The Light in Hidden Places: Chapters 16–22

by Sharon Cameron
Based on a true World War II story, this novel details how, as a teenager, Stefania Podgórska managed to take care of her younger sister, while hiding and supporting Jews in Nazi-occupied Poland.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–8, Chapters 9–15, Chapters 16–22, Chapters 23–30
35 words 10 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. sentiment
    a personal belief or judgment
    I’m sure Mrs. Wojcik has no idea she’s just been told to go to the devil in Yiddish, but from the look on her face, I think my sentiment is clear.
  2. stifle
    smother or suppress
    And then something moves. A shadow that is bigger than a rat and suddenly standing upright. It takes everything I’ve got to stifle a scream, until I hear, “Fusia?”
  3. casually
    in an unconcerned manner
    And then it occurs to me how casually we’re discussing the cold-blooded murder of the sick.
  4. gritty
    composed of or covered with small particles
    He’s warm and gritty from the floor of the cellar.
  5. smug
    marked by excessive complacency or self-satisfaction
    One of the Ordners grins, smug. They seem to think their business with me is done up and tied like a parcel from the shops.
  6. reprisal
    a retaliatory action against an enemy
    If everyone follows the rules, then there will be no reprisals. But if even one Jew is caught in a crime, then the SS have promised that hundreds will be punished.
  7. bravado
    a swaggering show of courage
    I do as I’m told and fold the curtains and the shirts, my bravado leaking out like water through a sieve.
  8. sieve
    a strainer for separating lumps from powdered material
    I do as I’m told and fold the curtains and the shirts, my bravado leaking out like water through a sieve.
  9. makeshift
    done or made using whatever is available
    We come to a little room at the end of the corridor, a makeshift kitchen that is warm with cabbage steam.
  10. leisurely
    not hurried or forced
    I hold my coat closed tight to keep my hands from shaking, even though it isn’t that cold, and walk at a leisurely pace toward Tatarska 3. And then I quicken my steps.
  11. careen
    move at high speed and in an uncontrolled way
    And by the time I come careening around the curve of the lane and see the house, sitting by itself near the top of the hill, the sun is fully up.
  12. armoire
    a large wardrobe or cabinet
    Maybe a shelf for food and dishes, an armoire for the bedroom.
  13. modest
    following standards of propriety in conduct or appearance
    I think he might laugh, since he doesn’t have a shirt on anyway. And because we’ve lived in the same house, and none of the Diamant boys were ever very modest.
  14. sluggish
    lacking energy, quickness, or alertness
    My sluggish brain jumps into gear.
  15. frazzle
    exhaust physically or emotionally
    I am frazzled. Exhausted. I haven’t slept since I saw him last.
  16. opportune
    suitable or advantageous especially for a particular purpose
    Then, at this opportune moment, Helena mentioned a farmer’s wife who was selling off her entire lot of chickens in the market, and Siunek still had a little money, and so, following the natural order of things, I now live with chickens.
  17. upholstery
    covering on a piece of furniture
    Max and I take apart the sofa, stripping off its upholstery, washing the dark green cloth in three soapings of hot water.
  18. civil
    not rude
    “Then she should have sent a note!” shouts Dr. Schillinger.
    “Now, you be civil...” starts Mrs. Krajewska.
  19. berate
    censure severely or angrily
    We round the corner, Dr. Schillinger still berating me, and then we’re through the front door of Tatarska 3.
  20. folly
    foolish or senseless behavior
    “I am sorry! It was the folly of an old man!”
  21. penance
    voluntary self-punishment in order to atone for something
    Later, when the girls are asleep, packed in my bed, and Old Hirsch is doing penance by taking first watch at the window, I go into the kitchen for water, past figures wrapped in blankets and soft breathing from the floor, to Old Hirsch’s jacket, left hanging by the window.
  22. muss
    make messy or untidy
    I’ve mussed my hair, dirtied up my face, hidden my purse, and I have a real armband on my coat instead of one that will only bear a glance.
  23. composed
    serenely self-possessed and free from agitation
    She sits composed. Perfectly straight.
  24. phonograph
    a machine that plays records
    Someone is cranking up a phonograph on my half of a kitchen table, next to a plate of cookies.
  25. ashen
    pale from illness or emotion
    He’s dirty and wringing wet—soaked like he’s fallen into a lake—and his face is ashen.
  26. undermine
    weaken or impair, especially gradually
    “There are too many for the bunker already, and I don’t think I can make it any bigger, not without undermining the house or falling into the cellar.”
  27. testy
    easily irritated or annoyed
    But he makes my eight hidden Jews have to whisper and tiptoe, even with the chickens, and that makes them testy.
  28. pore
    direct one's attention on something
    Helena smiles, then smiles bigger, and when I come home from work the next evening, her brown head is next to Max’s dark one, poring over a dental textbook.
  29. impertinent
    improperly forward or bold
    When she’s picking up the chicken, I turn my back to Lubek and blow her a kiss. She grins and blows one back, which probably looks impertinent from Lubek's point of view, and runs out the door.
  30. petrify
    cause to become stunned or immobile, as with fear or awe
    Januka is frozen, petrified.
  31. adrenaline
    hormone secreted by the adrenal gland in response to stress
    I feel silly. And tired. And jumpy with adrenaline.
  32. dowdy
    lacking in stylishness or taste
    I wait. Feeling nervous. Dirty and dowdy among all the smiling portraits and canisters of film.
  33. unrelenting
    never-ceasing
    “I have a boy...that I don’t want. And he is very...umm...”
    “Persistent?”
    “Unrelenting.”
    “Hints don’t work?”
  34. frank
    characterized by directness in manner or speech
    “I want you to hide a Jew for me. I can’t be more frank than that.”
  35. traipse
    walk or tramp about
    You need to be sure of your facts before you come traipsing into someone’s house, accusing them of something like hiding Jews.
Created on Wed Nov 30 12:11:52 EST 2022 (updated Thu Feb 02 16:20:32 EST 2023)

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