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A review by andyshute
SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance by Steven D. Levitt
2.0
In a brief reprieve from working my way through the superb [b:The Unwritten, Vol. 1: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity|6471550|The Unwritten, Vol. 1 Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity|Mike Carey|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327887253s/6471550.jpg|6662356] series, I borrowed this from a friend. I quite enjoyed the first though had reservations (mostly around just accepting what they were feeding us) but this seems a step down in quality.
The first chapter was most similar to the last book but frankly pretty boring. The information about altruism was more engaging and I was interested in some of the medical stories (Semmelweis is well known to me and I would imagine most doctors/medical students, but it's still an insightful tale). They also seem really anti car seats which, while their data raises some interesting points on mortality, does seem to ignore the evidence for reduction in morbidity. They seem very focussed on putting across their opinion and ignoring the conflicting data.
However, we then move into the domain of climate change and things take a step to the weird. For a start, the economics just disappears and we're into the world of private think tanks and outlying opinions. It doesn't fit, it doesn't feel right and it seems well outside their scope.
So, while there is still a lot to stimulate the mind, the whole package is lacking. I'll probably skip future instalments.
The first chapter was most similar to the last book but frankly pretty boring. The information about altruism was more engaging and I was interested in some of the medical stories (Semmelweis is well known to me and I would imagine most doctors/medical students, but it's still an insightful tale). They also seem really anti car seats which, while their data raises some interesting points on mortality, does seem to ignore the evidence for reduction in morbidity. They seem very focussed on putting across their opinion and ignoring the conflicting data.
However, we then move into the domain of climate change and things take a step to the weird. For a start, the economics just disappears and we're into the world of private think tanks and outlying opinions. It doesn't fit, it doesn't feel right and it seems well outside their scope.
So, while there is still a lot to stimulate the mind, the whole package is lacking. I'll probably skip future instalments.