Vicki Smith

School librarian and educator, mom, reader, tennis player, beach lover who happens to live in the mountains. Children’s literature enthusiast.

[CALL TO ACTIVISM @CalltoActivism]

A British writer penned the best description of Donald Trump I’ve ever read:

“Why do some British people not like Donald Trump?”

A few things spring to mind. Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem. For instance, he has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour and no grace – all qualities, funnily enough, with which his predecessor Mr. Obama was generously blessed. So for us, the stark contrast does rather throw Trump’s limitations into embarrassingly sharp relief.

Plus, we like a laugh. And while Trump may be laughable, he has never once said anything wry, witty or even faintly amusing – not once, ever. I don’t say that rhetorically, I mean it quite literally: not once, not ever. And that fact is particularly disturbing to the British sensibility – for us, to lack humour is almost inhuman. But with Trump, it’s a fact. He doesn’t even seem to understand what a joke is – his idea of a joke is a crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty.

Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and he never laughs; he only crows or jeers. And scarily, he doesn’t just talk in crude, witless insults – he actually thinks in them. His mind is a simple bot-like algorithm of petty prejudices and knee-jerk nastiness.

There is never any under-layer of irony, complexity, nuance or depth. It’s all surface. Some Americans might see this as refreshingly upfront. Well, we don’t. We see it as having no inner world, no soul. And in Britain we traditionally side with David, not Goliath. All our heroes are plucky underdogs: Robin Hood, Dick Whittington, Oliver Twist. Trump is neither plucky, nor an underdog. He is the exact opposite of that. He’s not even a spoiled rich-boy, or a greedy fat-cat. He’s more a fat white slug. A Jabba the Hutt of privilege.

And worse, he is that most unforgivable of all things to the British: a bully. That is, except when he is among bullies; then he suddenly transforms into a snivelling sidekick instead. There are unspoken rules to this stuff – the Queensberry rules of basic decency – and he breaks them all. He punches downwards – which a gentleman should, would, could never do – and every blow he aims is below the belt. He particularly likes to kick the vulnerable or voiceless – and he kicks them when they are down.

So the fact that a significant minority – perhaps a third – of Americans look at what he does, listen to what he says, and then think ‘Yeah, he seems like my kind of guy’ is a matter of some confusion and no little distress to British people, given that:

• Americans are supposed to be nicer than us, and mostly are.

• You don’t need a particularly keen eye for detail to spot a few flaws in the man.

This last point is what especially confuses and dismays British people, and many other people too; his faults seem pretty bloody hard to miss. After all, it’s impossible to read a single tweet, or hear him speak a sentence or two, without staring deep into the abyss. He turns being artless into an art form; he is a Picasso of pettiness; a Shakespeare of shit. His faults are fractal: even his flaws have flaws, and so on ad infinitum. God knows there have always been stupid people in the world, and plenty of nasty people too. But rarely has stupidity been so nasty, or nastiness so stupid. He makes Nixon look trustworthy and George W look smart. In fact, if Frankenstein decided to make a monster assembled entirely from human flaws – he would make a Trump.

And a remorseful Doctor Frankenstein would clutch out big clumpfuls of hair and scream in anguish: ‘My God… what… have… I… created?' If being a twat was a TV show, Trump would be the boxed set.”

-Nate White

[Vicki Smith @vwildesmith]

@KateMessner School librarian here. I love your books and so do my students! Over and Under the Sea?

[Vicki Smith @vwildesmith]

@CalltoActivism YES

[Vicki Smith @vwildesmith]

@JerryCraft @CommonSense I am a school librarian and we have Class Act prominently displayed in our library. A student was looking for it last week and was so excited that we had it because it’s so popular it’s usually checked out! No book bans for us. Thank you Jerry for writing books kids love!

[Vicki Smith @vwildesmith]

@washingtonpost Um, given the cause, not that tough

[Vicki Smith @vwildesmith]

@chrislhayes It is. And if your kid plays an outdoor sport you will treasure the fields with adjacent field parking so you can sit in the warmth of your car while it is sleeting but your 13 year old's team is still out there practicing, or playing, lacrosse, or soccer, or football...

[Junior Library Guild @JrLibraryGuild]

In honor of Native American Heritage Month, we are giving away five copies of “Powwow Day” by Traci Sorrell along with five signed book plates.
To enter – Like and retweet this tweet. For additional entries, respond to this tweet and tag a friend! Winners will be chosen on 12/2!

[Simon Teen @simonteen]

Want to join a witchy coven of YA authors? Now's your chance: https://t.co/20LlVHNqLq @SashaPSmith @jennaevanswelch @SheaErnshaw

[S&S EducationLibrary @SSEdLib]

Are your students and patrons celebrating #TeenTober? This is the perfect weekend to curl up with a teen read. Here are some of our favorite spooky YA recs. What are your teens reading this weekend?

[Patton Oswalt @pattonoswalt]

WOW that second paragraph. 💯💯💯

[Simon Teen @simonteen]

ICYMI, #TheWitchHunt is out now! Have you grabbed your copy yet? https://t.co/UuiBl7ASYn @sashapsmith

[Vicki Smith @vwildesmith]

@TheRealHoarse YES! Sliding out the back door with a smile on your face...

[Simon Teen @simonteen]

Big news! We're chatting with @sashapsmith about #TheWitchHunt on Instagram Live this coming Thursday afternoon at 4:30 pm. https://t.co/JwGGb1ShGy

[Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @HC_Richardson]

I’m not going to amplify the antisemitism coming from the leaders of the Republican Party, but yes, it is as bad as observers say it is, and yes, it is going exactly where you think it is unless we stop those leaders and reclaim our country for democracy.

[Simon Teen @simonteen]

Sweepstakes alert!!! Enter for a chance to win a copy of #TheWitchHaven annotated by @SashaPSmith herself here: https://t.co/Y3YWN53DV9
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Rules: https://t.co/t6boqEqq6U

[S&S EducationLibrary @SSEdLib]

Happy book birthday to THE WITCH HUNT by @SashaPSmith! This lush, romantic follow up to the bestselling THE WITCH HAVEN is just the cozy, magical fall read you need right now. #YAbooks #YAlit

[Books of Wonder @BooksofWonder]

Magic, dark secrets, and dangerous romance--the perfect recipe for an October book launch! Celebrate the launch of THE WITCH HUNT by @sashapsmith with us 🎉🎉💕 join us and A LESSON IN VENGEANCE author @sosaidvictoria at the link below:
https://t.co/jTUsAN426k

[Ken Olin @kenolin1]

This. From @traecrowder.
Perfection.

[Jeff Tiedrich @itsJeffTiedrich]

no Democrat is defending Paul Pelosi's DUI. every Republican is defending Donald Trump's theft of nuclear secrets. any questions