Blackout: Act 5

by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, Nicola Yoon
This interwoven novel of short stories explores the relationships and love lives of teenagers during a blackout on a hot summer night in New York City.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Act 1, Act 2, Act 3, Act 4, Act 5
25 words 18 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. baffled
    perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements
    Kareem stares, baffled, until it finally dawns on him and he slaps his forehead.
  2. gentrification
    change in poorer areas due to an influx of wealthier people
    One day we were spotting all the brownstones that had red doors, the next we were playing “count the gentrifiers.”
  3. divert
    turn aside; turn away from
    I divert my eyes to the ground, focusing on all the shoes.
  4. distinguishable
    capable of being perceived as different or distinct
    “Kareem, look! The lights are back on!”
    Kareem spins around and just like that, the city has come back to life. Every building is now distinguishable.
  5. paradox
    someone or something with contradictory qualities
    Let's start the discussion by examining the parable of the Ship of Theseus, also known as Theseus's Paradox.
  6. diplomatic
    marked by tact in dealing with sensitive matters or people
    “It’s just a little loud,” I say. Diplomatically.
  7. parable
    a short moral story
    The Ship of Theseus parable is basically asking how much a person can change and still be considered the same person.
  8. existential
    relating to or dealing with the state of being
    Driver is having an existential crisis.
  9. falter
    speak haltingly
    My voice doesn’t falter—not even when I get to the line about how breaking up is never easy.
  10. aggravate
    exasperate or irritate
    Three Abba songs in and I’m looking for a way to escape my own car. Serves me right for aggravating a classic Prima Donna passenger with my philosophizing.
  11. prima donna
    a vain and temperamental person
    Prima Donnas are girls like this one now—pretty and buttoned-up. No hello or eye contact when they get in the car. Monosyllabic responses. Looking down at their phones like the meaning of life is on there.
  12. esoteric
    understandable only by an enlightened inner circle
    I get the feeling that he loves debating esoteric stuff like this.
  13. gauge
    an instrument for measuring and indicating a quantity
    I’m trying to think of a joke or something to lighten the mood, when my gas gauge beeps.
  14. artisan
    a skilled worker who practices some trade or handicraft
    I don’t know much about this part of Brooklyn except that it’s fancy. Organic this. Artisan that.
  15. stoop
    small porch or set of steps at the front entrance of a house
    We cross Atlantic Avenue onto another residential street. This one is lively, with neighbors mingling on the sidewalks or sitting on their stoops talking.
  16. skeptical
    marked by or given to doubt
    She gives me another skeptical why-am-I-talking-to-a-stranger look.
  17. clarify
    make clear and comprehensible
    “Wait. Curious...how?” I ask, needing to clarify just exactly what he’s talking about here.
  18. antic
    a playful, attention-getting act done for fun and amusement
    Three little Black boys, maybe nine or ten years old, are completely soaked and happily dancing in and out of the water. Someone, maybe the older sister of one of them, is playing music from her phone and laughing at their antics.
  19. superficial
    only concerned with what is apparent or obvious
    “What do you miss most about Jamaica?” he asks.
    When people ask me this question, I usually say something superficial—something they expect me to say—like my family or the beach or the food.
  20. philosophical
    relating to the investigation of existence and knowledge
    “If it weren’t for the Derrick situation, you think you’d like to spend some time with me debating esoteric philosophical podcasts about the nature of identity?”
  21. sassy
    improperly forward or bold
    “You the sassy best friend?”
  22. queasy
    causing or fraught with or showing anxiety
    I feel a little queasy watching him go. It’s the same feeling I get when I realize—too late—that I got an answer wrong on a test.
  23. nostalgic
    unhappy about being away and longing for familiar things
    The whole time I try to think of what to say to Derrick. Should it be something nostalgic? Something to remind him why we used to go out in the first place?
  24. sluggish
    moving slowly
    He lifts his head in this sluggish way he has that always makes it seem like he’s moving in slow motion.
  25. hypothetical
    a conjectural possibility or circumstance
    “So you finally have an answer for my hypothetical?” he asks.
Created on Thu Jan 13 17:30:00 EST 2022 (updated Fri Jan 21 11:00:20 EST 2022)

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