Out of Darkness: After–Epilogue

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
30 words 23 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. sparse
    not dense or plentiful
    The dead were laid out in rows on the sparse grass.
  2. blunt
    characterized by directness in manner or speech
    “She’s dead?” The blunt words surprised even Naomi. She felt the finality of it.
  3. undertow
    a current that flows away from the shore after waves break
    She was skimming the surface of the world again, but now that surface was shattered, littered with debris. A dark undertow threatened to pull her under, down to the horrible truth.
  4. mangle
    destroy or injure severely
    He saw a mangled form inside a dress like one of Cari’s, but it was not her.
  5. accountable
    responsible for one's actions
    “Past the age of reason, each is accountable to the Lord. That’s all we know.”
  6. sham
    something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be
    “It’s a sham and a shame is what it is,” he said.
  7. idle
    run disconnected
    He let the truck idle for a moment before he killed the engine and got out.
  8. clod
    a compact mass
    Dirt clods tossed into graves.
  9. eulogy
    a formal expression of praise for someone who has died
    We avoided mirrors and went to funerals. Some of us sat in church after church after church. Sat through eulogies and prayer meetings.
  10. negligence
    failure to act with the prudence of a reasonable person
    The report concluded that even criminal negligence does not apply because lack of knowledge prevented school officials from anticipating the hazard caused by their actions.
  11. combustible
    capable of igniting and burning
    Before the gas filled the halls of our ruined school, we regularly filled that space with another kind of combustible, invisible poison. Gossip that could travel slow or fast, nearly silent at first.
  12. crony
    a close friend or associate
    At first, it carried Superintendent Crane’s name to everyone’s lips. But he had lost his son. And a nephew. Then someone asked, “What about Gibbler and them other school board cronies?..."
  13. caravan
    a procession traveling together in single file
    By the time the caravan of mud-splattered pickups turned up the long-winding drive to Zane Gibbler’s house, there were four mounted Texas Rangers posted in front of his porch.
  14. livid
    furiously angry
    His face was livid.
    “How dare you remove money from this household!”
  15. entreaty
    earnest or urgent request
    He ran out on his mother’s entreaties, calling over his shoulder, “Ten minutes, Ma!” as he pushed open the screen door.
  16. skulk
    lie in wait or behave in a sneaky and secretive manner
    “It’s him all right. I seen him skulkin' around the school the day of the explosion. Didn’t have no business there, disrespectin’ the dead.”
  17. memento
    a reminder of past events
    Most of us had seen souvenir postcards in our daddies’ and granddaddies’ things. The mementos of lynchings.
  18. lynch
    kill without legal sanction
    Most of us had seen souvenir postcards in our daddies’ and granddaddies’ things. The mementos of lynchings.
  19. glower
    look angry or sullen as if to signal disapproval
    Henry glowered at the pastor but remained silent.
  20. waver
    pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
    Henry wavered for an instant.
  21. swath
    a path or strip (also figurative)
    There were swaths of red on her arms where he had held her down.
  22. bile
    a digestive juice secreted by the liver
    She had vomited a little, and bile had dribbled down the side of her mouth.
  23. impenetrable
    impossible to understand
    So Beto lay there under the blanket like something smuggled, and smuggled with him were the following:
    1. Edgar, curled tightly against his belly
    2. several fleas on Edgar’s fur
    3. a knowledge that was as impenetrable as a stone
    4. a lifetime’s supply of guilt and what ifs
    5. a memory
  24. pungent
    strong and sharp to the sense of taste or smell
    The dirt of the path was spongy and pungent with yesterday’s rain.
  25. threshold
    a region marking a boundary
    He continued, showing her the perfection of wrist, ankle, neck, collarbone—all the thresholds he could reach.
  26. emphatically
    in a forceful manner; with emphasis
    “No, señor,” she said, shaking her head emphatically and pointing to the dictionary, the sole book to survive the pawning of items after Abuelito fell ill.
  27. distinguished
    standing above others in character or attainment
    With his teachers’ recommendations, he went on to the new Crockett High School, and he was the first Mexican American to be permitted to follow the distinguished scholar path to graduation rather than the vocational track.
  28. vocational
    of or relating to an occupation
    With his teachers’ recommendations, he went on to the new Crockett High School, and he was the first Mexican American to be permitted to follow the distinguished scholar path to graduation rather than the vocational track.
  29. indignity
    an affront to one's self-esteem
    He found her in the midst of the most terrible indignity a woman could suffer, and he struggled to rescue his stepdaughter from the clutches of the assailant.
  30. transgression
    the action of going beyond some boundary or limit
    They had been happy, for a time, before the rules found them. Before the terrible price was exacted for their transgressions. For the crossing of lines. For friendship, for love.
Created on Wed Dec 05 12:33:01 EST 2018 (updated Tue Dec 11 13:05:28 EST 2018)

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