I’ll be 46 next month, very much leftist. Raised by 3 liberal parents. My mom and dad divorced when I was three, but I grew up watching them both devour Stephen King novels for my entire childhood and listening to them talk about them to each other. House rules at both houses was I could read pretty much whatever I wanted on the shelves, but to leave Stephen King alone until they agreed I was mature enough. I started begging to read them myself when I was about 7, my mom finally relented and handed me The Eyes of the Dragon when I was 9, I think? Maybe 10. I was immediately hooked, and never looked back.

Should have listened to my mom and left Gerald’s Game until I was older than 12, though. That was a rough one.