145th Street: The Streak–Kitty and Mack

by Walter Dean Myers
Peaches, Squeezie, Monkeyman, Benny, Mack and Kitty—these are just some of the Harlem residents with vivid stories to tell in this collection from Newbery-winner Walter Dean Myers.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Big Joe's Funeral–Angela's Eyes, The Streak–Kitty and Mack, A Christmas Story–Block Party

Here are links to our lists for other works by Walter Dean Myers: Fallen Angels, Monster, Slam!
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. finesse
    subtly skillful handling of a situation
    “So I try to finesse it off and I’m sitting there drinking a bottle of Wonder Ade, okay?”
  2. resign
    give up or retire from a position
    My ankle was throbbing, my feelings were hurt, and I was ready to give it all up and resign from the human race.
  3. nerve
    impudent aggressiveness
    She went waltzing out the kitchen and had the nerve to stick out her tongue at me.
  4. strut
    walk in a proud, confident way
    Celia would be coming down the hall with one of those short little skirts she wears, looking tan and sweet and with those fine legs of hers strutting like she owned the world.
  5. swoon
    a spontaneous loss of consciousness
    Then I would call her name and say, “Hey, we are going to the dance together?” and she would just kind of go into a half swoon and maybe giggle a little and it would be all set.
  6. depressed
    filled with melancholy and despondency
    And I’m asking you, in return, to come and talk to me about anything that bothers you. You seem so depressed lately.
  7. arc
    form an arch or curve
    I tossed a high, arcing shot toward the basket.
  8. gradual
    proceeding in small stages
    The Tigros hit the ’hood gradually, like the turning of a season.
  9. scrawl
    write carelessly
    First we saw some tags scrawled on the wall near the Pioneer Supermarket.
  10. attitude
    a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings
    Some people said—okay, it wasn’t some people, it was my uncle who runs the barbershop—Uncle Duke said that I had a bad attitude about Harlem.
  11. anxious
    eagerly desirous
    “You’re so anxious to leave you’re not even giving your homeland a chance,” he said.
  12. posse
    a temporary police force
    What usually happens when a new gang makes the scene is they jump bad as a posse for a while until they step too far and their leaders get busted.
  13. turf
    the territory claimed by a juvenile gang as its own
    Bingo, the fight’s over because neither of those two girls wanted to mess with Peaches without a blade and they weren’t on their turf anyway.
  14. righteous
    characterized by accepted standards of morality or justice
    Check this out, to get into the Tigros you either had to slash a saint in public, meaning cut somebody who wasn’t involved in nothing, just walking down the street, or make something that was foul righteous. According to the Tigros posse, since Monkeyman had messed with them and that was foul, getting even with him was making it righteous.
  15. autopsy
    an examination and dissection of a dead body
    Be there, sucker, and wear something that’s going to look good at the autopsy.
  16. quiver
    shake with fast, tremulous movements
    There had to be fifty people watching now, watching Clean standing in front of Monkeyman, not knowing what to do, watching the rest of the gang not knowing where to take it, watching Monkeyman with his arms still out from his sides, his nose bleeding, his body quivering from the pain and from the growing cold.
  17. parole
    a conditional release from imprisonment
    The guy who stabbed Monkeyman had been arrested before for possession of drugs and was on parole.
  18. outrageous
    greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation
    Now, anybody who knew Mr. Wilson would expect his granddaughter to be smart, but Kitty was outrageous.
  19. fierce
    marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions
    My eyes first met your fierce but tender gaze
  20. fetch
    go or come after and bring or take back
    She can make that dude fetch like a cocker spaniel if she wanted.
  21. swerve
    turn sharply; change direction abruptly
    The cab swerved just in time and one brother was slipping on the snow and almost fell in the path of a delivery truck.
  22. amputate
    remove surgically
    Doctors had worked on his foot for seven hours, but finally they gave up. It had to be amputated.
  23. stench
    a distinctive odor that is offensively unpleasant
    The pain sat between them even as the rain beat down harder, releasing the stench of dog urine from the cracks in the roof.
  24. frustration
    a feeling of annoyance at being hindered or criticized
    It was almost dawn when Mack, shaking with cold and the rage of frustration, finally got up and walked to the stairwell.
  25. despondent
    without or almost without hope
    “But he’s so despondent he doesn’t want to do anything.”
  26. stern
    strict and demanding
    A guidance counselor came by and gave Kitty her sternest voice and shook several of her fingers at her.
  27. budge
    move very slightly
    But Kitty wouldn’t budge and, as far as the school was concerned, it was a matter of were they going to suspend Kitty or let her finish and go on to college.
  28. intently
    with strained or eager attention
    Her face, as young and brown and pretty as any Mack had ever seen, that face looking into his touched him again with its soft boldness and the eyes that searched his so intently.
  29. sanity
    normal or sound powers of mind
    Staying out of school for a week, even two weeks, was still within the sanity range.
  30. stubborn
    refusing to change one's mind or ways; difficult to convince
    I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, but I know if we’re together we’re going to make something good happen. ’Cause we are two stubborn people.
Created on Tue May 26 19:23:23 EDT 2015 (updated Mon Sep 10 16:10:51 EDT 2018)

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