The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze: Chapters 12–22

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
15 words 35 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. whence
    from what place, source, or cause
    And just like that, the crowd dispersed and returned from whence they came, like an a.m. Biloxi tide.
  2. synchronized
    operating in unison
    The class applauded in synchronized pitter-pats.
  3. guffaw
    laugh boisterously
    “I beat everybody in here today,” guffawed Lester Tunyhew proudly as he tugged on his overall straps.
  4. bluegrass
    a type of country music played at a rapid tempo
    When they got to the back, the three cafeteria workers were hard at work scrubbing pans, tossing more Tater Tots in the oven, and listening to a local bluegrass station.
  5. farfetched
    highly imaginative but unlikely
    But Henson had become accustomed to walking in on his best friend telling those farfetched accounts of heroism, of meta-human feats, of remarkable occurrences that always seem to have happened away from Great Mountain and were never, ever caught on anyone’s phone.
  6. vouch
    give personal assurance; guarantee
    Neither did he cosign or vouch for anything that came out of Flowell’s mouth.
  7. zany
    ludicrous or foolish
    But more like somebody who you knew was about to say something crazy, something zany, something that would make you laugh until your belly ached.
  8. entranced
    filled with wonder and delight
    He was so entranced by the mere presence of Henson that he banged his toe into the table.
  9. uppity
    arrogant or self-important
    You don’t need no rabble-rousing in your life, Henson! She’s the Delta’s version of that Greta Thunberg gal. Uppity, too.
  10. notorious
    known widely and usually unfavorably
    Pickrick was notorious for never giving students an ounce of respect, common decency, anything resembling a smile, proof that he had a human heart beating inside his chest, or any grade higher than an 89.
  11. immaculate
    completely neat and clean
    The vineyard had forty acres of green, immaculate hills with groves of fig, apricot, and peach trees, overlooking row after row of five prized varieties of muscadine grapes.
  12. endorsement
    a promotional statement for or recommendation of a product
    “Since I was able to land you the very first paid endorsement deal with the Piggly Wiggly. The first ever for a middle-school athlete. Check it out!”
  13. vehement
    marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions
    Menkah looked wide-eyed at their vehement responses, but Henson noticed that he held his toy bow a little bit tighter to his chest.
  14. confidant
    someone to whom private matters are told
    The very first Blayze ancestor to step foot on North American soil was named Augustus Owen, back in 1753, as a cocaptain and confidant to an Italian merchant named Carmello Swagucci.
  15. progeny
    the immediate descendants of a person
    If you do this, my son, you and your progeny for decades upon decades will be protected by good spirits from any evil, harm, or malice.
Created on Tue Nov 25 08:08:29 EST 2025 (updated Tue Dec 02 11:35:46 EST 2025)

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