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In tracing the roots of current discontents, which Coontz dubs the ‘Supermom Mystique,' her book is no less required reading than Friedan's trailblazer.”

As women continue to struggle with the effort to balance life and work, Coontz argues that The Feminine Mystique remains as relevant today as when it first appeared. ∼oupling meticulous research with first-person interviews, Coontz challenges a number of Friedan's assumptions and exaggerations while also revisiting the climate in which the work appeared and giving voice to women for whom The Feminine Mystique was nothing short of a lifesaver. “This perceptive engrossing.book provides welcome context and background to a still controversial bestseller that changed how women viewed themselves.” he not only explores the actual content of The Feminine Mystique (going well beyond the usual proclamations about its controversiality and importance), but insists that readers (and, presumably, feminists) figure out how to reconcile our idealized version of history with information that complicates it.” In her latest work.Coontz focuses on a book we've come to take for granted, arguing that it deserves a closer look. Most important, she shows how assumptions and misinformation about the past are used not only to paint a distorted picture of how things used to be, but to justify insidious policies and legislation like the Defense of Marriage Act. Coontz soberly checks facts, corrects misinformation, and fills in holes in the record. ∺s the author of several books that challenge the accepted historical narrative of ‘traditional' families and institutions. Coontz's ‘demystifying' of both the era and Friedan is an erudite, even-handed look at the explosive feminist undercurrents of the era.”

Today the problem has been named, and A Strange Stirring offers poignant personal reactions, accessible history and present-day comparisons to give voice to the modern quest for gender equality.” A Strange Stirring is, in many ways, better than the original. Coontz is the rare social historian who knows how to weave meticulous research into a compelling narrative of our not-too-distant past.

“ excellent new social history of the impact of Betty Friedan's landmark book on American women.