Out of Darkness: February 1937–March 1937

by Ashley Hope Pérez
In this novel, a romance between a Mexican-American girl and an African-American boy in a segregated Texas town is set against the backdrop of a real historical event: the New London School explosion, which killed around 300 people in 1937.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Prologue–September 1936, October 1936–November 1936, December 1936–January 1937, February 1937–March 1937, After–Epilogue
35 words 26 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. monstrosity
    something hideous or frightful
    Tommie’s first attempt at a dress for home economics lay before them on the table, a malformed monstrosity.
  2. probe
    question or examine thoroughly and closely
    “Things a little different with Henry, maybe?” Pastor Tom probed.
  3. fallow
    left unplowed and unseeded during a growing season
    She could see why bunnies and bobwhites loved fallow fields. She felt safe from everything here.
  4. whittle
    cut small bits or pare shavings from
    Without thinking, Naomi had whittled a good-sized potato down to the size of a plum.
  5. fanciful
    not based on fact; unreal
    Suddenly, Muff’s idea about Henry didn’t seem so fanciful.
  6. sullen
    showing a brooding ill humor
    Henry knew he’d been hard on him, ugly even, but they were out eating ice cream; there was no call for sullenness.
  7. dissuade
    turn away from by persuasion
    “You’re hungry for kisses,” he teased, but she would not be dissuaded.
  8. garish
    tastelessly showy
    Wash extracted three additional feet, four hands and two heads painted with garish grins. They were all a little blockier than the human parts they were meant to correspond to, but they were recognizable.
  9. jest
    activity characterized by good humor
    The jest disappeared from his voice.
  10. monogram
    a graphic symbol consisting of 2 or more letters combined
    He studied the monogram near the waist of the breast panel.
  11. flourish
    an ornamental embellishment in writing
    She’d snuck an “N” in there, too, stretched out like a flourish under his initials.
  12. crafty
    marked by skill in deception
    She did not think she could stand to just sit there with him looking so handsome. Desire turned her crafty.
  13. mangy
    affected with a skin disease causing itching and hair loss
    Back before her daddy made his money, Miranda and Chigger were playmates. Back when the Gibblers lived in a lopsided farmhouse without electricity. Back when Miranda wore hand-me-downs. Back when people thought of her as a mangy, motherless girl.
  14. affront
    a deliberately offensive act
    Some of us had other theories, but only Miranda seemed to take Naomi’s happiness as a personal affront.
  15. callus
    a skin area that is thick or hard from continual pressure
    The callouses on his fingers pressed into her hand.
  16. indiscernible
    difficult or impossible to perceive
    His eyes glinted with an indiscernible emotion.
  17. botch
    make a mess of, destroy, or ruin
    Henry shook his head. “I reckon I botched it.”
  18. reservation
    an unstated doubt that prevents you from accepting something
    Henry weighed up Pastor Tom’s words. He was a man of God; his confidence counted for something. But Henry didn’t want to wait on the Lord. For one thing, he knew a little more than Pastor Tom about Naomi’s reservations.
  19. palpable
    capable of being perceived
    The silence settled back in around them, comfortable but palpable.
  20. defy
    challenge
    “My goodness,” she said. “I defy those crows to come out here this year!”
  21. chaste
    morally pure
    She tried, but Wash twined his fingers through hers and brought her hands chastely back to her knees.
  22. ceaseless
    uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing
    The twins would grow up and move out like children do. And then there would only be the ceaseless housework. And Henry.
  23. miscegenation
    marriage or reproduction by people of different races
    He wanted to see if there was anything about a safe place for him and Naomi. He laughed at himself a little for that. What did he expect to find, an advice column on practical miscegenation?
  24. cranny
    a small opening or crevice
    “You’re not hearing me, boy. What I’m saying is that you don’t make it official, you just slip in. Lots of nooks and crannies down there, little spots nobody’d find unless they knew what they were looking for. It’s not a bad place for someone looking to disappear.”
  25. testy
    easily irritated or annoyed
    Already his teacher was getting testy as more pupils vanished out of the classroom to go to work in the fields now that the weather had really and truly turned toward warm.
  26. portico
    porch or entrance to a building consisting of a covered area
    But as he was crossing toward Mr. Crane’s house, the janitor waved to him from the portico that connected the main school building and the cafeteria.
  27. straggle
    go, come, or spread in a rambling or irregular way
    The halls were mostly empty, but a few students were still straggling out.
  28. lumber
    move heavily or clumsily
    Wash was done checking the heaters on the third floor and the east wing of the second floor when Mr. Stine came lumbering toward him down the main hall.
  29. amiss
    not functioning properly
    “Swell. Means we can head on home. You ask me,” he said, leaning closer to Wash, “those kids will imagine a headache any day of the week to get out of their classes. I didn’t find a single heater that was amiss.”
  30. wheedle
    influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
    Anything was better than talking to the twins right now. Since the moment school let out, they had been wheedling and prodding for stories about their mother.
  31. equivocation
    intentional vagueness or ambiguity
    “I pull in resolution, and begin to doubt the equivocation of the fiend...”
  32. reprimand
    censure severely or angrily
    Naomi did not turn. She did not call Cari to her. She did not reprimand her.
  33. glint
    a momentary flash of light
    Cari crossed her arms, gearing up to protest. Then Wash saw the briefest glint of mischief flash through her eyes.
  34. leaden
    made heavy or weighted down with weariness
    Still, disappointment lay leaden in Beto’s belly. He had expected something more.
  35. exemplary
    worthy of imitation
    “A hundred times,” she said sternly. “I expect exemplary penmanship.”
Created on Wed Dec 05 12:32:18 EST 2018 (updated Tue Dec 11 13:05:21 EST 2018)

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