Just what I read..

Inspired by Nancy Pearl's "Book Lust Journal." I knew I would lose my book journal if I didn't keep it online.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Freakonomics...Levitt and Dubner

So this was actually an audio book in the car rather than paper in hand but I'm glad I did it that way. My teenage boys were fascinated with the book. They listened with delight to why a home with guns is safer than a home with a swimming pool. (and the book didn't even approach the correlation of outside criminal activity with each item).
The chapter on Why Drug Dealers live with their Moms was especially interesting to them and understanding that flipping burgers for $7 an hour makes more than selling crack was a great takeaway for them (although we did have to have a discussion about the pit bull owning uncle who is a runner - it was great to point out that I paid his rent for 3 years and he still hasn't paid me back but that's another story).

Needless to say, this book has my kids asking questions, looking for data and generally questioning blanket statements.