How I Grew

"How I Grew explores the young adulthood of Mary"
"McCarthy, one of the most outspoken and prominent"
"intellectuals of the twentieth century. Focusing on eight formative"
"years of her life--from high school in the Seattle area"
"through college at Vassar--McCarthy reveals a girl by turns"
"vulnerable, independent, dramatic, lonely, inquisitive, "
"romantic, demonstrably bright, and uncommonly daring."
"In candid, often intimate detail, How I Grew recounts"
"McCarthy's early attempts at writing; her relationships with"
"teachers, family, and friends; a melodramatic flirtation with"
"suicide; and experiences as dissimilar as her first job and her"
"first seduction."
"A natural companion to the much-praised Memories of a"
"Catholic Girlhood, this is a remarkable personal chronicle, an"
"utterly convincing self-portrait, and a superb addition to the"
"art of the autobiography."