Freakonomics
by Steven D. Levitt
★ Top 10 book of 2005 · #6 on Best Books of 2005
Economist Steven Levitt and journalist Stephen Dubner use data to probe odd everyday questions, from cheating teachers to crime and parenting. Their central idea is that economics is really the study of incentives.
Best for: Curious readers who enjoy surprising, data-driven takes on everyday human behavior
Freakonomics is #6 on BookWard's Best Books of 2005, out of 52 2005 books that cleared our data bar.
What Freakonomics is about
Steven Levitt is a scholar who doesn't fit the usual economist mold, and here he teams up with journalist Stephen J. Dubner to turn his curiosity on everyday puzzles. Their subjects range from cheating and crime to sports and child-rearing. The method is simple: start with a mountain of data and a plain question nobody has thought to ask, then follow the numbers wherever they lead, often to conclusions that upend conventional wisdom.
Some of the questions are delightfully odd. Is a gun or a swimming pool more dangerous? What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? How did legalized abortion affect violent crime? Behind them runs one argument: economics is, at root, the study of incentives. Curious readers who like their ideas witty and approachable, and who enjoy having assumptions gently tested, will find plenty to chew on.
Freakonomics on the Best Books of 2005
Freakonomics came out in 2005. Of the 52 books first published in 2005 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #6 on our Best Books of 2005 list.
Why it made the list: 1,414 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.9 out of 5 (187 ratings); 76 are reading it right now. The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
It earns Being read right now.
Nearby on the 2005 list
- Looking for Alaska John Green, #4
- Eldest Christopher Paolini, #5
- Twilight Stephenie Meyer, #7
- A Feast for Crows George R. R. Martin, #8
See all Best Books of 2005 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 2004 Best Books of 2006.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 1,108 want to read it, 76 are reading it now and 230 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 3.9 out of 5 from 187 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 92 | 55% |
| Reader love | 44 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 94 | 20% |
Questions about Freakonomics
When was Freakonomics published?
Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt was first published in 2005.
Was Freakonomics one of the best books of 2005?
Freakonomics is #6 on BookWard's Best Books of 2005, out of 52 2005 books that cleared our data bar. 1,414 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.9 out of 5 (187 ratings); 76 are reading it right now.
Why is Freakonomics on the Best Books of 2005 list?
1,414 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.9 out of 5 (187 ratings); 76 are reading it right now.
More of the best books of 2005
- The Lightning Thief Rick Riordan, #1
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince J. K. Rowling, #2
- The Glass Castle Jeannette Walls, #3
- Looking for Alaska John Green, #4
- Eldest Christopher Paolini, #5
- Twilight Stephenie Meyer, #7
See the full Best Books of 2005, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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