The Feminie Mystique

by Betty Friedan

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1963

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

[Jerine Tan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Given that this was first published in 1963, it’s striking how much of the analysis still holds up today. It really brings to mind “the more things change, the more they stay the same”. I can only imagine what a revelation this must have been when it first came out. Even reading it now as a modern reader, parts of it were genuinely eye-opening.

The many anecdotes and interviews do get a bit repetitive (probably intentionally, to really hammer home the themes), but the real highlights are in the analysis, which is where the book truly shines.