Excellent Nerd Quotes

From what recently released book are these quotes?

The context of this first quote is part of a description of a summer job in the county clerk's office between the author's junior high and high school years.

The process of government was thrilling.  I spent most of my time filing crime and divorce papers, but I also watched trials and county commission meetings and even sat in on the Board of Equalization, though I couldn't figure out what they were talking about, other than that it had to do with money and taxes.  I was fascinated by county government and read whatever I could find about the esoteric disputes of county government theory.

This quote shares with readers the story of a teacher, a Mr. Tolman, who stretched his students' political vistas.

As luck would have it, he was my teacher in 1968, and he made sure I kept up with all that year's earth-shattering events.  But he also took me aside and in his prim, proper manner told me that if I wanted an A, I had to get involved in a political campaign.  At the time, I was a little over five feet tall, had glasses with thick frames, wore hush puppies, and carried a briefcase.  A's mattered a lot to me.

I find great joy in these quotes.  Aren't we all just a little geeky in our own way?  And this author was eventually in the center of major world events in spite of his nerdy youth.  What hope!