History Main / BookDumb

* ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'' has more than a few examples.

Not every student will be a certified genius and [[TheBGrade obsess over anything that isn't a flawless A+]]. Many will actually do quite mediocre in school, but this is despite seeming at least average in intelligence in most other areas of life. This is generally an indication that they aren't stupid but don't have the skills to rise next to the TVGenius characters in academia. Alternatively they may be BrilliantButLazy where the lazy part is disliking [[TeachersPet sucking up to the faculty]], or is secretly a GeniusDitz when given the right project to work on.

** [[Characters/TheMightyThorThorOdinson Thor]] compared to [[Characters/MarvelComicsLoki Loki]] or ComicBook/IronMan; heck, ''any'' of ComicBook/TheAvengers compared to Iron Man or [[ComicBook/AntMan Hank Pym]].

** [[Characters/MarvelComicsXMan Nate Grey]] is an ArtificialHuman designed as a LivingWeapon by the ''ComicBook/AgeOfApocalypse'' version of Mr. Sinister, and prematurely aged to his late teens to that end. This, his escape, and his life with his FoundFamily of guerrilla fighters disguised as Shakespearean actors, before becoming effectively homeless in the main Marvel Universe means that for a long time he was UnskilledButStrong, utterly devoid of life experience outside of survival, and only really good at fighting. However, his impulsive nature, hot-temper, and usually justified paranoia meant that most people thought he was either dim or a brash hot-head. As it was, he learned ''fast'', developed some very unconventional uses of his powers, and displayed a level of tactical brilliance on par with [[Characters/MarvelComicsCyclops his father]] and [[Characters/CableNathanSummers older brother]] when he ran rings around [[Characters/MarvelComicsNormanOsborn Norman Osborn]], the ComicBook/DarkAvengers, and the Dark X-Men, in ''Dark X-Men'', nearly destroying everything he'd achieved in a matter of hours with a BatmanGambit he'd come up with on the fly (and in the end, Norman did exactly what Nate was planning shortly after, during ''ComicBook/{{Siege}}'': had mental breakdown and went full Green Goblin in public, destroying his power and reputation).

* Caulfield, from ''ComicStrip/{{Frazz}}''. He dislikes school and frequently derails lessons, but reads books far above his age's reading level and has intelligent discussions with the titular janitor.

* Actually [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] with Percy in ''Fanfic/SonOfTheWesternSea''. Actually having help with schoolwork and not having to deal with [[IncrediblyInconvenientDeity the Olympians]] giving him quests which throw his life into chaos means that he was able to improve his grades. While he still struggles with English and History, he gets an A in Physics and a solid B in pre-calculus. [[spoiler: Given he is (unknowingly) the [[DeityOfHumanOrigin nascent god of spaceflight]], that [[RequiredSecondaryPowers makes sense]].]]

* ''Fanfic/ThroughHerEyes'': [[AvertedTrope Averted]]. Despite her own beliefs on the matter, Ruby is actually one of the most intelligent students at Beacon, second only to Weiss. That said, her past education of homeschooling and internet tutorial videos means there's a lot of blind spots in her knowledge base, such as technology, so she has to do a fair amount of catch-up work in order to stay at Beacon. Either way, her real strength is in her fighting ability, which amazes the rest of her class.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'': Anne Boonchuy is a lazy, unmotivated student who is actively adversarial with her teachers, but is shown to be quite intelligent and resourceful when she applies herself. [[spoiler: As an adult, this is no longer the case as she has earned a doctorate in herpetology.]]

* Da Orks in ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000''. On the surface they look like a bunch of drunken soccer hooligans who can barely stack a couple crates up without smashing them to splinters, but looks can be deceiving. Just because charging at you with an axe held high and a loud bellow on their lips is their favorite tactic, doesn't mean it's all they do. Contrary to popular belief, they do indeed understand the concepts of flanking, high ground, suppressive fire, camouflage, feints, tactical withdrawals, and other such strategies. They have an entire god devoted to "Being Cunning" -- specifically, Being ''Brutally'' Cunning -- so don't let your guard down. Additionally, because of how their version of [[PsychicPowers psi]] works, choosing not to roll with formal education is actually a very calculated and clever strategic decision. If they built an engineering college for the mekboys so they all understood how engines and aerodynamics work, making their hoverbikes go faster would no longer be as simple as a can of red paint.

''Literature/{{Slacker}}'': life.
* BookDumb: Football hero String is smart enough to understand a playbook perfectly, but he's failing all his classes and thinks ''Literature/ToKillAMockingbird'' author Creator/HarperLee is one of the stars of ''Series/DuckDynasty''.

Many main characters in children's shows (and in adult's shows featuring children) are explicitly shown as doing very badly in school, despite showing themselves to be of at least average intelligence in most other areas of life. This isn't inconsistency on the part of the writers, though. The kid is just Book Dumb.

Making your child character Book Dumb is seen as a great way to appeal to the masses (especially when creating a ThisLoserIsYou) without having to show them being outsmarted by other characters on a regular basis. A Book Dumb character will usually show excellent "[[StreetSmart street smarts]]", is quite capable of thinking on their feet, and is often very good at problem solving most of the time, but he (and it is usually a boy) does not function well within a regimented learning system. Maybe he's just not good at that type of learning. Maybe he's clever, but can't resist an opportunity for mischief. In extreme cases, he may even be a [[TeenGenius genius]] or [[GadgeteerGenius inventor]] at home, but devolves into a functionally illiterate bad boy as soon as he enters through the school gates. Maybe he's just TooDumbToFool. Or he might be a GeniusDitz. But he is rarely an ApatheticStudent.

On the other hand, some writers will try the opposite rationale and use it as a criticism of the ''school system'', either claiming that schools are staffed by incompetent idiots who don't know intelligence when they see it, or that schools are deliberately designed to stifle innovation and free will in order to turn kids into mindless future wage slaves.

Some characters are book dumb due to having been denied a formal education for various reasons. They might not be in any way stupid or lazy but a lack of opportunity has simply restricted their progression.

His own attitude to his schooling varies considerably, often within the same series. One episode may call for him to seem to care about his problem, and try very hard to get the work done, whereas another episode may show him really not caring about schoolwork at all. This doesn't matter; as long as the writer gets across that this character isn't some kind of fancy intellectual at whom the audience should sneer, then the Book Dumb has done its job.

In shows with high school characters, Book Dumb often overlaps with TroubledButCute, especially in Western media.

This is also common among adults, who will be portrayed as not having done very well at school, even though today they may be a famous novelist, celebrated artist, top sportsman, or [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons nuclear safety inspector]]. If the character is doing a non-creative job, he will usually be just as ineffective in his job as he was at school (though always managing to avoid GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity), while displaying considerable intelligence in other areas of their life.

Book Dumb female characters are quite common in {{Anime}} and {{Manga}} but in Western media this trope tends to skew heavily male. The popularity of the UptownGirl trope might also be a factor.

This is one of the ways writers have evolved BrainsVersusBrawn since this trope allows you to maintain the contrast between the "smart" and "dumb" character, while also giving the dumb character both more complexity than a one-note idiot character and a leg up in the competition over their smarter foil who often suffers from a lack of {{Street Smart}}s.

This trope has quite a bit of TruthInTelevision. As any teacher can tell you, there is something about the school system that ''does'' alienate a certain portion of otherwise intelligent children, although the pervasiveness of this trope frustrates some students that are held to TeenGenius standards by their parents, wondering why nobody that actually does ''well'' in school is ever the main character. [[UnfortunateImplications Most troublingly]], this trope is popular among [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-intellectualism anti-intellectuals]], who argue that academic smarts are entirely worthless. Of course, being anti-intellectuals, their arguments lack a certain... something. Luckily some school systems are trying to do things to solve this problem, as it often makes learning easier for everybody anyway, and several systems have been in use since just after the TurnOfTheMillennium, although wide-spread adoption has yet to occur anywhere. Also, most book-dumb people in real-life often resort to [[LoopholeAbuse looking up the answers to their schoolwork online]] -- typically through the likes of Website/{{Wikipedia}} -- to put on an intelligent façade in pursuit of popularity (or at least not flunk out and get in trouble).

The inversion is BookSmart. Contrast TVGenius, who ''only'' seems intelligent in the classroom, and DitzyGenius, who is a genius in academics but inept in everyday life. Also contrast InsufferableGenius, who is very talented and arrogantly proud of it. Compare BrilliantButLazy, which underlies this most of the time, and EverybodyHatesMathematics, the roughly mathematical equivalent. Technical opposite of the BadassBookworm. If they are asked to do an essay, they might end up PaddingThePaper.

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'': [[KidHero Finn]] doesn't have a school to do bad in, but he's terrible at math and doesn't understand [[EmperorScientist Princess Bubblegum]]'s science experiments. He's also quite impulsive and sometimes gullible. That being said, there are numerous episodes where he gets by through cleverness or subterfuge rather than just running at monsters with a sword. (Not that he doesn't do that too.)

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': Philip J. Fry is frequently portrayed as a lazy, [[ManChild childish]] TheSlacker who is impulsive to the ''n''th degree, has a soda addiction that nearly cost him his (best) (girl)friend's life (ItMakesSenseInContext) and caused him to suffer near-lethal radiation poisoning, and on a trivia show blurted out the answer before any others were listed. In one episode, he attends Mars University, ''just so he can drop out''. He has [[SociallyAwkwardHero minimal social skills]] and has difficulty talking to people ([[CannotTalkToWomen including women]]). And despite being in a [[FishOutOfTemporalWater situation where not understanding his current environment makes sense]], it's made pretty clear that he doesn't have much more knowledge regarding anything else outside of a small sector of nerdy interests. Despite all of this, he does manage to be quite clever at times, as well as pull off some remarkable feats and moments of clarity when given the right motivation.

* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': Both Mabel and Stan [[spoiler:in contrast to their more bookish and academically talented brothers]]. Although he's not college-educated, Stan's shrewd business acumen and strength as a con man are second to none, [[spoiler:and he managed to fix the broken portal just by reading up extensively on physics despite his lack of experience in the field]]. Mabel is highly creative and socially gifted, to say nothing of her mean hand with a grappling hook.

** Rainbow Dash regularly expresses a strong jock attitude, often misunderstanding complicated words ("Tenacity?" "Gesundheit.") and (initially) fears the stigma of being known as an "egghead" who reads books, but she is a capable weather manager (which fans posit would require extensive academic training). "Testing, Testing, 1-2-3" goes even further, implying that she may have some sort of learning disability (hence her dislike of heavily academic subjects). It also shows that when she's flying, she's capable of processing and remembering large amounts of information very easily. In later seasons, it's shown that her book dumbness was entirely a façade, and the reason she had trouble learning in a classroom was not due to learning disabilities, but because she was bored.
** Applejack is down-to-earth and fairly simpleminded (she refers to French as "speakin' in fancy") but has enough business sense to run her farm without any economic problems.
* Luz from ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' is repeatedly shown to be very intelligent, is an avid reader, and has a strong desire to learn. Despite this, her grades were implied to be rather lackluster back on Earth. The fact that she has ADHD probably has something to do with it.

** Bart Simpson is clearly an excellent example of this -- at school, he is falling behind everybody else, barely managing to stay in his own grade, whereas in his spare time he thwarts criminals and solves mysteries, often displaying intuitive thinking skills on a par with his sister Lisa. Further proven in the few situations where he ''does'' apply himself academically, and manages to do quite well for himself. He has also proven himself to be an excellent polyglot, speaking fluent French in two months, and Spanish and Japanese in a matter of hours.

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': Creator/TreyParkerAndMattStone have admitted that Eric Cartman is a genius: the smartest character in the show. However, he refuses to care about anything that does not immediately help him, especially school. He never pays attention in school and remains ignorant. Despite this problem, he forms [[TheChessmaster very detailed plans]], considers complex issues and is a [[ManipulativeBastard brilliant manipulator]]. Despite this, he demonstrates frequent belief in totally ungrounded assumptions (which, given the nature of the South Park 'verse, are sometimes proven ''[[TheCuckoolanderWasRight true]]''.) An excellent example: in one episode, Cartman [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain is horrified to find that there are more minorities at the local water park than white people]] and does a complex series of calculations to determine the population ratios and rate of change. Stan then remarks that this is "more math than I've ever seen you do," to which Cartman snaps "Because this [[SeriousBusiness is important!]]"'

* In ''Webcomic/TheHammer2022'', Tiny admits that he's not the sharpest tool in the shed and sometimes wishes that he'd paid better attention to his comrades' lectures. When Asgard tries to explain the power of gravity to him, Tiny tunes him out and starts picking his ears while showing disdain for Asgard's attempts to describe something that Tiny takes for granted. But Tiny's strength and martial talent are the real deal, having developed a form of mana manipulation that would make him one of the ten strongest knights in the land despite starting from nothing as a penniless commoner. He's also quite adept at manipulating others, taking advantage of how people think he's JustAKid until it's too late. This is also {{justified|Trope}}; Tiny's upbringing as a slum orphan means that he never obtained a formal education.

** Common in the street hustlers side of the cast, most of whom did not finish high school and yet possess quite a bit of street cunning. This is occasionally highlighted by their [[{{Malaproper}} malapropisms]].

** Leonard of Quirm, despite being possibly the most well-read and brilliant man on the Disc when it comes to what we Roundworlders would call "actual" science, seems to think that an excess of education or training can be a bad thing, leading to a flaw he calls "learning the limits of the possible" -- i.e., a failure of imagination. He failed the Alchemists' Guild exam due to doodling complex devices in the margins and absent-mindedly correcting the questions. Is also rather bad at coming up with names for his inventions for some reason.

** Dys dislikes traditional classes, in part because he's guaranteed to run into the ChildProdigy twin sister towards whom he has SuccessfulSiblingSyndrome. Instead, he sneaks out of the colony to observe the local wildlife. When Sol becomes old enough to go on officially sactioned expeditions, Dys plays the role of the more knowledgeable peer.

** Sol can befriend Nomi-Nomi, one of their peers, while working as a tutor in the same manner that they can befriend other peers by working alongside them. Job events, however, show that Nomi-Nomi comes to the tutoring sessions to ''get'' help, not ''provide'' it.

** [[ComicBook/FantasticFour The Thing]] compared to Mr. Fantastic and Characters/DoctorDoom, who all went to college together. People tend to forget that Ben Grimm has multiple engineering degrees and was a military test pilot and NASA astronaut. In large part because he doesn't ''talk'' like the highly educated man that he is, along with being [[OvershadowedByAwesome overshadowed by his super-genius former classmates]].

** [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]] compared to [[Characters/MarvelComicsLoki Loki]] or ComicBook/IronMan; heck, ''any'' of ComicBook/TheAvengers compared to Iron Man or [[ComicBook/AntMan Hank Pym]].
** DependingOnTheWriter, the ComicBook/{{Juggernaut|MArvelComics}} compared to his telepathic genius brother [[Characters/MarvelComicsProfessorX Professor X]]. It took a HeelFaceTurn for him to ever bother pointing it out to anyone, but he ''was'' raised in a household of physicists, and as Cain explains to his attorney the ComicBook/SheHulk, he just plays TheBrute most of the time because that's what everyone expects from him.
** ComicBook/{{Superman}} compared to ComicBook/{{Batman}} or [[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor Lex Luthor]]. Likewise, anyone in the ComicBook/{{Justice League|OfAmerica}} compared to Batman. With Superman it really is the writers' faults. Clark Kent is a world renowned investigative journalist and a prize winning novelist. Superman helps maintain the advanced Kryptonian equipment in his Fortress. And on at least one occasion he has said to Batman's face that he was just as smart as Batman, which Batman openly agreed with. If anything Superman is an inversion; he's book smart but does not have a talent for combat and tactics, so people (both in and out of universe) assume he is less intelligent based on how he fights. Even then, that's mostly because Superman is [[PhysicalGod so incredibly powerful]] that he usually doesn't ''need'' to fight in the first place, not to mention as a TechnicalPacifist he much prefers to end confrontations non-violently whenever he can get away with it and thus, what tactics he does use often are not about "winning" a fight in the traditional sense.
** [[Characters/MarvelComicsXMan Nate Grey]] is an ArtificialHuman designed as a LivingWeapon by the ''ComicBook/AgeOfApocalypse'' version of Mr. Sinister, and prematurely aged to his late teens to that end. This, his escape, and his life with his FoundFamily of guerrilla fighters disguised as Shakespearean actors, before becoming effectively homeless in the main Marvel Universe means that for a long time he was UnskilledButStrong, utterly devoid of life experience outside of survival, and only really good at fighting. However, his impulsive nature, hot-temper, and usually justified paranoia meant that most people thought he was either dim or a brash hot-head. As it was, he learned ''fast'', developed some very unconventional uses of his powers, and displayed a level of tactical brilliance on par with [[Characters/MarvelComicsCyclops his father]] and [[ComicBook/{{Cable}} older brother]] when he ran rings around [[Characters/MarvelComicsNormanOsborn Norman Osborn]], the ComicBook/DarkAvengers, and the Dark X-Men, in ''Dark X-Men'', nearly destroying everything he'd achieved in a matter of hours with a BatmanGambit he'd come up with on the fly (and in the end, Norman did exactly what Nate was planning shortly after, during ''ComicBook/{{Siege}}'': had mental breakdown and went full Green Goblin in public, destroying his power and reputation).

* Sagara Sousuke from ''Literature/FullMetalPanic''. He doesn't tend to do very well in school. Granted, it's not like he has a lot of street smarts in relation to [[{{Muggles}} normal people's survival and lives]] either, but... he sure is good at [[CombatPragmatist fighting]] and [[CrazySurvivalist surviving]] in the combat zone. Not to mention his knack for rescuing people. An episode shows that Sousuke's problem is he is just unable to think outside of military terms and situations. He reads classic poetry and somehow comes to the conclusion that it's talking about a UsefulNotes/WW2 Naval battle.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter''

--> '''Faith:''' "Ah. The school thing. I was kinda absent that decade."

* Luke from ''Series/{{Jessie}}'' is shown to be highly creative and intelligent when it comes to pranking and scheming but is expelled from school on a regular basis due to his behaviour and grades. Though an episode where he and Ravi switch character (ItMakesSenseInContext)reveals he'd actually have good grades if he did his homework and didn't fall asleep in class, making him also an example of BrilliantButLazy.
** A guest appearance on the SpinOff ''Series/Bunkd'' reveals that Luke actually gets Straight As in summer school.

* ZigZagged with the Boss in the ''[[{{VideoGame/SaintsRow}} Saints Row]]'' series. They often come across as completely ignorant about pretty much everything not involving crime and mayhem, to the frequent irritation of their allies and enemies alike. It's either selective or [[ObfuscatingStupidity obfuscated]], though, as they're also [[CulturedBadass a fan]] of Creator/JaneAusten.

-->'''Tera:''' [[LampshadeHanging Read a book.]]

* Ariel of ''Webcomic/{{Drowtales}}'' shows signs of this, including [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?order=chapters&id=1796 not knowing her clan's history outside of the romanticized versions she read]] though this [[FridgeBrilliance makes sense]] considering [[BabysitterFromHell Syphile's]] lackluster teaching (which consisted of [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?order=chapters&id=68 giving Ariel a dictionary, something far beyond her ability to understand, and ordering her to read it]]) and the fact that she only spent about 5 years at [[WizardingSchool Orthorbbae]], significantly less than almost everyone else in her age group, and much of the time she did spend there was spent [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?order=chapters&id=236 trying to avoid being attacked again]] after she was [[SweetPollyOliver discovered to be a girl]], and she's explicitly said to have not gotten very good grades as a result. Despite this she's been shown to be fairly intelligent in other areas and is very good at thinking on her feet.

* In ''Webcomic/TheHammer2022'', Tiny admits that he's not the sharpest tool in the shed and sometimes wishes that he'd paid better attention to his comrades' lectures. When Asgard tries to explain the power of gravity to him, Tiny tunes him out and starts picking his ears while showing disdain for Asgard's attempts to describe something that Tiny takes for granted. But Tiny's strength and martial talent are the real deal, having developed a form of mana manipulation that would make him one of the ten strongest knights in the land despite starting from nothing as a penniless commoner. He's also quite adept at manipulating others, taking advantage of how people think he's JustAKid until it's too late. This is also {{Justified|Trope}}, Tiny's upbringing as a slum orphan means that he never obtained a formal education.

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': Matt Stone and Trey Parker have admitted that Eric Cartman is a genius: the smartest character in the show. However, he refuses to care about anything that does not immediately help him, especially school. He never pays attention in school and remains ignorant. Despite this problem, he forms [[TheChessmaster very detailed plans]], considers complex issues and is a [[ManipulativeBastard brilliant manipulator]]. Despite this, he demonstrates frequent belief in totally ungrounded assumptions (which, given the nature of the South Park 'verse, are sometimes proven ''true''.) An excellent example: in one episode, Cartman is horrified to find [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain that there are more minorities at the local water park than white people]] and does a complex series of calculations to determine the population ratios and rate of change. Stan then remarks that this is "more math than I've ever seen you do," to which Cartman snaps "Because this [[SeriousBusiness is important!]]"'

* Beast Boy from ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' is by far the least academic of the main team, {{Justified|Trope}} by how [[DarkAndTroubledPast he didn't exactly have a normal, healthy upbringing with education in mind]]. He's shown to be really bad at subjects like geography ([[GlobalIgnorance he assumed the Great Wall of China was in Japan]]) and history ("Now I know how George Washington felt when Napoleon beat him at Pearl Harbor!"). He ''does'', however, have [[PopCulturedBadass a vast knowledge of pop culture]] (which becomes useful when he and the team end up TrappedInTVLand by Control Freak) and demonstrates with his {{Animorphism}} powers an encyclopedic knowledge of the animal kingdom for things to turn into, including more esoteric lifeforms such as dinosaur species and ''amoebas''.

** Book Dumb doesn't mean incompetent as they display intelligence and creativity at their Guardian positions; one notable example is Will [[spoiler:using [[{{Teleportation}} Teletransportation]] to save herself and a group of her allies]], a feat that requires ''ten years'' of training to do safely. And this was her ''first'' time attempting it. Of course she did freak out when it seemed [[spoiler:[[TeleFrag she teleported them into a wall]].]] Naturally, [[WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld waking up, going to school and saving the world]] causes grade loss on its own.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4LIThTB8Ww This video]] (removed) shows an amazing, real example of this trope. A poorly educated Chinese man with no electrical training builds complex robots out of stuff from junkyards. His creations are amazing. He is clearly ingenious and clever.
* A classic real-life example is Dave Thomas, the founder of the Wendy's restaurant chain: ridiculously successful restaurateur, philanthropist, advertising icon, and high-school dropout. He finally got his GED in 1993 (at ''sixty-one'', mind) because he thought his success might encourage others to take the wrong lesson and drop out like he did.

* Sammy Davis, Jr., worked in show business his entire life and ''never attended school''.

* Creator/CraigFerguson dropped out of high school at age 16 and since then has had no formal education. He considers himself an autodidact, having read for pleasure pretty much everything the rest of us are forced to read in school. He is thus incredibly well-read and extremely literate and articulate. He now has [[Series/TheLateLateShow his own show]], a Peabody Award, and two well-received books to his credit. Keep in mind that in the British educational system, leaving school at 16 is equivalent to graduating high school in the U.S. Only those students seeking to move onto university (U.S.: "college") go to school beyond the age of 16, as they study up for their A-levels (exams intended to be used for entry into university).

* ''Series/{{The Librarians|2014}}'': Compared to Flynn Carsen (22 academic degrees), Jacob Stone (world's foremost expert on art history with several Ph.D.'s and honorary doctorates), and Cassandra Cillian (a genius-level mathematician), Ezekiel Jones (world's greatest thief) and Eve Baird (colonel in a special UN counterterrorism unit) seem like outliers. Ezekiel doesn't like to read much and tends to scoff at Jacob's knowledge of art. Despite this, he has incredible street smarts, self-taught skills of getting out of any situation, and knowledge of the criminal underworld. Eve, on the other hand, doesn't need to be book smart, when she has three (sometimes four) Librarians, whose knowledge and skills she knows how to direct, as well a good leader should.

The inversion is BookSmart. Contrast TVGenius, who ''only'' seems intelligent in the classroom, and DitzyGenius, who is a genius in academics but inept in everyday life. Also contrast InsufferableGenius, who is very talented and arrogantly proud of it. Compare BrilliantButLazy, which underlies this most of the time, and EverybodyHatesMathematics, the roughly mathematical equivalent. Technical opposite of the BadassBookworm. If they're asked to do an essay, they might end up PaddingThePaper.

This is one of the ways writers have evolved BrainsVersusBrawn since this trope allows you to maintain the contrast between the "smart" and "dumb" character, while also giving the dumb character both more complexity than a one-note idiot character and a leg up in the competition over their smarter foil who often suffers from a lack of StreetSmarts.

* '''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind''' makes fun of this tendency for barbarians, with a picture book aptly titled "ABCs for Barbarians." It goes through A, B, and C, associating them with simple words before stopping.