My parents regarded school teachers as higher beings, as did many immigrants.

I read everything: fiction, history, science, mathematics, biography, travel.

There were two free public libraries within walking distance of my home; I remember taking six books home from every visit, the limit set by the library.

A parent being called to the school because their child had misbehaved was as serious as a parent being called to the police station because their child had robbed a bank.

The remoteness of my parents from the schools, so unfashionable today, was often painful for me, but I learned early to deal with an outside and sometimes hard world.

I was also interested in chemistry, but my parents were not willing to buy me a chemistry set.

Going to school and working for good marks, indeed working for very good marks, was a serious business.