Feminist Icon Betty Friedan Dead at 85

Betty Friedan author of trailblazing 1963 best seller The Feminine Mystique and co-founder of the National Organization for Women (NOW) died of congestive heart failure yesterday on her 85th birthday. Friedans tireless work for female equality and self-realization made her both a revered and despised figure in America. Her break out 1963 book The Feminine Mystique is widely regarded as a watershed in the women's movement, the success of which however may have contributed to the break-up of her marriage. A writer, lecture and social staple Ms. Friedan segwayed into an advocate of the rights of the elderly with he 1993 book The Fountain of Age. Betty Friedan is survived by three children, nine grandchildren, and two siblings.