Betty Friedan

A New Yorker Best of the Week Pick

“Rigorously fair.”—Moira Donegan, New Yorker

“A lucid portrait of Friedan as a bold yet flawed advocate for women’s equality.”—Publishers Weekly

“An evenhanded biography of a pugnacious revolutionary.”—Kirkus Reviews

“In her nuanced, insightful biography, Shteir recovers the life and legacy of women’s rights activist Betty Friedan. . . . [A] vivid portrait of an activist icon.”—National Book Review, “Hot 5” list

“A work of excellent scholarship. . . . Shteir tells all—[Friedan’s] triumphs, her failures; her strengths and weaknesses.”—Fran Castan, East Hampton Star

“[A] delightful, well-researched piece of work.”—Women in Judaism

2024 National Book Critics Circle Awards Finalist, Biography category

“Rachel Shteir offers a vivid portrait of Friedan as a person—her difficult character, her immense accomplishments, her relationships with friends and family, her struggles in personal, professional and political life. The time is ripe for a reevaluation of Friedan.”—Katha Pollitt, author of Pro: Reclaiming Abortion Rights

“Sympathetic but never less than clear-eyed, Rachel Shteir explores the achievements that put Betty Friedan at the center of the movement for women’s rights. An insightful and meticulously detailed portrait of one of America’s most successful political activists.”—Sigrid Nunez, author of Sempre Susan: A Memoir of Susan Sontag