The Red Umbrella: Chapters 1–4

by Christina Diaz Gonzalez
After the Communist revolution in Cuba, fourteen-year-old Lucía Álvarez and her brother are sent to the United States to make a new life in Nebraska.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–14, Chapters 15–20, Chapters 21–28, Chapters 29–37
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. flustered
    thrown into a state of agitated confusion
    The poor woman would probably be so flustered that she’d pass out.
  2. caravan
    a procession traveling together in single file
    A caravan of large camouflaged trucks and jeeps came into view.
  3. fatigues
    military uniform worn by personnel when doing menial labor
    I half hid behind a coconut palm and watched as truck after truck, filled with men wearing fatigues, roared past me.
  4. oblivious
    lacking conscious awareness of
    My parents were sitting at the kitchen table huddled around a radio, oblivious to the fact that the sun had set and that most of the house was now dark and full of shadows.
  5. promptly
    at once (usually modifies an undesirable occurrence)
    The voice of someone giving a speech was promptly silenced.
  6. strain
    exert much effort or energy
    I strained to hear what they were saying.
  7. socialism
    a political theory advocating state ownership of industry
    Then the words came through clearly, echoing in my head. ¡Socialismo o muerte! Socialism...or death!
  8. waft
    blow gently
    The warm, sweet smell of cafe con leche had wafted its way up to me, and my stomach growled in response.
  9. devour
    eat greedily
    I grabbed my pink robe and headed downstairs before Frankie could devour everything Mamá had made.
  10. monotone
    unvarying in pitch
    I took the same nasal, monotone voice of my revolution-loving social-studies teacher.
  11. corruption
    use of a position of trust for dishonest gain
    He has replaced corruption with a new system of government that has brought much happiness to all the Cuban people.
  12. intoxicating
    extremely exciting
    Despite what I’d seen and how nervous the soldiers made me feel, there was an intoxicating kind of energy that filled the air, cloaking everything.
  13. union
    an employee organization that bargains with an employer
    Maybe I could use the fact that Cuba’s labor union was supporting the nationalization of all the private schools to convince Papá that going to the meetings was okay.
  14. revolutionary
    a radical supporter of political or social change
    We don’t have any anti-revolutionaries in Puerto Mijares.
    Castro's regime used the term anti-revolutionary to refer to anyone opposed to communism.
  15. irrational
    not consistent with or using reason
    I didn’t want to admit that I was being held hostage by my irrational mother.
  16. traitor
    someone who betrays his country by committing treason
    I’d heard stories on TV of traitors being executed, but those people were trying to harm us.
  17. vanity
    low table with a mirror where one sits while dressing
    She reached over and put the silver-handled brush back on my vanity.
  18. chaperone
    accompany as a supervisor of young people
    "In a few months, you’ll have your quinceañera and a year after that I’ll be chaperoning you on dates.”
  19. gesture
    show, express, or direct through movement
    Papá gestured toward us.
  20. custody
    holding by the police
    It came from Havana; they’ve taken Betafil into custody.
  21. consolation
    the comfort you feel when soothed in times of disappointment
    My only consolation was knowing that someday I’d be free of all their stupid rules and worries.
  22. nationalization
    changing something from private to state control
    Maybe I could use the fact that Cuba’s labor union was supporting the nationalization of all the private schools to convince Papá that going to the meetings was okay.
  23. starch
    stiffen textile fabrics in laundering
    Mamá took out a starched linen tablecloth and snapped it open over the kitchen table.
  24. silhouette
    an outline of a solid object as cast by its shadow
    As I stood by the large picture window in the front of the house, I caught a glimpse of Papá's silhouette.
  25. judgmental
    relating to an assessment of a person, situation, or event
    I couldn’t believe how judgmental Papá was being.
  26. infiltrate
    enter a group or organization in order to spy on the members
    It said that the factories had been closed because the owners were giving all their profits to foreigners and that the churches had been infiltrated by American sympathizers.
  27. sympathizer
    someone who shares your feelings or opinions
    It said that the factories had been closed because the owners were giving all their profits to foreigners and that the churches had been infiltrated by American sympathizers.
  28. rhetoric
    high-flown style; excessive use of verbal ornamentation
    "Everyone is in love with all the fancy rhetoric.”
  29. classify
    assign to a category or kind
    "That it would be a shame if, because of a silly misunderstanding, I were classified as an anti-revolutionary and sent to prison like Betafil.”
  30. ethics
    motivation based on ideas of right and wrong
    A year ago, he was nothing more than a lazy salesman in a shoe store, and today he wants to dictate my code of ethics.
Created on Wed Sep 04 01:39:39 EDT 2013 (updated Tue Aug 28 17:10:56 EDT 2018)

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