Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner and Outliers by Malcom Gladwell - Book Report/Review Example

“Freakonomics” by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner and “Outliers” by Malcom Gladwell Thesis Statement This study emphasizes on comparing two books based on contemporary learning of economic and sociological implications of the modern day world. The two selected books are (1) ‘Freakonomics’ by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner along with (2) ‘Outliers’ by Malcom Gladwell. A bibliographical account of the authors will be provided in the discussion in comparing the subject matters and other features of the creations. Discussion As the global socio-economic scenario is changing rapidly, theoretical explanations to complex subjects are also being revived from a more critical and broader perspective. This particular phenomenon can be apparently observed with reference to the studies conducted and documented by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner in the book Freakonomics. Undoubtedly, the partnership of these two authors led to the development of another astonishing dimension in traditional economics, covering the philosophical contexts of sociology. Similarly, the book written by Malcom Gladwell, titled Outliers, can be examined as contributing to a broader meaning of economics being based upon the unusual subject of ice hockey players and their behavioral traits. Contextually, a similarity can be observed between these two books. Evidently, the theoretical concept of traditional economics has been revived from its roots by these authors in both the aforementioned creations rewarding an extra edge to the implications of economic explanations in the 21st century context. Notably, the individual traits and personal experiences of these authors can be observed to play fundamental roles in influencing their contribution towards these creations. Steven D. Levitt is a renowned economist who has been contributing to the 21st century global concerns by incessantly revising the implications of traditional economics. Owing to his contributions, he has also been included in the list of Time Magazine’s “100 People Who Shape Our World”. He is currently working as a professor in the University of Chicago and is famous for his interest towards unusual implications of economics in the modern day scenario (The University of Chicago, “Steven D. Levitt”). On the other hand, Stephen J. Dubner is renowned as a public figure being a journalist, an author and a presenter in the radio as well as in the television media. Unastonishingly, he also perceives an interest of conveying an unusual perception towards the regular implications of economics (Stephen J. Dubner, “Bio”). Malcolm Gladwell, in the similar context is associated with a renowned magazine, ‘The New Yorker’ as an award winning staff writer. The interests of the authors have been also concentrated on remarkable topics including moral hazards, cool hunting and the psychological dimensions of today’s social world (The New Yorker, “Malcolm Gladwell”). Therefore, one particular thing which can be identified as common among these authors is that they are found to share similar interests covering certain irregular happenings of the recent social context and examining those aspects from a completely varied perspective. When examining the writing styles of the two books, i.e. Freakonomics and Outliers, a similar concern can be witnessed. For instance, both the books have been written in a manner which makes the creations a page tuner irrespective of being an academic research work which is usually observed to be ignored by a majority of regular readers. Undoubtedly, it is because of this advantage that both the books have been qualified as best sellers. However, there are certain dissimilarities as well, identifiable in relation to both the books. On one hand, the book titled as Freakonomics can be learnt as based upon social concerns such as cheating habits among educational professionals, criminal activities and discrimination practices (Levitt and Dubner 1-14). While on the other hand, the book titled as Outliers emphasizes upon the understanding of people who are observed to possess extraordinary qualities such as smartness, richness, success, outer edge concerns and similar other attributes which further help differentiating these characters from any other regular human being. Gladwell, in his book titled ‘Outliers’ defines such personalities as ‘Outliers’ which in turn implies the probability of those people to succeed in the recent phenomenon (Gladwell, 3-14). Therefore, a degree of dissimilarity can be observed when comparing the subject matters of the two books. Where the book ‘Outliers’ present a vision towards pop-economics, the context of ‘Freakonomics’, intends to focus upon an innovative explanation to the social crises often witnessed in today’s modern day context. One of the facts which contribute largely to the overall success of both the writings is the inclusion of interesting, entertaining and funky illustrations of the real world scenario to explain the actual subject matter considered in the research. The authors in ‘Freaknomics’ concentrate on famous personalities such as Britney Spears along with common people through the narration of their personal stories and unique experiences which further enhances the ability of the creation to comprehend the actual subject matter of the book to regular readers, even those who do not possess a direct interest of economics (Levitt and Dubner 181-200). In the similar context, the narration in ‘Outliers’ concentrate upon including illustrations of the contribution made by authors, such as Robert Merton. The author also involves the real life examples of successful leaders such as the current US president Mr. Barack Obama (Gladwell 250-260). Conclusively, it can be stated that along with certain similarities, the two creations also possess certain dissimilarities which makes these unique but simultaneously develop the books as best sellers. A Venn Diagram is being presented in this regard to illustrate the similarity and the dissimilarities of both the books based on the above discussion. Venn Diagram A = Writing styles; B = Subject matters; C = Main ideas expressed in the books; D = Examples used to back-up ideas; E = Biblical commonalities Works Cited Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: The Story of Success. United Kingdom: Penguin Books Limited, 2008. Print. Levitt, Steven D. and Dubner, Stephen J. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything. New York: HarperCollins, 2011. Print. Stephen J. Dubner. Bio, n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2012. The New Yorker. Malcolm Gladwell, 2012. Web. 19 Dec. 2012. The University of Chicago. Steven D. Levitt, 2008. Web. 19 Dec. 2012. Read More