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What Is The Problem In Levitt's Freakonomics?

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Freakonomics is a book written by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner which was published after they met each other in an interview for New York Times. After the article was published, the two went on to have an unanticipated partnership. Freakonomics, a book of problems and answers with no unifying theme, is supposed to make you look at a situation a different way. One of the problems in the book included the monumental drop in crime across America in the 1980’s when it was expected to rise significantly. Levitt came across this problem by first looking at the accepted reasons for the sudden drop such as more police, stronger capital punishment, changes in the crack market, and the aging of the population. He gathered data and ruled out all
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Unlike Freakonomics, Gladwell brings the attention of the reader in an effective and subtle way, allowing the readers to connect to a situation as mundane as a restaurant recommendation; in contrast, Levitt and Dubner use statistics to prove their point. Using percentages to represent the number of children likely to be raised with only one parent or in poverty does not emphasize the fact that abortion caused the crime drop in the 1990’s. In addition, Levitt and Dubner include unattractive tables and charts that support their claims, but do not relate to the readers at all. Bare facts are boring to read about and should be accompanied by a connection to the reader. Some argue that statistics are more credible, but in reality they can be

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