Born in New York City, the second of three daughters and reared in mill towns in Pennsylvania. "Growing up in a small town gives you two things: a sense of your place and a feeling of self-consciousness--self-consciousness about one's education and exposure, both of which tend to be limited. On the other hand, limited possibilities also means creating your own options. A small town allows you to grow in your own direction, without a bombardment of outside stimulation. You can get a sense of yourself in relation to yourself not to a host of accomplished others. It is important to break out of small town prejudices, however. It is easy to be arbitrary with little basis for comparison. Where I grew up, for instance, women over forty who dyed their hair or girls who wore black before the age of sixteen were considered immoral. All through high school...