The Feminine Mystique, by Betty Friedan (1921– 2006), is one of a relative handful of modern books that can truly be said to have altered dramatically the course of thinking—in this case, about the role of women. After the book was published in 1963, it touched off a national debate about women’s roles and quickly became a central text in modern feminism. Indeed, that debate sometimes became fierce, for Friedan and her family were forced to move out of their New York City neighborhood because of threats from angry neighbors.