Freakonomics - Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

I loved the first chapter of this book, which dazzles the reader with some amazing ideas on how the world really works, rather than how we think it works – or how we’d like to think it works. The manifesto of the book is to apply economic analysis to various unlikely problems and come up with unlikely solutions, from selling your home at the best price to cheating in sumo competitions. Unfortunately, the book slows down considerably after it’s lively start and many of the rest of the book drags slightly, but largely retains its interest due to the strength of the ideas proposed. I’ll read the inevitable sequel.