Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda: Chapters 15-21

by Becky Albertalli
In this funny and heartwarming novel, sixteen-year-old Simon Spier finds himself in the middle of a real-life drama when a classmate threatens to expose his secrets. Learn these words from Becky Albertalli's award-winning debut.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1-7, Chapters 8-14, Chapters 15-21, Chapters 22-28, Chapters 29-35

Here is a link to our lists for Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. epidemiologist
    a specialist who studies the spread and control of diseases
    Sometimes I forget that my mom can be very rational and analytical (she's actually an epidemiologist).
  2. disclosure
    the act of making something evident
    Someone who has a little bit of a problem with fragmented sentences and accidental self-disclosures.
  3. inspire
    spur on or encourage especially by cheers and shouts
    So, you inspired me, Blue. I had my own Coming Out Thing last night.
  4. momentous
    of very great significance
    This is really momentous, isn't it? I'm guessing this is the kind of thing we remember for the rest of our lives.
  5. debilitating
    impairing strength and vitality
    Okay. I have a crush. But it’s not like having a crush on some random musician or actor or Harry freaking Potter. This is the real deal. It has to be. It’s almost debilitating.
  6. insurmountable
    not capable of being overcome
    And this gay thing. It feels so big. It’s almost insurmountable. I don’t know how to tell them something like this and still come out of it feeling like Simon.
  7. ensemble
    a group of musicians playing or singing together
    We're going to fine-tune the musical numbers this morning. Big ensemble numbers first, and then we’ll split into smaller groups.
  8. outstanding
    having a quality that thrusts itself into attention
    There’s a laminated sign taped to the front reminding us to have outstanding posture.
  9. reconvene
    meet or cause to meet again
    There’s still almost an hour before we're supposed to reconvene in the auditorium, and we're probably supposed to run through everything again
  10. improvise
    perform without preparation
    Taylor can improvise harmonies, and I guess we're all warmed up from singing the Oliver! songs, because it just sounds really amazing.
  11. indisputable
    not open to question; obviously true
    Her blond hair flies backward as Abby pushes her, and they’re the indisputable champions.
  12. tension
    a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense
    The stairwell is dark, but my eyes are pretty well-adjusted, and I can see the tension in Martin’s jaw.
  13. excruciating
    extremely painful
    Anyway, there was this excruciating half hour of small talk, and then my mom finally stood up and said she was going to leave my dad and me alone for a minute.
  14. tangential
    of superficial relevance if any
    So, I was listening to him talk and waiting for an opportunity to tell him—but he just kept talking and talking, and it was strange and tangential and boring.
  15. distract
    draw someone's attention away from something
    So, yeah. If anyone can find the humor in this, it's you. Please. Or just distract me. You're good at that, too.
    Love,
    Blue
  16. default
    an option that is selected automatically
    As a side note, don't you think everyone should have to come out? Why is straight the default? Everyone should have to declare one way or another, and it should be this big awkward thing whether you're straight, gay, bi, or whatever.
  17. mold
    a distinctive nature, character, or type
    It is definitely annoying that straight (and white, for that matter) is the default, and that the only people who have to think about their identity are the ones who don't fit that mold.
  18. agenda
    an organized plan for matters to be attended to
    I think it's more like the Homo Sapiens Agenda. That's really the point, right?
  19. flimsy
    not convincing
    My dad invented the concept of Simon logic, and I can’t seem to outgrow it. It means wishful thinking supported by flimsy evidence.
  20. realm
    a domain in which something is dominant
    It’s weird, it’s gross, and that creepy little winky face pushes it into the realm of TMI.
  21. discourse
    an extended communication dealing with some particular topic
    Because he thinks Facebook is the lowest common denominator of social discourse.
  22. vehicle
    a medium for the expression or achievement of something
    Though he does like to talk about social media as a vehicle for constructing and performing identity.
  23. unprecedented
    novel; having no earlier occurrence
    Alice is on the phone for two hours. It's unprecedented.
  24. curt
    speaking in a terse, rude, or abrupt way
    She gives me this curt little nod.
  25. challah
    (Judaism) a braided loaf of white bread containing eggs
    Spier family tradition dictates that Christmas Eve dinner is French toast, per my grandmas technique: thick slices of challah aged one day for maximum egg absorption, cooked in tons of butter in pans partially covered by pot lids.
  26. hypnotic
    attracting and holding interest as if by a spell
    We eat it at the actual dining table on our parents’ wedding china, and my mom brings out the manger scene centerpiece that rotates like a fan when you light a candle beneath it. It’s really hypnotic.
  27. assume
    take to be the case or to be true
    “I'm sorry, Si. I just thought you'd want to know about it. I’m assuming you didn’t write it.”
  28. missive
    a written message addressed to a person or organization
    SIMON SPIER'S OPEN INVITATION TO ALL DUDES
    Dear all dudes of Creekwood,
    With this missive, I hereby declare that I am supremely gay and open for business.
  29. thorough
    painstakingly careful and accurate
    It didn’t matter how thorough I had been about poking for clues—and make no mistake, I was thorough.
  30. wallow
    devote oneself entirely to something
    “I’m not leaving, bub. Because you’re going to wallow. You’re going to put on that playlist. What’s it called?”
    “The Great Depression,” I mutter. It’s like all Elliott Smith and Nick Drake and the Smiths. I already have it cued up.
  31. romp
    light-hearted recreation activity
    “Right,” she says. “The Great Depression. That romp. No way.”
  32. viable
    capable of life or normal growth and development
    I think I spend a little too much time thinking how adorable you are in emails and trying to translate that into a viable mental image for daydreams and the like.
  33. intonation
    rise and fall of the voice pitch
    And then, out of nowhere and without any change in intonation, she says, “So, they took that post down.”
  34. supportive
    furnishing assistance
    “Say something supportive. I don’t know. Or awkwardly hold his hand like I did. Anything.”
  35. entitled
    qualified for by right according to law
    “But you’re entitled to your emotions,” I say. I mean, if there’s one thing I’ve learned from having a psychologist for a mother...
Created on Mon Jul 24 12:28:58 EDT 2017 (updated Fri May 25 10:25:05 EDT 2018)

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