10 Books That Screwed Up the World

And 5 Others That Didn't Help

Benjamin Wiker

Betty Friedans "The Feminine Mystique" was chosen for "Dishonorable Mention" as an example of the second wave of feminism which denigrated the role of women in traditional settings of homemaking and child rearing.

p211 "As she made the beds, shopped for groceries, matched slipcover material, ate peanut butter sandwiches with her children, chauffered Cub Scouts and Brownies, lay beside her husband at night - she was afraid to ask even of herself the silent question - 'Is this all?'"

p211 Comparing to Mead and Kinsey, Wiker suggests "Once again, we see autobiography masquerading as science - and we can see how much of the second wave of feminism was defined by Friedan's personality and personal conflicts."