Life So Far: A Memoir

by Betty Friedan

At last Betty Friedan herself speaks about her life and career. With the same unsparing frankness that made The Feminine Mystique one of the most influential books of our era, Friedan looks back and tells us what it took -- and what it cost -- to change the world. Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique, published in 1963, started the women's movement; it sold more than four million copies and was recently named one of the one hundred most important books of the century. In Life So Far, Friedan takes us on an intimate journey through her life -- a lonely childhood in Peoria, Illinois; salvation at Smith College; her days as a labor reporter for a union newspaper in New York (from which she was dismissed when she became pregnant); unfulfilling and painful years as a suburban housewife; finding great joy as a mother; and writing The Feminine Mystique, which grew out of a survey of her Smith classmates and started it all. Friedan chronicles the secret underground of women in Washington, D.C., who drafted her in the early 1960s to spearhead an "NAACP" for women, and recounts the courage of many, including some Catholic nuns who played a brave part in those early days of NOW, the National Organization for Women. Friedan's feminist thinking, a philosophy of evolution, is reflected throughout her book. She recognized early that the women's movement would falter if institutions did not change to reflect the new realities of women's lives, and she fought to keep the movement practical and free of extremism, including "man-hating." She describes candidly the movement's political infighting that brought her to the point of legal action and resulted in a long breach with fellow leaders Gloria Steinem and Bella Abzug. Friedan is frank about her twenty-two-year marriage to Carl Friedan, an advertising entrepreneur. She writes about the explosive cycle of drinking, arguing, and physical battering she endured and explores her prolonged inability to leave the marriage. (They are now friends and the grandparents of nine.) Friedan was not only pivotal in the founding of NOW, she was also the driving force behind the creation of the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL), the National Women's Political Caucus (NWPC), and the First Women's Bank and Trust Company. She made history by introducing the issue of sex discrimination as an argument against the ratification of a Supreme Court nominee. She convinced the Secretary General of the United Nations to declare 1975 the International Year of the Woman. In this volume, Friedan brings to extraordinary life her bold and contentious leadership in the movement. She lectures, writes, leads think tanks, and organizes women and men to work together in political, legal, and social battles on behalf of women's rights. It is exactly this breadth of vision that makes Friedan's memoir an important and compelling work.

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, History, Biography Memoir

400 pages, Hardcover

First published May 24, 2000

About the author

American feminist Betty Naomi Friedan (née Bettye Naomi Goldstein) wrote The Feminine Mystique in 1963 and cofounded the National Organization for Women in 1966. This book started the "second wave" of feminism.

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating account of the women's movement, from the woman who started it all. It's amazing how much truly has changed in the last half century, and how much impact one person can have on the world. Friedan admits regrets, explains aspects of her life and work that she thinks are often misunderstood, and throws in a good deal about her sex life (including many affairs with married men) to boot. She's thoughtful but matter-of-fact, and unapologetic in that she knows she always did what she thought was right at the time. That's really all you can hope for in the end, right? Knowing you did the best you could? Friedan makes an inpiring case for following your gut, and doing all you can to leave the world a little better than you found it.

[Deidre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting read. Its always hard to see the humanity of one of your idols. I was surprised by both Friedan's nonchalance regarding her husbands long term physical abuse and her admitted homophobia within the woman's movement she helped launch. I enjoyed getting a front row seat from her perspective from some of the major moments in women's herstory. I cried when I recognized the name Shirley Johnson, one of my econ prof's at Vassar, as a woman who shared a commune with Betty in the 70's. Fascinating to see the circles we choose to walk in and how any "housewife" facing "the problem that has no name" can go one to achieve great things in the name of sisterhood.

[Frederick Bingham · Rating 2 out of 5]

Autobiography of Betty Friedan, one of the founders of the modern feminist movement. I lightly skimmed parts of it. It contains some juicy tidbits concerning an affair she carried out for 10 years with David Manning White, my uncle.

[Jennifer Exo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so much about the women's liberation movement, and greatly enjoyed Betty Friedan's writing style. A great book to remind yourself how far women have come, and how far they have to go.

[pawsreadrepeat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book that reminds me there is still much work to be done.

[Elana Porat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Betty Friedan’s Feminine Mystique in high school and felt my mind blown by how much history was accomplished in such a short period of time, and how recent it was! This led me to her memoir - which has been on my shelf for two decades. Well, I finally read it. The question of what it means to be a feminist is really quite simple - all of us women living our independent lives today can’t really say we are anything other, for how many of our freedoms were won (that we aren’t even aware of!) by hard working, forward thinking women like Betty Friedan. Her blunt, straightforward writing style is refreshing as she delves into her many adventures and accomplishments over the years, including her regrets - all in the name of women’s rights. Reading her memoir made me feel like I knew her, including her self-proclaimed, “I’m a bad-tempered bitch”. But there is no doubt her accomplishments were unending, her passion unrelenting, and her contributions to women’s personhood was unsurpassed by any other. My one critique is all her name dropping (which was extensive and impressive) just got in the way of my flow.

[Ruth Glasser]

Not a great book, but definitely interesting to get her spin on things, many years after reading The Feminine Mystique.

[1patstoll Stoll]

I loved reading this book, it made me remember the thrill of reading "The Feminine Mystique" many years ago. Betty has guided my life, rest her soul. This is a memoir, but deals with the same issues.

[Lmsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A view at a truly phenomenal life written by the woman herself. She is an inspiration.

[Jean Oram · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing woman and an amazing life. Who would have thought someone this strong and influential would be caught up in domestic violence?

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't think I would like this book but I ended up loving it. It's very inspirational and tells great stories about the time period in history.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting inside story of the women's movement . Took a while to finish though .

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Friedan's portrayal of casual (and not so casual) sexism is so relatable. Her warm recounting of her life and ideas makes the whole issue less polarizing and "radical". Loved the writing.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Read for school

[Zoe Nicholson · Rating 5 out of 5]

opening days of NOW.