The first book I ever received was Bullfinch's Mythology, unillustrated. I was six years old and I think my Mother was desperate, since I'd already read the Bible several times and the library was a little too far away for us to go to daily.

Exposing me to the mythology of several cultures was one of the best things I ever experienced. The book taught me to accept different people in a time when the country was very polarized.

When we moved, and a library was closer, it was both a blessing and curse. I lived in Brooklyn and while other kids were skipping school to go to Coney Island or Brighton Beach, I was skipping school and going to the library. Eventually, this became an everyday occurrence. Since I didn't know when anyone would figure this out, I read everything I could, as quickly as I could.

I wound up with a 5 book a day habit. I was nine years old.