Betty Before X: Chapters 3–8

by Ilyasah Shabazz, Renée Watson
This novel is a fictionalized account of the childhood of Dr. Betty Shabazz, the civil rights activist and wife of Malcolm X.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Prologue–Chapter 2, Chapters 3–8, Chapters 9–18, Chapters 19–23, Chapters 24–34

Here is a link to our lists for X: A Novel by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon, and here is a link to our lists for Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson.
30 words 41 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. chandelier
    an ornate branched lighting fixture
    I start feeling better once we’re at Suesetta’s house. Her living room is huge, decorated with white-and-gold velvet drapes, blue-and-gold sofas, and thick royal-blue rugs that are under our feet. Chandeliers glisten above us.
  2. glisten
    be shiny, as if wet
    I start feeling better once we’re at Suesetta’s house. Her living room is huge, decorated with white-and-gold velvet drapes, blue-and-gold sofas, and thick royal-blue rugs that are under our feet. Chandeliers glisten above us.
  3. keepsake
    something of sentimental value
    She has lots of framed photos and colorful keepsakes.
  4. croon
    sing softly
    Suesetta plays the record and Billy Eckstine croons his blues away.
  5. blues
    a state of depression
    Suesetta plays the record and Billy Eckstine croons his blues away.
  6. envy
    a desire to have something that is possessed by another
    “Your family gets Ebony magazine? Not fair!” Her eyes are full of wonder and envy.
  7. oppose
    be against
    “Rose-Meta opposes the idea that kinky hair is inferior. Her philosophy is that there is beauty in everyone,” I read.
  8. inferior
    of or characteristic of low rank or importance
    “Rose-Meta opposes the idea that kinky hair is inferior. Her philosophy is that there is beauty in everyone,” I read.
  9. philosophy
    any personal belief about how to live
    “Rose-Meta opposes the idea that kinky hair is inferior. Her philosophy is that there is beauty in everyone,” I read.
  10. distracted
    having the attention diverted especially because of anxiety
    I’m so distracted that I don’t realize Phyllis is talking to me.
  11. consequence
    the outcome of an event
    On top of getting a whipping, my consequence for leaving church to get candy was that besides doing my own chores, I have to do Shirley’s and Jimmie’s, too.
  12. component
    one of the individual parts making up a larger entity
    So far in Mrs. Collins’s class, we’ve learned about the different components that make a sewing machine work and how to use it.
  13. perplexed
    full of difficulty or confusion or bewilderment
    Phyllis sits back in her seat, looking perplexed by Mrs. Collins.
  14. inventory
    a detailed list of all the items in stock
    “What kind of help does Mr. Malloy need at his store?”
    “Oh, just someone to log inventory and keep the storeroom and display shelves clean and organized.”
  15. curfew
    an order that after a certain time activities are prohibited
    “Betty, I’d like to apologize to your mom for bringing you home after curfew and let her know you were helping me at the church.”
  16. trolley
    a vehicle that runs on rails and is often propelled by electricity
    We head outside and walk down the block to the trolley.
  17. figurine
    a small carved or molded figure
    There’s a whole Christmas scene with a train riding around a snowy track. I see all the miniature townsmen and townswomen stationed throughout this imaginary village. All of the figurines are white.
  18. suede
    leather with a napped surface
    Kay reaches for a pair of strappy black suede heels and before her hand touches them, a white clerk grabs the shoes.
  19. dissolve
    cause to fade away
    Kay looks down at the floor and her voice dissolves into a soft vapor.
  20. throbbing
    pounding or beating strongly or violently
    My heart is throbbing. I can’t stop thinking about all those people who were looking at us, like our feelings didn’t matter.
  21. extravagant
    recklessly wasteful
    I think about the Housewives’ League and how what they are doing isn’t just about coupons or extravagant banquets, but about not wanting any of us to ever walk into a store and not be greeted in a courteous manner or treated with dignity, like human beings.
  22. courteous
    characterized by politeness and gracious good manners
    I think about the Housewives’ League and how what they are doing isn’t just about coupons or extravagant banquets, but about not wanting any of us to ever walk into a store and not be greeted in a courteous manner or treated with dignity, like human beings.
  23. dignity
    the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect
    I think about the Housewives’ League and how what they are doing isn’t just about coupons or extravagant banquets, but about not wanting any of us to ever walk into a store and not be greeted in a courteous manner or treated with dignity, like human beings.
  24. innocent
    free from evil or guilt
    Every prayer prayed that Sunday was asking the Lord to end the world’s war overseas and to stop the race riot against Negroes right here in America, and to bring innocent family members back home from jail alive.
  25. grateful
    feeling or showing thankfulness
    Sounds like a person who is saying thank you to be polite, not because they are really grateful.
  26. escort
    accompany in order to protect
    There was a photograph of a colored man being attacked by a white mob in the middle of the street. There were so many of them, but the colored man was all by himself, had no one to protect him. Looked like two police officers were escorting him to get through the mob.
  27. desolate
    providing no shelter or sustenance
    Other pages of the newspaper had photographs of burning buildings, boarded-up stores, and desolate streets.
  28. adjust
    alter or regulate so as to conform to a standard
    One knob to change the station, one to adjust the sound, and the other to turn it on or off.
  29. steady
    not subject to change or variation especially in behavior
    The needle stomps along the fabric, its steady thump thump thump the only sound in the room.
  30. ornery
    having a difficult and contrary disposition
    As I help her clean up the living room, Ollie Mae tells me how ungrateful I am. That I am an ornery little girl.
Created on Mon Feb 18 20:57:25 EST 2019 (updated Thu Feb 21 13:05:11 EST 2019)

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