Freakonomics

Sick and tired of the horrible surveys and poor statistical treatments of these you encounter in the news? Then what you need to do is get a hold of the book

Freakonomics - A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (2005)

I picked up this total gem of a book at Arlanda airport, Stockholm, in the Fall of 2006 on the way back from a spectroscopy seminar which turned out to be no more than a glorified beer-run.

The book started out as a NY Times profile on the brilliant young economist Steven D. Levitt, before they discovered that there was plenty of material for a book. The resulting masterpiece includes chapters titled "How Is Ku Klux Klan Like a Group of Real-Estate Agents", "Why Do Drug Dealers Still Live With Their Moms" and "Where Have All The Criminals Gone".

If you want to know exactly how real-estate agents are screwing you, why insurance suddenly became less expensive in the late 90's or why the value of a new car drops with as much as 25% the minute the car is driven out of the dealership, this is the book for you.