All You Have to Do: Chapters 3–5

by Autumn Allen
In alternating narratives set in the 1960s and 1995 in New York and Massachusetts, the teenage son and grandson of Dr. Wilson, Kevin and Gibran, continue to struggle against racism by protesting at their schools and supporting the marches on Washington, D.C.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–2, Chapters 3–5, Chapters 6–8, Chapters 9–14, Chapters 15–25
40 words 4 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. ecstatic
    feeling great rapture or delight
    He waves to Mom, ecstatic to see her.
  2. smug
    marked by excessive complacency or self-satisfaction
    “Nobody meant to offend you or disrespect your friend, Gibran. Though I wouldn’t mind seeing less of him.”
    Ashanta smiles, managing to look smug and conciliatory at the same time.
  3. conciliatory
    intended to placate
    “Nobody meant to offend you or disrespect your friend, Gibran. Though I wouldn’t mind seeing less of him.”
    Ashanta smiles, managing to look smug and conciliatory at the same time.
  4. prompt
    assist by suggesting the next words of something
    “I’m sorry, Gibran,” she mumbles.
    “For?” Mom prompts her while tugging on the baby’s frilly skirt.
  5. deadpan
    without betraying any feeling
    Ashanta, deadpan: “Being rude to your friend?”
  6. enclave
    an enclosed territory that is culturally distinct
    You hadn’t admitted to your parents how much we were struggling, but when you needed help to get us into a “better” neighborhood, you swallowed your pride and let Gramps buy us a house. Still in the city, but in an enclave tucked away from the rest of Dorchester.
  7. stately
    refined or imposing in manner or appearance
    The street is lined with stately Victorian homes so valuable that white flight never happened.
  8. modest
    not large but sufficient in size or amount
    Colin’s house is a modest mansion with expansive grounds hidden behind it.
  9. humble
    cause to feel shame
    All my people fighting the power in high ratio
    You could never humble me down I let my greatness show
  10. saunter
    walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
    She arches an eyebrow at me and saunters over to bus her tray.
  11. initiative
    a new strategy or plan to solve a problem or improve a situation
    “That’s weak. You’re gonna throw out a whole initiative of a million people ’cause you don’t like everything the organizer ever said?”
  12. patronizing
    characteristic of those who treat others with arrogance
    “The whole concept is patronizing though. Men have to go off and make a show of being strong and responsible so they can come back and ‘protect’ the family?”
  13. saute
    fry briefly over high heat
    When the potatoes are almost done, I sauté some broccoli with garlic.
  14. sprig
    a small branch or stem, usually with leaves or flowers
    I pour melted butter on the broccoli so she’ll eat it, and arrange the food on her plate with a sprig of parsley and a wedge of lemon for fun.
  15. flourish
    a showy gesture
    I place it on the table in front of her with a flourish.
  16. assume
    take to be the case or to be true
    “It’s risky, Gibran, and you don’t consider risk. You have to think about consequences. You’re assuming nothing could go wrong.”
  17. trustee
    a member of a governing board
    Years of diplomatic discussions and well-written petitions to the university president and the board of trustees achieved nothing.
  18. commission
    a special group delegated to consider some matter
    The Kerner Commission report came out last month. White folks spent year after year scratching their heads, wondering why people in the ghettoes kept rising up in “violent” displays of frustration. The government finally did a formal study of the situation.
  19. solidarity
    a union of interests or purposes among members of a group
    More and more people are realizing how unjust and senseless it is. We could build solidarity around the anti-war movement.
  20. faction
    a dissenting clique
    “The anti-war faction on campus is definitely growing,” Wesley muses.
  21. muse
    reflect deeply on a subject
    “The anti-war faction on campus is definitely growing,” Wesley muses.
  22. edict
    a legally binding command or decision
    He identified the most prominent students and declared them in violation of the edict against “indoor protests.”
  23. prod
    urge on; cause to act
    “Then what?” Claudius prods.
  24. conscience
    motivation deriving from ethical or moral principles
    We represent the Black students of Columbia and all students of conscience on this campus.
  25. bureaucracy
    unnecessary procedures that obstruct action
    I pull out my papers and hand them to her. “This is what I have. Ideas for field trips and stuff with the mentees. You can handle the bureaucracy.”
  26. warily
    in a manner marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
    She eyes me warily. “I did not agree to that division of labor.”
  27. exploitation
    an act that victimizes someone
    Maybe if I tell her how Columbia ruins lives, remind her that the riots are more about exploitation of poor Black communities than they are about Dr. King, maybe she’ll understand.
  28. dispassionate
    unaffected by strong emotion or prejudice
    This is the psychiatrist talking. His cool, dispassionate detachment makes me want to scream.
  29. digest
    arrange and integrate in the mind
    She watched us digest this news. My mind buzzed.
  30. backlash
    an adverse reaction to some political or social occurrence
    “And whenever progress is made, there’s always backlash,” James adds.
  31. quota
    a prescribed number
    “I mean, having a quota system is kind of going overboard. Now that everything’s equal, people can compete based on merit. It’s not fair to just favor a different group.”
  32. contend
    maintain or assert
    Kate contends that everything is equal now. We’re going to study present-day statistics a bit later.
  33. chattel
    personal property, as opposed to real estate
    “Two hundred fifty years of chattel slavery, which, as we’ve discussed, differs from other forms of slavery.”
  34. touchy
    difficult to handle; requiring great tact
    I know it’s touchy, but if anyone can handle it, it’s Mr. Adrian, I think.
  35. reception
    the manner in which something is greeted
    I could do a whole project on him and what his example and reception show about America and its treatment of Black people.
  36. appeal
    (rhetoric) a method or mode of persuasion
    I check the copyright dates of the books in front of me and line them up in chronological order.
    David Walker’s Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World
    The Souls of Black Folk
    The Mis-Education of the Negro
    Black Bourgeoisie
    A Raisin in the Sun
    The Wretched of the Earth
    The Fire Next Time
    The Autobiography of Malcolm X
  37. legacy
    anything handed down by someone or something in the past
    “Today in class we were talking about the legacy of slavery, and the white kids were like, ‘What do you mean? That’s all in the past.’ As if everything’s been fixed.”
  38. treatise
    a formal text that treats a particular topic systematically
    I read the treatises and the nonfiction stuff so I could be hip. But really? My favorites were novels and plays.
  39. dainty
    affectedly refined
    Malika picks up her warm cookie, holds it up in both hands, and pulls it apart in slow motion, showing off the gooey chocolate chips and soft inside. She takes a dainty bite.
  40. ordeal
    a severe or trying experience
    The girls throw out their trash and say a muted “later” to us as they walk out, surrounding Tanya like she’s been through another ordeal.
Created on Wed Aug 07 10:35:36 EDT 2024 (updated Tue Jan 21 12:11:27 EST 2025)

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