The Long Ride: Prologue–Chapter 8

by Marina Budhos
In 1970s New York, seventh-grader Jamila Clarke must take a forty-minute bus ride to a new school as part of an experiment for racial integration.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Prologue–Chapter 8, Chapters 9–14, Chapters 15–25
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. integration
    incorporating a racial or religious group into a community
    “Why do we have to go so far?” Josie asks, sipping a ginger ale.
    “Integration,” I say. I test the word in my mouth.
    “What’s that mean?” Josie asks.
    “Everyone will look more like us,” Francesca says.
  2. tawny
    having the color of tanned leather
    Francesca is unusual-pretty: gray-green eyes like her mother’s, set in a tawny face; frizzy gold-brown hair with a hint of kink.
  3. strut
    walk in a proud, confident way
    I jump from the bed and strut, draping a towel over my hair and pretending to toss it over my shoulders.
  4. prance
    move or step in a lively, spirited, or showy way
    When we were little, I used to play Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” and I’d prance around in my own shiny go-go boots.
  5. pleat
    make folds in a garment or piece of fabric
    Two nights after getting the flyer, Daddy and Mom go to the school meeting, Mom with her cardigan draped over her shoulders and a pleated skirt.
  6. embroider
    decorate with needlework
    Josie’s dad, Mr. Rivera, who wears the same cotton shirts with the big embroidered pockets that my dad likes, has the best “first” story.
  7. ebony
    of a very dark black
    Mr. Rivera is light-skinned—“café con leche, with lots of the leche,” he teases—while Mrs. Rivera, who grew up on the island of Jamaica, is ebony dark.
  8. delicate
    easily hurt
    My mother looks delicate, but there’s something firm in her, like marble.
  9. lilt
    a jaunty rhythm in music or speech
    They sit out on the concrete patio, their voices lifting and twining around each other: Mr. Rivera’s rapid-fire words, my father’s lilt, Mr. George’s deep boom.
  10. curt
    speaking in a terse, rude, or abrupt way
    "No." Mrs. Rowan is curt.
  11. suede
    leather with a napped surface
    My father looks down at his suede shoes.
  12. frayed
    worn away or tattered along the edges
    Daddy frowns at Karim’s jean jacket and frayed bell-bottoms.
  13. wan
    lacking vitality as from weariness or illness or unhappiness
    A few kids in the back stare wanly through the windows.
  14. stoop
    small porch or set of steps at the front entrance of a house
    We turn as Francesca flies down her stoop and comes running toward us.
  15. decal
    a design that can be transferred from paper to some surface
    The building is made of beige brick and steel, with checkerboard windows, decals still on the panes.
  16. saunter
    walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
    A hush falls on the group in front of us as a tall girl saunters down the aisle.
  17. feisty
    showing spirit and courage
    “Now you’re supposed to ask about me,” I say.
    He grins. “You’re feisty.”
  18. bleat
    the sound of sheep or goats (or any sound resembling this)
    The bell lets out a long bleat.
  19. bedlam
    a state of extreme confusion and disorder
    It’s bedlam. Me and Josie are mashed up against a moving wall of arms and legs.
  20. blare
    make a loud noise
    The speakers blare: “You have two minutes to get to your homeroom! Two minutes!”
  21. synthesize
    combine so as to form a more complex product
    “Since this is a brand-new school, we can try out new ideas and ways of learning. I want your homeroom to not just be the place where we take attendance. I want this to be the place where you can put it all together. To synthesize.”
  22. objective
    undistorted by emotion or personal bias
    “I am a science teacher. In science, facts are objective. But I value both parts of knowing: objective and subjective.”
  23. scuff
    mar or wear away by rubbing or scraping
    By lunchtime my new boots are scuffed up, my hair in humid, itchy waves.
  24. elective
    a course that the student can select from among alternatives
    “Want to compare schedules?” I ask as we sit. “Maybe we have some electives together.”
  25. trill
    pronounce with a flutter of the tongue
    Josie never uses that name. Only her mother does, when she’s mad and calls out, “Josefina, you get in this house right now!” Or her father trills in Spanish, “¡Josefina, vamos!”
  26. blunt
    characterized by directness in manner or speech
    Lucy is blunt and always declaring things.
  27. broil
    cook by exposing to strong heat in a part of an oven
    She hands him a plate heaped with broiled potatoes, his favorite.
  28. bewildered
    extremely confused and uncertain what to do
    “Where do you want to go?” I ask.
    “I don’t know.” She looks as bewildered as I feel.
  29. sashay
    walk with a lofty proud gait, often to impress others
    As I take my seat, I feel like a little worm. Not someone who can sashay across this school. How did I get so small, with no voice?
  30. vinyl
    shiny, tough, and flexible plastic
    We sit on the vinyl stools, legs dangling, and eat scrambled eggs and triangle toast soaked in butter.
  31. waver
    move hesitatingly, as if about to give way
    Francesca comes pounding down the stairs, pushing past her mother, who wavers in the background like a bowling pin that got knocked.
  32. ravenous
    extremely hungry
    Just then our eggs and toast arrive. I’m ravenous, and after stuffing myself, I blurt out, “I like someone too.”
  33. dawdle
    waste time
    The only thing I have to look forward to is seeing John—either at lunchtime when we give each other shy looks in the yard, or after school when I dawdle by the steps, hoping to spot him.
  34. bangle
    jewelry worn around the wrist for decoration
    Her eyes sparkle and she’s again wearing silver bangles that slide up and down as she waves her arms.
  35. flush
    turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame
    I flush, knowing he’s John’s friend.
  36. jaunty
    having a cheerful, lively, and self-confident air
    Darren half-jumps up in a jaunty crouch.
  37. loll
    hang loosely or laxly
    I let my spine soften. My head lolls back.
  38. sprawl
    sit or lie with one's limbs spread out
    I’m sprawled on the polished wood floor, my elbow throbbing.
  39. sidle
    move unobtrusively or furtively
    As I’m pushing through the door, Darren sidles up.
  40. halter
    a top that fastens behind the neck and leaves arms uncovered
    I hear bits of Spanglish, girls flipping their long hair, their halters showing strong, brown arms.
Created on Tue Mar 21 09:37:11 EDT 2023 (updated Tue Mar 21 16:28:57 EDT 2023)

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