The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze: Prologue–Chapter 11

by Derrick Barnes
In this novel, 13-year-old Henson Blayze becomes the star of his school's football team, but soon learns that he must choose between fame and fighting back against racism.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Prologue-Chapter 11, Chapters 12-22, Chapters 23-34, Chapters 35-44, Chapter 45-Epilogue
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. interval
    a definite length of time marked off by two instants
    The suspect can be heard gasping for air in approximately three-second intervals.
  2. akimbo
    with hands on hips and elbows extending outward
    He stood akimbo, and looked up with his usual smiling, chubby-cheeked, brown, and bright-eyed perfect little face.
  3. irrefutable
    impossible to deny or disprove
    What I’m about to tell you, the both of you, is the irrefutable God’s honest truth.
  4. covert
    secret or hidden
    So she organized covert meetings in the woods with thirteen other enslaved women on the plantation and proposed an escape, en masse, of every single slave on the plantation.
  5. exodus
    a journey by a large group to escape from a hostile environment
    Grace and Preston St. Louis led a group of thirty-two formerly enslaved folks from Shiloh-Duncan toward an exodus to the west.
  6. secluded
    hidden from general view or use
    It was the largest secluded fort ever constructed and founded in the state of Mississippi.
  7. infrastructure
    basic facilities needed for the functioning of a country
    The infrastructure that the residents of Fort Great Mountain had created was so impressive that the forest was immediately cleared and the area that was once a haven for runaway slaves and Indigenous people became a thriving town.
  8. pillage
    steal goods; take as spoils
    They’ve omitted the brave efforts and strong foundation that the St. Louis family built and write them off as “a loose band of Negroes who were plotting to pillage and burn down the surrounding towns.”
  9. blasphemous
    grossly irreverent toward what is held to be sacred
    It’s blasphemous, disrespectful, and dishonest to have statues of that proud tribe strategically placed about town, ironically wielding bows to protect this legendary town from intruders.
  10. awestruck
    having a feeling of mixed reverence and wonder and dread
    “Wow…blood on the pages…” said Menkah in an awestruck whisper.
  11. hallmark
    a distinctive characteristic or attribute
    That long and narrow hallway that shot from the front porch to the back door, the hallmark of every shotgun house, almost felt like a speaker itself.
  12. pet peeve
    an annoyance about which someone frequently complains
    Another pet peeve of Deacon’s was a man not doing the job that was assigned to him.
  13. regimen
    a routine or procedure for managing something or achieving a goal
    Every night, before he went to bed, he went through a calisthenic regimen of two hundred fifty push-ups, one hundred fifty sit-ups, and one hundred fifty squats while holding twenty-pound dumbbells on his shoulders.
  14. storied
    having an illustrious past
    He knew most of them, but even the few strangers knew of Henson Blayze and the legend surrounding his athletic abilities and the storied history of his family.
  15. cantankerous
    stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate
    Her whispered tone could relax cantankerous giants, bristled ogres, or even the descendants of folks who took ownership of a fort in the woods that was built by runaway slaves and Native Americans.
Created on Tue Nov 25 08:08:18 EST 2025 (updated Tue Dec 02 11:30:52 EST 2025)

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