How I Grew explores the young adulthood of MaryMcCarthy, one of the most outspoken and prominentintellectuals of the twentieth century. Focusing on eight formativeyears of her life—from high school in the Seattle areathrough college at Vassar—McCarthy reveals a girl by turnsvulnerable, independent, dramatic, lonely, inquisitive,romantic, demonstrably bright, and uncommonly daring.In candid, often intimate detail, How I Grew recountsMcCarthy’s early attempts at writing; her relationships withteachers, family, and friends; a melodramatic flirtation withsuicide; and experiences as dissimilar as her first job and herfirst seduction.A natural companion to the much-praised Memories of aCatholic Girlhood, this is a remarkable personal chronicle, anutterly convincing self-portrait, and a superb addition to theart of the autobiography.