“If I were to put together a truly essential thank-you list for the people who most made it possible for me to write my first six novels, I’d have to owe as much to Ronald Reagan as to Bill Gates or Lou Reed. Reagan’s presidency put the girt in my dystopia. His presidency was the fresh kitty litter I spread for utterly crucial traction on the icy driveway of uncharted futurity. His smile was the nightmare in my back pocket.” — William Gibson