Reaching for the Moon: Chapters 3–4

by Katherine Johnson
In this inspiring autobiography, Katherine Johnson tells the story of her life and how she became instrumental in the success of some of NASA's most famous missions.

Here are links to our lists for the book:
Chapter 1, Chapter 2 , Chapters 3–4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapters 7–Epilogue
25 words 69 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. determination
    firmness of purpose
    However, their sacrifices were also typical of the determination that Colored people exhibited so that their children could get an education during an era when many states intended to deny them one and limit their access to opportunity.
  2. desperate
    showing extreme urgency or intensity because of great need
    It was a desperate time during that Depression era.
  3. dedicated
    devoted to a cause or ideal or purpose
    What Colored schools did have going for them was a dedicated cadre of Negro educators and students hungry to learn.
  4. cadre
    a small unit serving as part of a larger political movement
    What Colored schools did have going for them was a dedicated cadre of Negro educators and students hungry to learn.
  5. resentful
    full of or marked by indignant ill will
    The Ku Klux Klan lurked as a constant threat, and resentful Whites were ever present.
  6. idyllic
    charmingly simple and serene
    Marion was a small, idyllic town of about fifty-five hundred people set in the lush, tree-covered mountains of southwestern Virginia near the Hungry Mother State Park.
  7. economy
    the system of production and distribution and consumption
    As did life in much of the area, the region’s economy centered around coal mining.
  8. menial
    relating to unskilled work, especially domestic work
    They also did other dirty, dangerous, or menial jobs.
  9. grisly
    shockingly repellent; inspiring horror
    A particularly grisly lynching took place in 1926.
  10. disparaging
    expressive of low opinion
    Negroes both worked within the system as best they could and resisted it in ways large and small—from declining to answer when someone White called us a disparaging name, to engaging in strikes and refusing to work.
  11. fickle
    liable to sudden unpredictable change
    Yet the rules of segregation could also be fickle.
  12. forgo
    do without or cease to hold or adhere to
    In some families the oldest child would forgo college in order to work so that a younger child could continue his or her education.
  13. boarder
    a tenant in someone’s house who typically receives meals
    Like most of the other teachers who came from out of town, I became a boarder in another person’s home.
  14. corsage
    an arrangement of flowers that is usually given as a present
    Mamá pinned a beautiful corsage on me.
  15. cautious
    showing careful forethought
    Jimmie had just returned home and was still seeking a job, so we needed to be cautious.
  16. hyphenate
    divide or connect with punctuation used between word parts
    Back then women didn’t keep their own names or hyphenate them.
  17. external
    coming from the outside
    “I imagine I can help you, President Lawall,” President Davis said, feeling excited about the opportunity to open doors for and showcase some of his best students, but also resentful that the all-White school had needed external pressure.
  18. integration
    incorporating a racial or religious group into a community
    I understood that integration might not be easy.
  19. nonchalantly
    in a composed and unconcerned manner
    “I’m probably going to do the same thing you do: teach,” I said nonchalantly.
  20. primarily
    for the most part
    Little did any of us understand how a war that was fought primarily in Europe would have such a drastic effect on all of our lives.
  21. kamikaze
    a fighter plane used for suicide missions by Japanese pilots
    On December 7, 1941, Japanese kamikaze fighter planes, dive bombers, and orpedo bombers attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.
  22. ammunition
    projectiles to be fired from a gun
    More than 45 percent of women worked outside the home during the war, producing ammunition, building ships and airplanes, driving trains, and nursing the wounded.
  23. midwife
    a woman skilled in aiding the delivery of babies
    A neighbor of Mrs. Goble’s became my midwife.
  24. grits
    coarsely ground corn that is boiled
    The girls and I would often wake up and walk down to Mamá’s house, where we’d join her and Daddy for a hot breakfast of scrambled eggs, grits, biscuits, and a cut of pork called fatback.
  25. clout
    special advantage or influence
    Even Mr. and Mrs. Belcher’s clout couldn’t get her in until the next day.
Created on Wed Dec 04 07:57:03 EST 2024 (updated Fri Dec 06 04:57:00 EST 2024)

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