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Outstanding
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Publishers Weekly
Underlying all these research subjects is a belief that complex phenomena can be understood if we find the right perspective. Levitt has a knack for making that principle relevant to our daily lives. [14 Mar 2005, p.53]
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Outstanding
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Wall Street Journal Steven E. Landsburg
Economists, ever wary of devaluing their currency, tend to be stinting in their praise. I therefore tried hard to find something in this book that I could complain about. But I give up. Criticizing "Freakonomics" would be like criticizing a hot fudge sundae.
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Favorable
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The Observer Stephen Bayley
Levitt has a genius for wacky inquiry.
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Favorable
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The Economist
Far more intelligent, modest and orthodox than it pretends, the book is a delight; it educates, surprises and amuses.
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Favorable
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The Onion A.V. Club Nathan Rabin
An addictive, irresistible crash course in the populist application of economics.
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Favorable
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Entertainment Weekly Benjamin Svetkey
His conclusions are often eye-opening... and sometimes eye-popping... but in the end he never really adds it all up to a cohesive or compelling sum.
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Favorable
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Kirkus Reviews
An eye-opening, and most interesting, approach to the world. [15 Mar 2005, p.337]
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Favorable
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The New York Times Book Review Jim Holt
It might appear presumptuous of Steven Levitt to see himself as an all-purpose intellectual detective, fit to take on whatever puzzle of human behavior grabs his fancy. But on the evidence of ''Freakonomics,'' the presumption is earned.
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Favorable
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Los Angeles Times Michael Shermer
Levitt employs statistical tools that are simple yet elegant. He cuts to the heart of a question and picks topics that are fascinating. All social scientists should ask themselves if the problems they are working on are as interesting or important as those in this superb work. [15 May 2005]
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Mixed
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New York Observer Ann Marlowe
It’s a sloppily organized group of essays on completely unrelated topics, but it’s entertaining despite its strenuous efforts to be so. [16 May 2005]
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Mixed
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Chicago Tribune James O'Shea
"Freakonomics" is the book world's answer to kung pao chicken. You get the sizzle and spice of a tasty dish but not much in the way of real food. [26 Jun 2005]
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Mixed
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Daily Telegraph Alexander Waugh
His book leaves far too many questions unanswered.
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Mixed
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The Spectator Philip Hensher
An amusing book... It’s best enjoyed, though, as a series of music-hall turns, tall tales and outrageous paradoxes rather than anything resembling an argument.
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Mixed
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The New Republic Cass R. Sunstein
Levitt stands out not because of any large claims about human motivations, but because of his remarkable ingenuity, creativity, and sheer doggedness in investigating empirical questions about which no one seems to know much at all. Unfortunately, some of his findings are not terribly exciting.
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Mixed
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TLS: The Times Literary Supplement Paul Seabright
At its best, it has the pace and the mock hard-boiled charm of a collection of Hammett or Chandler detective stories.
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Mixed
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Washington Post Gregg Easterbrook
It is an engaging and always interesting work, rich in insights, full of surprises. Readers, though, may find themselves in a perpetual state of confusion regarding just what it is they are reading.
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