Book Review

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When it comes to economics books, Freakonomics is unlike any other. It contains no lists of endless data; nor does it bore you with an infinite assortment of bell curves, supply and demand charts, or cost-benefit analyses. The thing that truly makes the book unique, however, is the fact that the book does not have a unifying theme (and perhaps the fact that the authors are so proud of this). It would be easy for Levitt and Dubner to write an entire book about how schoolteachers often cheat to improve their students standardized test scores or about how drug gangs have payrolls similar or greater in inequality to most corporations. Instead, the authors choose to explore whatever curiosities catch their fancy, devoting a few pages to each of a multitude of random topics.
Perhaps the most intriguing topic explored in Freakonomics is the correlation between the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision and the drop in crime in the 90s. After the legalization of abortion, millions of women who otherwise would have had children turned to abortions to rid themselves of a burden they were not prepared for or did not want. Many of these women were likely to be single mothers, many of them were poor, and many of them were teenagers. Demographically speaking, children raised by these women would have been far more likely to become criminals. Therefore, the fact that millions of these children were never born played a much larger role in reducing crime than the many other factors cited as explanations to the 90s drop in crime (innovative policing strategies, more people locked up in prison, more police, aging of the population, gun-control laws, etc.).
This conclusion has become what Levitt is most known for among economists and perhaps the reason why Levitt received the John Bates Clark medal, an award given to the most influential American economist under the age of 40. It has also become one of the greatest sources of controversy surrounding Levitt. He was attacked by the right, which was angered by his argument which apparently promoted abortion as a crime solution. And from the other side of the political spectrum, he was attacked for suggesting that poor and minority mothers raise broods of criminals.
Despite being the most acclaimed part of Freakonomics, the abortion-crime link is by no means the focus of the book. Instead the book jumps from topic to topic, rarely spending more than ten pages discussing a single subject. Have you ever thought about a lucrative career in the crack industry? Think again, according to Levitt and Dubner. The average dealer makes only $3.30 an hour and stands a 1 in 4 chance of being killed over the course of four years. This topic and various others are explored ranging from what schoolteachers have in common with sumo wrestlers to whether a name affects someone's success in life.
While many of these topics may be trivial, they make for a fun read. And, besides, the purpose of the book isn't to outline a methodology for maximizing profits, but rather, as the authors state, "explore the hidden side of everything". While the snobs of economics may detest Freakonomics and accuse it of being without practical purpose, there is no doubt that the book is able to captivate its readers in a way that no other economics book ever has.
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Well, here's my first draft of the book review. I decided to put it up so everyone can tell me what's wrong with it/how I can make it better. Be honest, be scathing, I'm not sensitive.

-Bryce Cody