Synopses & Reviews
How I Grew explores the young adulthood of MaryMcCarthy, 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
McCarthys 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.
Synopsis
This remarkable personal memoir focuses on eight crucial years of McCarthy's life--from ages 13 to 21, from high school in the Seattle area through college at Vassar. Photographs.
About the Author
Mary McCarthy (1912-1989) was a short-story writer, bestselling novelist, essayist, and critic. A member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters, she was the author of The Group, Memoirs of a Catholic Girlhood, The Stones of Florence, and Birds of America, among other books.