Nancy Friday's Biography(Books)(Photos)

Nancy Colbert Friday (born August 27, 1933)
is an author who has written on the topics of

published in 2004.

female sexuality and liberation. Her writings
argue that women have often been reared under

Throughout the 80s and early 90s she was a
frequent guest on television and radio

an ideal of womanhood which was outdated and
restrictive, and largely unrepresentative of

programs such as Politically Incorrect,
Oprah, Larry King Live, Good Morning America

many women's true inner lives, and that
openness about women's hidden lives could

and NPR’s Talk of the Nation, Friday also
has a web site, which was created in the mid

help free women to truly feel able to enjoy
being themselves. She asserts that this is

1990s, to complement the publication of The
Power of Beauty. Initially conceived as a

not due to deliberate malice, but due to
social expectation, and that for women's and

forum for development of new work and
interaction with her diverse audience, it has

men's benefit alike it is healthier that both
be able to be equally open, participatory and

not been updated in several years. As of
2005, Friday is currently working on her

free to be accepted for who and what they
are.

first novel. Despite the judgment of Ms.
magazine ("This woman is not a feminist”)

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Friday grew

she has predicated her career on the belief
that feminism and appreciation of men are not

up in Charleston, South Carolina and attended
the only local girls' college-preparatory

mutually exclusive concepts.

school, Ashley Hall, where she graduated in
1951. She then attended Wellesley College in

Nancy Friday married novelist Bill Manville
in 1967, separated from him in 1980, and

Massachusetts. She worked briefly as a
reporter for the San Juan Island Times and

divorced him in 1986. Her second husband was
Norman Pearlstine, formerly the

subsequently established herself as a
magazine journalist in New York, England,

editor-in-chief of Time Inc.. They were
married at the Rainbow Room in New York on

Italy and France before turning to writing
full time and publishing her first book, My

July 11, 1988, and divorced in 2005. She now
resides in Key West and New York City.

Secret Garden, in 1973. This book, which
compiled interviews of women discussing their

Nancy Friday's writings argue that women have

sexuality and fantasies, became a bestseller;
Friday has regularly returned to the

often been reared under an ideal of womanhood
which was outdated and restrictive, and

interview format in her subsequent books on
themes ranging from mothers and daughters to

largely unrepresentative of many women's true
inner lives, and that openness about women's

sexual fantasies, relationships, jealousy,
envy, feminism, BDSM and beauty. She has not

hidden lives could help free women to truly
feel able to enjoy being themselves. She

written a book since the publication of The
Power of Beauty, which was released in 1996,

asserts that this is not due to deliberate
malice, but due to social expectation, and

and then renamed and rereleased in paper-back
form in 1999. However, she contributed an

that for women's and men's benefit alike it
is healthier that both be able to be equally

interview of porn star Nina Hartley to XXX:
30 Porn Star Portraits a book by

open, participatory and free to be accepted
for who and what they are.