The Sci-Fi Sex Scene That Changed My Life

Spark Notes is a recurring series about the lightbulb moments in sexual development. My parents were both readers, and they didn't let us watch that much TV. By the time I was 11, books had been my primary source of entertainment for as far back as my memory could go. Getting my adult library card in sixth grade was, in that context, a milestone of tremendous importance, a first moment of awe at being inducted into the grown-up world. Wandering into the adult stacks for the first time, I remember seeing the name Asimov in the "A" section in huge letters across dozens of titles, and taking two or three of them down to check them out.