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pp. xvii, (4), 330, b/w illustrations, “Friedan’s contradictions as recounted within the pages of Hennessee’s well-written and thoroughly researched book read like a laundry list. She’s a feminist who prefers the company of men to the friendship of women. Her temper and penchant for political infighting cost her the leadership of the National Organization for Women (which she founded). And, with her sense of entitlement, she saw no irony in calling a meeting of feminist organizers in her New York apartment, then employing a black maid in a white uniform to serve refreshments. But despite her flaws, the Betty Friedan who ultimately emerges from Hennessee’s biography is very much a heroine–a woman never afraid to challenge the status quo, whose keen perceptions and astute social vision have always been far more than the sum total of her own prejudices. Betty Friedan, says Hennessee, is a force of nature. “