Corruption and Illusion within the World by Ricardo Parra

We have all been deceived in the way we view the world, mainly due to corruption and a false perspective on the world. This is the main idea in Freakonomics, a non-fiction pbook by Steven D. Levitt and Stephan J. Dubner. It presents ideas to the reader that makes them think outside the box because, as explained in the book, there is always a hidden side to everything. It proves this theory by statistically explaining real life examples. As you read you’ll learn what sumo wrestlers have in common with teachers, the similarities between a Ku Klux Klan member and a real-estate agent, how children are in more danger swimming than being around an actual gun, and how your name may actually effect your future. These are just a few examples of interesting facts and ideas that are presented by these two authors in the 300 pages of Freakonomics. Their main goal for readers is to purely present their ideas in order to open up people minds, and not to live so blindly.

I would honestly rate this book an 8 out of 10 for its ability to make people’s mind blown after realizing that what seemed so distant and uncommon actually is more common than anyone realizes, as well as making the reader have a different perspective than the one they began with. I for one certainly did. However the constant statistical and formal word choice really does make this book confusing at times.

Freakonomics maybe a New York Best Seller, however I do not recommend it to just anybody. I feel it would bore a lot people who don’t really like to read statistical information as well as it may offend those who are strongly against abortions because there is a part where the authors explain how abortions may actually be benefiting society. I do recommend this book if you are one who purely enjoys thinking outside of the box or just thinking beyond the horizon.