''When to Rob a Bank: ...And 131 More Warped Suggestions and Well-Intended Rants'' is an edited collection of blog posts by American authors

Steven Levitt Steven David Levitt (born May 29, 1967) is an American economist and co-author of the best-selling book ''Freakonomics'' and its sequels (along with Stephen J. Dubner). Levitt was the winner of the 2003 John Bates Clark Medal for his work in th ...

and

Stephen J. Dubner Stephen Joseph Dubner (born August 26, 1963) is an American author, journalist, and podcast and radio host. He is co-author of the popular ''Freakonomics'' book series: ''Freakonomics'',Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of ...

, authors of the ''

Freakonomics ''Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything'' is the debut non-fiction book by University of Chicago economist Steven Levitt and ''New York Times'' journalist Stephen J. Dubner. Published on April 12, 2005, by Wil ...

'' series. It was published by

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five (publishers), Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, Macmi ...

imprint William Morrow on May 5, 2015.

Overview

It takes quick looks at a variety of topics, including

car seat A car seat is a seat used in automobiles. Most car seats are made from inexpensive but durable material in order to withstand prolonged use. The most common material is polyester. Bucket seat and bench seat A bucket seat is a separate seat ...

terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...

, aptonyms,

obesity Obesity is a medical condition, considered by multiple organizations to be a disease, in which excess Adipose tissue, body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it can potentially have negative effects on health. People are classifi ...

performance-enhancing substance Performance-enhancing substances (PESs), also known as performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), are substances that are used to improve any form of activity performance in humans. Many substances, such as anabolic steroids, can be used to improve ath ...

s, and attempts to ban

internet gambling Online gambling (also known as iGaming or iGambling) is any kind of gambling conducted on the internet. This includes virtual Online poker, poker, Online casino, casinos, and sports betting. The first online gambling venue opened to the genera ...

. The pieces are taken from the companion website that the authors first developed with the 2005 publication of ''Freakonomics'', and continued to post new content to over the following decade.

Reception

Reviews of the collection were mixed.

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

called it "another kooky and counterintuitive compilation of economic analysis that might appear wildly offbeat but just might be surprisingly spot-on."

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

wrote that "Lively, self-deprecating writing ensures an entertaining read for fans and new readers alike". Robbie Millen of

The London Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fo ...

, in contrast, wrote that the collection lacked the appeal of the authors' previous volumes.

References

External links

Freakonomics website
2015 non-fiction books Sociology books American non-fiction books William Morrow and Company books Allen Lane (imprint) books {{sociology-book-stub