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.
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Review:
"This reminiscence will appeal to admirers of [McCarthy's] "Memories of a Catholic Girlhood". Such universal experiences as an adolescent girl's painful awakening to sex, her first love affair, her discovery of books and ideas involve the reader because of the author's . . . relentless candor and graceful style." --"Publishers Weekly" "A fascinating account." --"Library Journal" "A cause for celebration--the first installment of McCarthy's autobiography, as candid and iconoclastic as you would expect. . . . Not only a refreshingly un-retouched self-portrait but an unromanticized depiction of a society experimenting with a whole new set of familial, religious and sexual values . . . depicted with McCarthy's unerring eye for the telling detail, without false modesty or mitigating excuses. . . . Readers will be grateful for--and dazzled by--her frankness. A compelling reminiscence by one of America's major talents." --"Kirkus ""Reviews"
This reminiscence will appeal to admirers of [McCarthy s]Memories of a Catholic Girlhood. Such universal experiences as an adolescent girl s painful awakening to sex, her first love affair, her discovery of books and ideas involve the reader because of the author s . . . relentless candor and graceful style. Publishers Weekly A fascinating account. Library Journal A cause for celebration the first installment of McCarthy s autobiography, as candid and iconoclastic as you would expect. . . . Not only a refreshingly un-retouched self-portrait but an unromanticized depiction of a society experimenting with a whole new set of familial, religious and sexual values . . . depicted with McCarthy s unerring eye for the telling detail, without false modesty or mitigating excuses. . . . Readers will be grateful for and dazzled by her frankness. A compelling reminiscence by one of America s major talents. KirkusReviews"
About the Author:
MARY MCCARTHY (1912–1989) was a short-story writer, bestselling novelist, essayist, and critic. She was the author of The Stones of Florence and Birds of America, among other books.
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