SuperFreakonomics
Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
Harper Collins
As it happens, one of the very first books that I reviewed on this blog was Levitt and Dubner's Freakonomics. I may have mentioned at the time that I'm not a huge consumer of non-fiction. I often set out to read things in the spirit of improving my business acumen, however, I find that when it comes right down to it, I'm a geek and my non-fiction tastes run to the zany and obscure.
Well, thank goodness for Levitt and Dubner. SuperFreakonomics is as entertaining and as thought-provoking as its predecessor. The economic dynamic duo provide intriguing answers to great unasked questions like "why is a prostitute like a department store Santa?" I know -- how could I resist?
What's more, the chapter that outlines the commonality between Al Gore and Mount Pinatubo seriously has me considering suggesting this book to Yann Martel as one of his recommendations to Stephen Harper (see my entry from January of this year.) The Stevils (as I have decided to call them) suggest a solution to the pollution created by the Alberta tar sands which I think is bloody brilliant. I can't believe that there hasn't already been a call to action and I might just be doing some follow up research of my own. Maybe this is why I don't read more non-fiction -- I get so caught up in it that my mind doesn't have room for anything else.
SuperFreak is definitely worth of few hours of your time. It is consumable, engaging, and not always altogether believable which makes it a lot of fun. Three funkadelic stars out of five.
No comments:
Post a Comment