X: A Novel: Chapters 22–27

by Ilyasah Shabazz, Kekla Magoon
Cowritten by one of Malcolm X's daughters, this novel presents a fictionalized account of the activist's troubled youth.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–10, Chapters 11–15, Chapters 16–21, Chapters 22–27

Here is a link to our lists for Betty Before X by Ilyasah Shabazz and Renée Watson.

Here are links to our lists for other works by Kekla Magoon: The Season of Styx Malone, The Rock and the River.
40 words 11 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. recess
    a small dent or hollow in a surface
    He glares at me, my body all jammed into the window recess.
  2. imposing
    impressive in appearance
    West Indian Archie cuts an imposing figure under normal circumstances—when he’s mad like this, he seems enormous.
  3. fleeting
    lasting for a markedly brief time
    I have a fleeting thought, from nowhere, about Mr. Ostrowski.
  4. knead
    manually manipulate, for medicinal or relaxation purposes
    She moves her hands at the base of my neck. The muscles are tight, eager. Her long, soft fingers knead them gently.
  5. nuzzle
    gently rub or push one's nose or face against something
    I nuzzle her throat.
  6. leer
    look suggestively or obliquely
    I see flames. I see leering white faces. I see a streetcar running at me.
  7. blanch
    turn pale, as if in fear
    I shrug, reaching for the cash in my pocket. “How much do I owe you?”
    He tells me and I blanch. Like he’s thrown cold water on me. “It went up that much?”
  8. intoxicate
    fill with high spirits; fill with optimism
    The music intoxicates me, like always.
  9. eon
    an interminable period of time
    I haven’t thought about her in an eon.
  10. pantomime
    act out without words but with gestures and bodily movements
    She pantomimes plucking something, like fruit.
  11. trove
    a valuable collection or treasure found hidden
    Shorty takes the coats downstairs. I make a circuit through the other upstairs rooms. Find a little more jewelry, but nothing like the treasure trove of the master bedroom. By the time I’m back downstairs, my sack is pretty full.
  12. wistfully
    in a pensively sad manner
    When we go back into the sitting room, Shorty glances wistfully at the grand piano by the front window.
  13. interlude
    a brief show between the sections of a longer performance
    Shorty rushes toward me, startled out of whatever musical interlude was playing in his head.
  14. pilfer
    make off with belongings of others
    As Sophia chauffeurs us away from the scene, we crack open the seal on a pilfered bottle of rich man’s Scotch whiskey.
  15. finery
    elaborate or showy attire and accessories
    I imagine Philbert opening the mail pouch and pulling out this piece of finery, with a note from me attached. He’ll be surprised. He’ll be delighted.
  16. sobriety
    the state of being unaffected or not intoxicated by alcohol
    It’s hard to believe it’s real. The bars and the stench of desperation, the dried sweat of the hundreds who’ve sat here before me. This unwelcome sobriety.
  17. buffer
    protect from impact
    Seeing how scared he looks makes me feel more scared. Maybe more scared than I’ve ever been. As scared as when I was staring down Archie—more so, because there’s no reefer high to buffer me from the fear.
  18. larceny
    the act of taking something from someone unlawfully
    They read out the charges: Carrying firearms. Larceny. Breaking and entering. Possession of stolen goods.
  19. concurrently
    overlapping in duration
    “Eight to ten years for each count,” the judge announces. “Sentences to be served concurrently.”
  20. console
    give moral or emotional strength to
    His mother reaches forward and tries to console him, but the bailiffs step in between them.
  21. bailiff
    officer of the court employed to execute writs and processes
    His mother reaches forward and tries to console him, but the bailiffs step in between them.
  22. ruddy
    inclined to a healthy reddish color
    I pick it up and throw it back at them, watch the unidentifiable mush splash against the bars, messing the clean pressed uniform cloth and white ruddy cheeks.
  23. paltry
    contemptibly small in amount or size
    I throw the paltry offering back in their faces, again and again, until I am desperate, diving for the soggy crusts of bread they have resorted to.
  24. ricochet
    spring back; spring away from an impact
    I curl into a ball on the rock-cold floor and cry for Mom. The word doesn’t pass my lips, but it ricochets through me until I am rocked raw and split open.
  25. plight
    a situation from which extrication is difficult
    They chatter up and down the line, sometimes laughing and joking, sometimes spitting bitter debates. Politics. Religion. The plight of the black man in America.
  26. fray
    wear away by rubbing
    Day after day, their words pound, too close. I know that I have to endure this. I know that I have no choice. But today I start to feel my edges fraying.
  27. emanate
    give out, as breath or an odor
    I sit close to Bembry on the line after that. There’s a stillness, a calm, that he emanates. I like having it near me.
  28. stave off
    prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening
    I think of the fight I staved off on the Yankee Clipper that day, with the beefy, drunken soldier I made strip.
  29. fervor
    feelings of great warmth and intensity
    I think of the fervor in my father’s voice, channeled into sermons that shook the rafters.
  30. buoyant
    characterized by liveliness and lightheartedness
    Philbert sits across from me on his visit, his usual buoyant energy rendered nervous and quiet by our surroundings.
  31. render
    cause to become
    Philbert sits across from me on his visit, his usual buoyant energy rendered nervous and quiet by our surroundings.
  32. cryptic
    having a secret or hidden meaning
    The religions collide. My brothers’ Allah and the voices of the black men in prison who speak the same cryptic words.
  33. appease
    cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of
    My father’s distant God. The Christ my mother spent so much energy appeasing.
  34. solace
    comfort offered to one who is disappointed or miserable
    There comes a point when my body breathes a sigh, and there’s some kind of solace in this learning.
  35. stout
    having rugged physical strength
    He’s a dark, stout Christian man. He’s got no beef with me. Why would he even agree to this fight?
  36. onslaught
    a sudden and severe onset of trouble
    In every fight of my life, I’ve been knocked down. Can’t get up. Can’t get up. Can’t land a punch to save my life. It’s just an onslaught.
  37. oblivion
    total forgetfulness
    I’ve been slammed into oblivion over and over.
  38. scald
    subject to harsh criticism
    The words flow forth from him, unending. Not a sound to be heard, only the feeling of words, warm and soft like a blanket. Rough as wool at the same time. Scolding and healing. Scalding and holy. Like the touch of the brothers’ distant God.
  39. bequeath
    leave or give, especially by will after one's death
    I am my father’s son. My way through the world has been paved by him. His challenges, his choices. All bequeathed to me.
  40. legacy
    a gift of personal property by will
    What I don’t want is the stamp of the white world on me. That I must fight against. Throw off the shackles of past ugliness. Buck myself free. For that, too, is Papa’s legacy, and something I must carry.
Created on Thu Dec 07 19:58:07 EST 2017 (updated Thu Apr 25 10:08:42 EDT 2019)

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