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The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds Hardcover – December 6, 2016

by Michael Lewis (Author)

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How a Nobel Prize–winning theory of the mind altered our perception of reality.

Forty years ago, Israeli psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky wrote a series of breathtakingly original studies undoing our assumptions about the decision-making process. Their papers showed the ways in which the human mind erred, systematically, when forced to make judgments in uncertain situations. Their work created the field of behavioral economics, revolutionized Big Data studies, advanced evidence-based medicine, led to a new approach to government regulation, and made much of Michael Lewis’s own work possible. Kahneman and Tversky are more responsible than anybody for the powerful trend to mistrust human intuition and defer to algorithms.

The Undoing Project is about a compelling collaboration between two men who have the dimensions of great literary figures. They became heroes in the university and on the battlefield―both had important careers in the Israeli military―and their research was deeply linked to their extraordinary life experiences. Amos Tversky was a brilliant, self-confident warrior and extrovert, the center of rapt attention in any room; Kahneman, a fugitive from the Nazis in his childhood, was an introvert whose questing self-doubt was the seedbed of his ideas. They became one of the greatest partnerships in the history of science, working together so closely that they couldn’t remember whose brain originated which ideas, or who should claim credit. They flipped a coin to decide the lead authorship on the first paper they wrote, and simply alternated thereafter.

This story about the workings of the human mind is explored through the personalities of two fascinating individuals so fundamentally different from each other that they seem unlikely friends or colleagues. In the process they may well have changed, for good, mankind’s view of its own mind.

The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Lewis has written one hell of a love story.” (Jennifer Senior - New York Times)

“Lewis is the ideal teller of [Tversky and Kahneman’s] story… You see his protagonists in three dimensions―deeply likable, but also flawed, just like most of your friends and family.” (David Leonhardt - New York Times Book Review)

“Fascinating stories about intriguing people.” (Cass Sunstein and Richard Thaler - The New Yorker)

“Brilliant… Lewis has given us a spectacular account of two great men who faced up to uncertainty and the limits of human reason.” (William Easterly - Wall Street Journal)

“Compelling… The Undoing Project is a history of the birth of behavioral economics, but it’s also Lewis’s testament to the power of collaboration.” (Peter Coy - Bloomberg Businessweek)

“Intellectually mesmerizing and inspiring.” (Harper's Bazaar)

“Mind-blowing… [The Undoing Project] will raise doubts about how you personally perceive reality.” (Don Oldenburg - USA Today)

“Michael Lewis has a genius for finding stories about people who view reality from an unusual angle and telling these stories in a compulsively readable way.” (Geoffrey Kabat - Forbes)

“A fantastic read.” (Jesse Singal - New York Magazine)

“Lewis [is a] master of the character-driven narrative.” (Charlie Gofen - The National Book Review)

“Tantalizing and tender… Lewis is an irresistible storyteller and a master at illuminating complicated and fascinating subjects.” (Booklist, starred review)

About the Author

Michael Lewis, is the best-selling author of Liar’s Poker, Moneyball, The Blind Side, and Flash Boys. He lives in Berkeley, California, with his wife and three children.

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Product details

Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1 edition (December 6, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0393254593
ISBN-13: 978-0393254594
Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.3 x 9.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (905 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #444 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Professionals & Academics > Social Scientists & Psychologists
- #3 in Books > Medical Books > Psychology > History
- #3 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Psychology & Counseling > History

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Customer Reviews

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4.2 out of 5 stars

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2 star		6%
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Top Customer Reviews

An intellectual adventure that only Michael Lewis could do justice

ByJacob Anthonyon December 6, 2016

Format: Hardcover

Thanks to works like Psychonomics: The Scientific Conquest of the Human Mind, we know that the field of Behavioral Economics is a kind of wild west of the sciences, filled with speculation, outlaws, and not a little shenanigans. And yet it is by far the most fascinating and controversial science on the popular stage. The Undoing Project is the epic story of how it all came to be.

It is a story that only Michael Lewis could write. With his characteristic accessibility and knack for turning the complex into palatable pieces, Lewis presents the foundations of the science by crafting a story about its two visionary scholars, Daniel Kahneman and the late Amos Tversky.

In so doing, Lewis gives a face to the theories and ideas that we have all become so aware of in the last ten or fifteen years: The Anchoring Effect, Framing, Overconfidence Bias, Regression to the Mean, Halo Effect. These and other “cognitive biases” have become familiar scientific concepts. The story of the friendship between Kahneman and Tversky brings to life what could otherwise be dull and mathematical.

This book is admittedly less plot-driven than other Lewis gems like The Blind Side,The Big Short, and even Moneyball. The story of Kahneman and Tversky is not necessarily made of the big screen. And Lewis does pay attention to the math to a degree that some readers will have to skip ahead (as he suggests). Still, Lewis’ mastery of storytelling makes even this kind of material a gripping and endearing tale.

One thing that stood out to me is just how different Kahneman and Tversky were. How they came together from similar backgrounds, approached life from different angles, agreed to set off on their intellectual journey together, and collaborated on some of the greatest psychological studies of the 20th century sets us up for a classic buddy story—an intellectual Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid if you will. On second thought, it might be good for a movie after all.

1818 comments 362 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Must release an edited version

ByAthanon December 22, 2016

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

With no doubt, I had great fun reading “The Undoing Project.”

I was introduced to the work of Tversky and Kahneman as a college sophomore in 1988 by my teacher, hydrologist Joseph Harrington, who was a great admirer of their ideas. The beauty of what is now called “Prospect Theory” has inevitably stuck with me since. It is only in retrospect that I have come to understand it was radical for its time.

So I swallowed whole “Thinking About Thinking” within a week of having read the Michael Lewis review on Bloomberg. And I’ve since really enjoyed the recent near-autobiography of Richard Thaler’s, as well as many of Dan Ariely’s books.

Well, you don’t have to believe me on this, but Michael Lewis actually explains the concepts better!

No joke, he really does.

And he provides an unbelievably deep, personal and sensitive account of the explosive relationship between the two giants. A very believable account too. The research done by Michael Lewis really shows. He’s had phenomenal access too, it seems.

And yet, the book does not hang together terribly well. Chapters 1 and 8 should not have made it into the book, they ought to have been relegated to the pages of Vanity Fair, where the author regularly provides fantastic material.

More to the point, what we have here is a bunch of chapters that, chronological order notwithstanding, do not constitute a book. The incredible material, the wonderful expositions, the deep insights are all present and correct, but they fail to meld into a narrative. Even the title of the book, much as it has its roots in the work of Tversky and Kahneman, does not do justice to their contribution.

It really pains me to say this, especially because the author’s previous effort, “Flash Boys,” was a genuine five-star book. Perhaps that’s the problem. Maybe if I was reading this straight off of “Boomerang” I’d have found it great. As it stands, I’m not sure I could recommend it to the general public.

If, on the other hand, you have the remotest interest in Behavioral Economics, you genuinely can’t not read “The Undoing Project” and you are guaranteed to enjoy it.

55 comments 207 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Absolutely wonderful. Michael Lewis successfully blends two biographies

ByS. Yateson December 7, 2016

Format: Hardcover

4.5 stars. Absolutely wonderful. Michael Lewis successfully blends two biographies, an intellectual love story (there really is no other way to describe the Kahneman/Tversky partnership), astute sketches of the work they did (in heuristics and biases), and how the partnership had ripple effects in a myriad of areas (from economics to psychology, from medicine to the military, and beyond). The book moves at a brisk pace, never dull, and fleshes out the men behind the scientific work. This vantage point into where Kahneman and Tversky came from, the events that shaped them, their intellectual make-ups, and the alchemy of their partnership is a real treat. This added depth to the scientists only makes me appreciate their work all the more. Highly recommended for anyone, but especially those who have read Thinking Fast, And Slow, any book on behavioral economics, or students of how human cognition leads us astray. A fantastic book that I couldn't put down.

11 comment 134 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Most Recent Customer Reviews

GLADE I READ IT, BUT...

A very interesting story, but I was glad when I had finished it. I have been reading about Kahneman and Tversky and their work on decision making for many years.Read more

Published 18 hours ago by My Opinion

Fabulous Michael Lewis book, as usual.

Fabulous Michael Lewis book, as usual. Many terrific insights into the psychology of the human minds. Very interesting Israeli war stories. Very honest and direct points of view.Read more

Published 18 hours ago by HotinTN

Wrong about being right

An interesting, challenging & deep thinking read about the complex relationship between 2 of the most brilliant men you might be afraid to meet.Read more

Published 1 day ago by Daniel Feiman

Awkward telling of a most interesting story

I have mixed feelings about this book. The story of Kahneman and Tversky's groundbreaking theories and their friendship and collaboration is one that I find fascinating.Read more

Published 1 day ago by FCRichelieu

Really dreary

I have no idea why this book got any decent press at all. Or any at all. There was neither a coherent explanation of new or interesting social theory nor an even slightly...Read more

Published 2 days ago by Lucianna

I expected more content based on what I have read ...

I expected more content based on what I have read him before. Not at the same quality of content and thought leadership. A disappointing purchase.Read more

Published 3 days ago by Robin N. Barone

Brilliant book

Thought provoking read one of America's best authors. Mr Lewis is a great teacher and biographer of two extraordinarily geniuses. A must read Read more

Published 4 days ago by Randy Ades

Great read

Love this author Read more

Published 5 days ago by kurt zimmerman

Change your thinking.

Michael Lewis's "The undoing project: A friendship that changed our minds" is a biography of two psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky.Read more

Published 5 days ago by Runnymead

Fabulous book about an untimely seeming subject. Really a ...

Fabulous book about an untimely seeming subject. Really a must read for everyone who needs to exercise judgement about other people in whatever endeavor.Read more

Published 5 days ago by A. Parent

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