This is My America: List 2

by Kim Johnson
Tracy, a seventeen-year-old living in Texas, tries to prove that both her father and brother are innocent of the crimes of which they've been accused.

This list covers "The Fast and the Furious"–"Snitches Get Stitches."

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4
35 words 117 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. aback
    by surprise
    Jamal pushes past me, and I'm taken aback at his response.
  2. thrum
    make or cause to make a low, continuous sound
    My heart is beating in my throat, pounding, thrumming out through my ears.
  3. deferential
    showing courteous regard for people's feelings
    Only recently has it been cemented in my mind and made clear that acting civil, being deferential, doesn’t matter.
  4. cinch
    pull, fasten, or tie something tightly
    Mama pushes me behind her, then cinches her robe’s belt and loosens the chain lock, before cracking the door open.
  5. ingrained
    deeply rooted; firmly fixed or held
    That thing that siblings always have ingrained in their DNA—never rat on each other—lips sealed.
  6. drawl
    speak in a slow and drawn out way
    A bitter taste flushes in my mouth, the way that word drawls out like just another slur in coded language.
  7. tentatively
    in a hesitant manner
    A Black officer tentatively steps inside.
  8. rile
    disturb, especially by minor irritations
    “Beverly, you know Jamal—could you see him do anything like this? You’ve seen him at his worst. Nothing riles him up. He’s never hurt me, even when I’d pick fights with him.”
  9. disoriented
    having lost your bearings
    Slow. Disoriented. She’ll break down when no one’s watching.
  10. gingerly
    in a manner marked by extreme care or delicacy
    Mama moves gingerly down the hall, stopping at my door to wake me, but I’ve been up for hours, waiting to hear from Jamal and writing a letter to Innocence X to let them know about Jamal’s situation.
  11. haggard
    showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
    Mama's hair is haggard, sticking up.
  12. trump
    get the better of
    My father’s alibi was trumped by white witnesses in the neighborhood who swore they saw Daddy’s Buick, with two Black men inside, leaving the Davidson office late that afternoon, not at noon like Daddy said.
  13. bias
    a partiality preventing objective consideration of an issue
    I used to ask Daddy if he thought things would be different if he’d had a Black attorney, that maybe his attorney would have understood the bias in the trial more.
  14. heinous
    extremely wicked or deeply criminal
    Everyone wanted an answer to a heinous crime, and it was easier to think it was an outsider—someone “not like them.”
  15. visceral
    coming from deep inward feelings rather than from reasoning
    Whenever we pass it, I have the same visceral reaction.
  16. levee
    an embankment built to prevent a river from overflowing
    I didn’t know the answer then, but I know now that it wasn’t the levee failures in New Orleans that wiped my family’s life away.
  17. piercing
    very perceptive
    When Chris turns, his piercing blue eyes are hidden behind a black right eye, his face all splotchy and red.
  18. scrutiny
    a prolonged intense look
    She must feel his scrutiny, because she opens her eyes.
  19. vendetta
    a blood feud between members of opposing parties
    “Is focusing on Jamal a personal vendetta on behalf of your son, or do you have any evidence?”
  20. etch
    carve or cut a design or letters into
    “Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
    This saying is etched outside your main office.
  21. hobble
    walk unevenly due to pain, injury, or weakness
    Sealed it by kissing my cheek before hobbling down the stairs, our mamas yelling at him to be careful.
  22. lurch
    move abruptly
    My stomach lurches.
  23. revoke
    cancel officially
    “Disruptions get visitation revoked. Remember that next time you wanna show off on TV.”
  24. resound
    ring or echo with noise
    His face lights up when he sees us, and we let out a resounding breath as we wait for him to greet us.
  25. slander
    words falsely spoken that damage the reputation of another
    Maybe that’s what had Quincy ready to bounce; he was too loyal to want to hear slander about Jamal.
  26. fissure
    a long narrow opening
    There’s a fissure in the school, and you can feel the divide.
  27. advocate
    speak, plead, or argue in favor of
    A place I could use my voice. Maybe one that everyone didn’t agree with, but I had a space for it, and Angela always advocated for me.
  28. prominent
    conspicuous in position or importance
    I could play a more prominent role.
  29. unanimous
    in complete agreement
    “What was the vote?” My heart beats fast.
    “Unanimous. I’m sorry. You’ll have to pitch 'Tracy’s Corner’'to Natalie and the executive board next year.”
  30. traipse
    walk or tramp about
    The dry grass stands tall around me, except a path twenty feet away where it’s been trampled flat, a clear sign that cars and teens have come here and traipsed all over.
  31. hallowed
    worthy of religious veneration
    The hallowed ground of parties.
  32. disclose
    make known to the public information previously kept secret
    Either way, Chris knows something, and if the police won’t disclose this detail of Angela’s investigation, a surprise confrontation with Chris might be a solution.
  33. speculate
    talk over conjecturally, or review in an idle or casual way
    Anyway, I’m not gonna speculate. Then if it turns out to be something and you get into it, it’d be on my conscience.
  34. conscience
    a feeling of shame when you do something immoral
    Anyway, I’m not gonna speculate. Then if it turns out to be something and you get into it, it’d be on my conscience.
  35. clout
    special advantage or influence
    He didn’t get I don’t care if I had the clout to influence change.
Created on Tue Jan 05 13:21:14 EST 2021 (updated Mon Jan 11 13:51:31 EST 2021)

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