The Golden Boy's Guide to Bipolar: Chapters 17–24

by Sonido Reyes
In this novel, a teen boy's attempt to win back his ex-boyfriend is complicated by his bipolar disorder and his own internalized shame.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–8, Chapters 9–16, Chapters 17–24, Chapters 25–31, Chapters 32–42
15 words 8 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. privy
    informed about something secret or not generally known
    “I’m sorry,” Doña Violeta says softly, her tone hinting at some deeper meaning I’m not privy to.
  2. pristine
    completely free from dirt or contamination
    Not only does Abuela point out every individual spot I missed and make me do the whole thing over again; she then grabs a paper towel and wipes the floor to test if it’s completely pristine.
  3. ingenuity
    the property of showing inventiveness and skill
    “No one appreciates ingenuity in my line of work,” she says, all fast like she’s been holding it in since we got in bed.
  4. feign
    give a false appearance of
    “What’d you do?” she asks, not even pretending to feign sympathy.
  5. iniquity
    absence of moral or spiritual values
    Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
  6. impulsive
    characterized by undue haste and lack of thought
    “I’m not that impulsive,” I mumble.
  7. expertise
    skillfulness by virtue of possessing special knowledge
    “Finally, someone around here acknowledges my expertise.”
  8. chastise
    scold or criticize severely
    If this was Slayton, I’d be getting chastised for being late, but this teacher just smiles and motions for me to join her at the front of the class.
  9. mirage
    something illusory and unattainable
    It almost feels like a mirage, but I don’t have to chase it anymore.
  10. hitch
    an unforeseen obstacle
    And even though I haven’t slept properly in days, I still have enough energy to speed through my homework without a hitch.
  11. cold shoulder
    a refusal to recognize someone you know
    Instead, it’s lunch with Bianca, glares from Nick, and a cold shoulder from Jamal.
  12. placate
    cause to be more favorably inclined
    “Good, me either,” I lie, and that seems to placate her because she slithers her hand onto my knee and leaves it there the rest of the ride to school.
  13. pro bono
    done for the public good without compensation
    “Some lawyer found out about my case and wants to help me pro bono.”
  14. hallucination
    illusory perception
    “I didn’t think meds could make the hallucinations completely go away, but they did. Only downside is I’ve got this twitch now,” she says with a twitch of her nose.
  15. downside
    a negative aspect of something that is generally positive
    “I didn’t think meds could make the hallucinations completely go away, but they did. Only downside is I’ve got this twitch now,” she says with a twitch of her nose.
Created on Thu Jul 23 08:35:51 EDT 2026 (updated Tue Aug 25 13:53:21 EDT 2026)

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