Bestselling author and feminist Nancy Friday helped change millions of people’s views on women’s sexuality. Three of her books in particular, “My Secret Garden: Women’s Sexual Fantasies,” “My Mother/My Self,” and “Women on Top,” influenced the sexual liberation of women for generations. She shared women’s fantasies to show that women can enjoy sex.

Her work faced a range of criticism from disbelief to outright disgust, but she never let those bad reactions stop her. The last book that she wrote before succumbing to Alzheimer’s disease in 2017 was titled “Beyond My Control: Forbidden Fantasies in an Uncensored Age.” Once again, the book validated readers’ sexual imaginings.

Beyond her books, Friday also spoke on TV and radio shows. She was interviewed by such prominent hosts as Bill Maher, Oprah Winfrey, and Larry King. Her earlier work as a journalist for the San Juan Island Times and several magazines had primed her to handle critical questions.