Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

As the image shows, the book Freakonomics is subtitled A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything. In it, Levitt answers such questions as

• What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common?
• How was the Klu Klux Klan like a group of real estate agents?
• If drug dealing is so profitable, why do most crack dealers live at home with their mothers?
• What was the real reason for the drop in crime in the United States in the 1990s?
• Are swimming pools or guns more dangerous to children?
  

There are also sections on parenting, baby names, and probably some areas that I've forgotten. Basically, the authors look at data to answer questions.

As for swimming pools vs. guns, the authors claim that approximately 100 times as many children in the United States die in a swimming pool accident than die in a gun accident. This was really small section in the book. Regarding the other sections, the authors use data to show how

• We can detect cheating by sumo wrestlers in tournaments and by teachers giving high-stakes standardized tests.
• The Klan and real estate agents used information to their advantage, and how Stetson Kennedy used information to help reduce the influence of the Klan (and not in a way that you might guess, if you're not familiar with the story).
• The organization and finances of one drug-dealing street gang shows that big money was made by some, but the average dealer made around $3.30 per hour.
  
• The major drop in US crime was due to a reason you might not expect. Also, other possible explanations for reductions in crime are explored.
• Parents may be obsessing over areas that might not make much of a difference to their children's development.

I also found the section on names to be interesting. The book discusses the fact that there are some names that seem to be only used by blacks, while others are much more commonly used by whites. For example, using the common last name of Williams, what can you surmise about the backgrounds of the fictitious Jake Williams, Dashawn Williams, Molly Williams, or Shaniqua Williams. And what, if anything, do these names predict about their bearers prospects for success?

Basically, I thought the book was great, and I highly recommend it. It's probably not for everyone, and it has its critics. But if you like to ask questions about why people behave how they do, and if you like to wonder about what kinds of things make a difference and what kinds of things don't, then this book is for you. Five stars out of five.