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SuperFreakonomics by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner Review: Provocative Economics, Controversy Included
SuperFreakonomics is the follow-up non-fiction book from University of Chicago economist Steven D. Levitt and New York Times journalist Stephen J. Dubner, applying unconventional economic reasoning to subjects ranging from street prostitution to suicide bombing to climate change — and generating serious pushback from scientists on the latter. This review is based on published sources and reception, not hands-on use of the audiobook.
LuvemBooks Verdict
Best for
Fans of popular social science and behavioural economics who enjoyed Freakonomics and want more data-driven, contrarian takes on everyday human behaviour — delivered in a brisk, accessible audiobook narrated by co-author Dubner himself.
Worth it if
You enjoy having received wisdom challenged by economic analysis and are happy to treat the climate chapter as one provocative perspective to be weighed against expert scientific sources, rather than a definitive account.
Skip if
Readers seeking a scientifically reliable treatment of climate change should look elsewhere — the book's most prominent chapter was publicly disputed by the very scientists it cites, and the broader contrarianism can feel like provocation for its own sake rather than genuine analytical rigour.
What readers & critics say
Kirkus Reviews called it "jaunty, entertaining and smart," praising Levitt and Dubner for making economics "accessible, even compelling," while The Guardian found the authors "straining for effect rather than coming up with any particularly original insights," hobbled by its attempts to be edgy. The Week highlighted "shoddy statistical work" in places and noted that a climate scientist interviewed for the book's most contentious chapter "has made clear he disagrees" with its conclusions. The CFA Institute's Financial Analysts Journal described it as "a worthy successor" that nonetheless "faces the challenges of most sequels" in meeting high expectations, and the LSE Review of Books praised the illustrated edition as "punchy and vibrant to the final page."
“Jaunty, entertaining and smart. Levitt and Dubner do a good service by making economics accessible, even compelling.”
— Kirkus Reviews“The impression is of authors straining for effect rather than coming up with any particularly original insights.”
— The GuardianAsk LuvemBooks
Was this helpful?
- Is it worth reading?
- For readers who enjoy popular social science — books that use economic logic as a lens on surprising human behaviour — SuperFreakonomics delivers the accessible, fast-moving storytelling that made its predecessor a crossover success, and it does not require prior knowledge of economics or Freakonomics itself. However, the climate change chapter carries a significant caveat: Elizabeth Kolbert stated that 'just about everything they have to say on the topic is, factually speaking, wrong,' and Ken Caldeira disputed the book's characterisation of his own research. The book is best approached as a provocation designed to spark fresh questions rather than a reliable reference on any single topic it covers.
- Similar books
- Readers who enjoy SuperFreakonomics' data-curious, counterintuitive approach to human behaviour will find close company in several titles. Daniel Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow offers a deeper psychological and behavioural framework behind the kinds of irrational choices Levitt and Dubner document. Nassim Nicholas Taleb's The Black Swan shares the contrarian impulse and the suspicion of mainstream analytical models. Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point, while not in the LuvemBooks catalogue, is a natural companion in the popular social-science genre. Michael Lewis's The Big Short applies the same spirit of exposing hidden economic logic — this time to the 2008 financial crisis — for readers who want their data-driven storytelling with higher narrative stakes.
- Who should read this?
- SuperFreakonomics is best suited to curious general readers who enjoy popular social science — those who like having economic logic applied to unexpected corners of human behaviour and aren't put off by deliberately provocative framing. Fans of the original Freakonomics will find the sequel consistent in tone and ambition, and those new to the series can start here without prior context. Readers who want a rigorous, scientifically reliable treatment of climate change should approach the book's most prominent chapter with scepticism, as it has been substantively contested by domain experts including Elizabeth Kolbert and Ken Caldeira.
- How credible are the scientific criticisms?
- The criticisms of SuperFreakonomics' climate chapter are notable for being specific, named, and sourced in the scientists' own expertise. Elizabeth Kolbert, a widely recognised authority on global warming, stated that 'just about everything they have to say on the topic is, factually speaking, wrong.' Climate scientist Ken Caldeira — whose research the book cites to support the claim that CO₂ is 'not the right villain' — disputed that characterisation of his own work. Raymond Pierrehumbert published an open letter to Levitt at RealClimate.org examining the authors' arithmetic on solar photovoltaic options. These are substantive, credentialed critiques that bear directly on the accuracy of a central section of the book, not political grievances.
- How does this compare to Freakonomics?
- LuvemBooks has reviewed the original Freakonomics (2006) by the same authors, and readers who came to SuperFreakonomics from the first book will find the sequel consistent in tone, structure, and ambition — the same contrarian, data-driven case-study approach applied to a new set of unconventional subjects. The key difference is that SuperFreakonomics attracted far more substantive scientific criticism, particularly around the climate chapter, than the original did. Both books function independently, so new readers need not start with Freakonomics first.
- How is the audiobook?
- The audiobook edition of SuperFreakonomics is narrated by co-author Stephen J. Dubner, released through William Morrow, and runs 7 hours and 28 minutes unabridged. Dubner's background as a journalist and his direct involvement in writing the book give his narration both fluency with the material and a conversational ease that suits the book's informal analytical style. The brisk runtime sustains attention across the book's varied subject matter without feeling truncated.
Summarize this book
SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
4.4
/ 5
SuperFreakonomics is the follow-up non-fiction book from University of Chicago economist Steven D. Levitt and New York Times journalist Stephen J. Dubner, applying unconventional economic reasoning to subjects ranging from street prostitution to suicide bombing to climate change — and generating serious pushback from scientists on the latter. This review is based on published sources and reception, not hands-on use of the audiobook.
View on LuvemBooks →
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
An engaging introduction to economic thinking that makes complex data analysis accessible, though it sometimes prioritizes entertainment over nuance in tackling social issues.
View on LuvemBooks →
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
4.4
/ 5
Freakonomics, the debut non-fiction collaboration between University of Chicago economist Steven D. Levitt and New York Times journalist Stephen J. Dubner, published by William Morrow on April 12, 2005, applies economic theory to a deliberately provocative range of subjects — from sumo wrestling corruption and crack-cocaine earnings to the role of legalized abortion in reducing crime — and went on to sell over 4 million copies worldwide by late 2009, spawning a multi-media franchise that redefined popular economics writing.
View on LuvemBooks →
Follow up
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Age & Reading Level
Recommended age
Adult
Reading level
Adult
Content to know about
Skip if you want a rigorous, scientifically reliable treatment of climate change — the book's climate chapter has been substantively contested by named domain experts.
Our Review
What the Book Is and What It Covers
The Authors' Signature Approach
The Climate Chapter: Where the Controversy Lives
Strengths as a Popular Non-Fiction Work
Who This Book Is For
Sources & Further Reading
The key facts and claims in this review are grounded in the retrieved, verified sources listed below.
- Cited in this review
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- Further reading
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en.wikipedia.org
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