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Woman's Work

Name: Woman's Work
Author: Lisa Frederiksen Bohannon
ISBN: 9781931798419

by Lisa Frederiksen Bohannon

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Overview

Betty Friedan's seminal work, The Feminine Mystique, is often credited with launching the women's rights movement. The book was published in 1963 and was informed by Betty's difficult relationship with her own mother, her training in psychology (she graduated summa cum laude from Smith College), and her experience raising three children in an unhappy marriage. Betty's unwillingness to accept the status quo led her to challenge traditional notions about women's roles and she became an outspoken leader in the feminist movement, co-founding the National Organization for Women along the way. Yet Friedan also became a lightning rod for controversy, eventually leaving NOW to pursue other interests that included helping women from other countries achieve equality and advocating for the rights of the elderly. Woman's Work: The Story of Betty Friedan presents the multi-faceted life and work of this complicated, fascinating woman, offering insight into the determination and dedication that shaped her into an icon to those who have followed in her wake.

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Editorials

Children's Literature

This well-written and easy-to-read biography of feminist Betty Friedan gives readers insight into the life and struggles of the woman whose book, The Feminine Mystique, is "often credited with launching the women's rights movement." Bright and energetic (some would say "bossy"), Betty was a student of psychology, a summa cum laude graduate of Smith College and the not-so-happily married mother of three children who found that she and many other women were not fulfilled in their narrowly defined role of wife and mother. The publication of her book was just the beginning of Betty's fight for women's rights (equal pay for equal work, maternity leave)—a fight which she continues today. Today's young women and men might be surprised to learn just how much the role of women has changed since the mid 1960's. This book is illustrated with black and white photographs and includes a time line, sources, a bibliography, a list of websites for further information and an index. 2004, Morgan Reynolds, Ages 14 up.
—Anita Barnes Lowen

School Library Journal

Gr 6-10-From her early years as a journalist through the publication of The Feminine Mystique to her role in the founding of the National Organization for Women, and her more recent support for seniors' rights, this title describes Friedan's considerable influence and significance. The author does a good job of fitting the subject into the context of her time by clearly showing how she conformed and how she rebelled against its mores. She does not attempt to glorify, but presents a profile of a complex woman with strengths and weaknesses. This is an interesting book that will help teens to understand just how much has changed and how much women have accomplished in the last 50 years. The black-and-white photographs sprinkled throughout are poorly reproduced. A satisfactory selection for biography collections but one that is unlikely to be a popular choice for leisure reading.-Laura Reed, Kitchener Public Library, Ontario, Canada Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.