I picked up a copy of Freakonomics, by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, early this week and absorbed it in a matter of days. Mr. Levitt is an economist who uses statistical techniques to answer interesting questions about our society. Mr. Dubner is a writer who works to make Mr. Levitt's research comprehensible to people like me (read: slow of mind). It is an entertaining and thought-provoking read.

I will not go into detail about the conclusions Mr. Levitt draws from his research. It will come as no surprise that he works from the premise that human interaction can be explained by looking for the incentives and deterrents in any given behavoir. But from this premise flows some very startling conclusions, which will anger some people and intrigue others. Regardless of your reaction to his findings, you will find much to think about. And it is short. Highly recommended.