectable concessions. The topics range from the crime rate and abortion, to the economics of drug deals and living in the projects, to parenting and whether cheating occurs on a massive scale in the Chicago school system (spoiler alert: it does). But there are surprises too. For example, the cheaters in Chicago are not just students, but teachers too, and drug dealers really do still live with their moms.

    I would recommend this book to anyone who would like a brief overview to some principles of economics. That, or to anyone who just wants to read and interesting and funny book. If you want a deep, detailed, and technical viewpoint of some of the subjects examined in this book, you should look elsewhere to think tank studies and economics books marketed less to the general public.

    Another place to find this interesting viewpoint on the world, informed by economics and a bit of creativity, is in the Freakonomics blog sometimes seen in the New York Times. The Op-Ed section of the New York Times, can be a great place to see similar perspectives, or the occasional article by the authors of this book. I enjoy these just as much as the book, and find little difference in the tone or content.

    Freakonomics also lead me to another Kindle book, which I will have to review here shortly. Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh.
    3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • David Araujo
    5.0 out of 5 stars Timeless
    Reviewed in Brazil on July 4, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Even 17 years after the first edition, this book maintains its relevance - not just for the data, but for the way it turns upside down the way we believe in some well established "truths".
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  • laetitia
    5.0 out of 5 stars achat Freakonomics
    Reviewed in France on October 14, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Mon achat de ce produit qui est le livre s'intitulant "Freakonomics" est très satisfaisant, reçu en excellent état et pour un bon prix, merci!
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  • Shaun Danger
    5.0 out of 5 stars A must read
    Reviewed in the United Arab Emirates on June 7, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Such an amazing read! Full of great anecdotes you can use If you facilitate design workshops with clients
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  • Santosh Sharma
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic and most practical one I have ever read.
    Reviewed in India on December 28, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    A must read book for Leaders and decision makers.
    Amazed to know it's the other side of the coin which matters
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  • J. Neal
    5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, Witty & Insightful
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 5, 2006
    Verified Purchase
    I really enjoyed this book and have already recommended it to several friends.
    Levitt tackles a number of diverse and interesting subjects. His writing makes complex issues easy to understand, and is often amusing.
    I was fascinated at the way Levitt considers and uncovers what really motivates people.
    As a new parent I found the couple of chapters on parenting good, but by far the most interesting insight was the primary reason for the decrease of crime in New York… if you're thinking it had something to do with Rudolph Guiliani then I suggest you get the book.
    At worst the content can make for some interesting conversations in the Pub.
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