classics

Helping those in need

Visit Site

MP3 Audio Sample

rating
 
 
goodreads logo

Short Synopsis
A new portrait of Betty Friedan, the author and activist acclaimed as the mother of second-wave feminism.

Full Synopsis
The feminist writer and activist Betty Friedan (1921–2006), pathbreaking author of The Feminine Mystique, was powerful and polarizing. In this biography, the first in more than twenty years, Rachel Shteir draws on Friedan's papers and on interviews with family, colleagues, and friends to create a nuanced portrait.

Friedan, born Bettye Naomi Goldstein, chafed at society's restrictions from a young age. As a journalist she covered racism, sexism, labor, class inequality, and anti-Semitism. As a wife and mother, she struggled to balance her work and homemaking. Her malaise as a housewife and her research into the feelings of other women resulted in The Feminine Mystique (1963), which made her a celebrity.

Using her influence, Friedan cofounded the National Organization for Women, the National Women's Political Caucus, and the National Association to Repeal Abortion Laws. She fought for the Equal Rights Amendment, universal childcare, and workplace protections for mothers, but she disagreed with the women's liberation movement over "sexual politics."

Shteir considers how Friedan's Judaism was essential to her feminism, presenting a new Friedan for a new era.

Betty Friedan

Magnificent Disruptor


Author Rachel Shteir

Narrated by Kim Niemi

Publication date Sep 26, 2023

Running time 11 hrs

Available Formats

Suggestions?
Let us know!