'Think Like a Freak' with Steven Levitt at Annual Conference Opening General Session

For Immediate Release
Mon, 04/08/2013

Contact:

Amy R McGuigan

Conference Supervisor

Conference Services (CONF)

1-800-545-2433 ext. 3226

amcguigan@ala.org

CHICAGO - Steven D. Levitt, co-author of the upcoming “Think Like A Freak”and of the smash No. 1 international bestseller “Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything promises to turn attendees’ brains inside out before 2013 ALA Annual Conference even starts. Levitt, who is the keynote speaker for the Opening General Session from 4 - 5:15 p.m. on Friday, June 28,  is interested in showing how applying counterintuitive approaches to everyday problems can bear surprising results.

Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? How much do parents really matter? These may not sound like typical questions for an economist to ask, but Levitt is not a typical economist. He studies the riddles of everyday life—from cheating and crime to parenting and sports—and reaches conclusions that turn conventional wisdom on its head.  

“Think Like A Freak” (October 2013), a “must-have handbook for decision making,” intends to radically transform the way you look at every aspect of your life. Levitt and co-author Stephen J. Dubner analyze the decisions we make, the plans we create and the morals we choose and show how their insights can be applied to daily life to make smarter, harder and better decisions. They also offer entertaining and practical insights, from “The Upside of Quitting” to “How to Succeed—With No Talent.”

Steven Levitt is a professor of economics at the University of Chicago, known for his work in the field of crime, and was co-editor of the Journal of Political Economy. In January, 2004 he was awarded the John Bates Clark medal by the American Economic Association for the economist under 40 who made the greatest contribution to the discipline.  He was chosen as one of Time magazine's "100 People Who Shape Our World" in 2006 and in 2009 co-founded The Greatest Good, a business and philanthropy consulting company.

Levitt’s appearance is sponsored by HarperCollins Publishers. In addition to Levitt’s presentation at the Opening General Session, ALA President Maureen Sullivan and others will welcome attendees and set the stage for the coming days.

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