At 19 he had an epiphanic moment and started reading like some one. By the time he got to uni 18 months later, he was already talking about literature in a way that was more passionate than the kids who have been bored by it. He collected index cards with all the words or the big words that he didn't know because he doesn't come from that background. The first word he encountered appropriately was impudent - even if I still wouldn't use that word properly.