Sounds like a fun read! : )
 

I'll second Bean's positive review. The authors also have a blog at their website and have articles in the NYTimes Magazine from time to time.

You might have heard of this book because of the controversy surrounding its claim that the legalization of abortion led to lower crime rates (if you read the book it's very likely you'll take the authors' word that they do not mean to be political about it). Very interesting stuff.

However, in some of the cases in the book and in their NYT articles, there's often cause to take their conclusions with a grain of salt. A recent article about child car safety seats seemed a little sloppy and potentially dangerous if it encourages parents to be lax in using the seats. And in the book, the section about predicting children's academic success almost sounded like doing things such as reading to your kids or taking them to museums was pointless in general, not just as an indicator of school progress...

That said, it is a fascinating book and reads real quick-like.
 

Irina: Admit it. We've transformed your life in magical ways!

Ralphie: I had no idea about their blog. Thanks! It's got some interesting stuff on dieting, and acne, and a million other odd studies.
 

OOH, Acne.... Now THAT I gotta read (not that *I* have a problem or anything...)