freakonomics, racism, and hot fudge

Freakonomics, Racism, and Hot Fudge

Five years after its publication, Freakonomics is still in vogue.

It’s also still a master in muddling.

The 2005 book, a collection of articles written by economist Steven Levitt and journalist Stephen Dubner, applies economic principles to various cultural and sociological issues— an interesting marriage indeed. And America certainly ate it up.

Freakonomics peaked at number two on the New York Times Best Seller list among nonfiction and was dubbed the 2006 Book Sense Book of the Year in the Adult Nonfiction category. The authors created the Freakonomics blog in 2005 (hiring a full-time editor in 2007) in an effort to maintain the discussion— one that has been assimilated indefinitely into the New York Times website. And just this year, a documentary film adaptation of the book was produced to be released by Magnolia Pictures in the fall.

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