Compound Fracture: Chapters 36-39

by Andrew Joseph White
In this novel, trans teen Miles Abernathy survives an attempted murder and finds himself caught up in a century-old blood feud while also being haunted by his own ancestor.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapter 1-7, Chapter 8-10, Chapter 11-14, Chapter 15-22, Chapter 23-26, Chapter 27-30, Chapter 31-35, Chapter 36-39, Chapter 40-46, Chapter 47-61
25 words 14 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. upkeep
    the activity of maintaining something in good working order
    “Used to it by now. It’s mainly the upkeep — this, constant sunscreen, making sure they’re healing okay.”
  2. defiantly
    in a rebellious manner
    And there’s a small print taped to the mirror: a human body stitching itself together, variously mangled but still alive, staring defiantly at the viewer with teeth bared.
  3. shush
    urge someone to be quiet
    Then Amber drops me off a few houses away from home, and I make it back inside without anyone noticing — taking off my shoes on the porch, easing open the door, shushing Lady with a hand to the snout.
  4. retain
    keep in one's mind
    I read the same page of this book five times but can’t retain a word.
  5. nuanced
    conveying a subtle difference in tone, meaning, or attitude
    The questions are too cut-and-dry, none of the available answers nuanced enough.
  6. cluster
    a grouping of a number of similar things
    It’s everything I tried to cover up, everything I thought was me being weird or weak, a cluster of quirks and failures coming together like a constellation.
  7. disregard
    willful lack of care and attention
    Google search: “advantages of autism”
    Result: “Attention to detail and pattern recognition. Incredible wealth of knowledge in chosen interests. Resistance to social pressure. Disregard for hierarchy and strong sense of personal justice.”
  8. sliver
    (figurative) a small or narrow piece or slice
    I’ve lifted them almost to my face and a small sliver of the world has unblurred, but I’m scared to put them all the way on.
  9. patriotic
    inspired by love for your country
    American flags on the back of every pickup, patriotic streamers and rocket pops.
    remove?
  10. bemoan
    regret strongly
    The DJ is playing “Born in the USA” like it ain’t about a Vietnam vet bemoaning America’s failures.
  11. bastion
    a stronghold for shelter during a battle
    “Plus a true bastion of free speech. Don’t get that much no more, do we?”
  12. decode
    convert something hidden or secretive into ordinary language
    In fact, they might see every single one of them, but they’ve gotta decode them by hand, analyzing them quick as they can to avoid being left behind.
  13. excerpt
    a passage selected from a larger work
    An excerpt of Twist Creek County law, showing that Davies has been violating the office term limit for years.
  14. cocky
    overly self-confident or self-assertive
    The cocky bullshit, the laughter and easy charm, it’s all a cover.
  15. facade
    a showy misrepresentation to conceal something unpleasant
    The cocky facade shatters.
  16. exhilarated
    filled with joy or excitement
    He’s out of breath, almost exhilarated.
  17. festivity
    any joyous diversion
    “Before we begin today’s festivities, I have...an unfortunate announcement.”
  18. obituary
    a notice of someone's death
    The opinion piece I’ve preserved next to Lucille Abernathy’s obituary called her a damned nuisance.
  19. enunciate
    express or state clearly
    “We’re honored to have you up here with us today,” Noah says to me, enunciating perfectly for the crowd to hear.
  20. resilience
    the ability to recover readily from adversity or change
    “After everything you’ve been through, we wanted to give you a chance to speak your truth. You’re a, uh, beacon of resilience for the transgender community, as it were.”
  21. humble
    marked by meekness or modesty; not arrogant or prideful
    “No need to be humble,” Noah says, giving my shoulder a friendly shake.
  22. implode
    burst inward
    As the music starts back up and people go back to getting food and chatting and waiting for fireworks — this time quieter, an air of anxiety, looking at the flyers in their hands — my family implodes.
  23. rationalize
    defend, explain, or make excuses for by reasoning
    “I know you’ve never been real girly,” Mamaw says, as if trying to rationalize a thing as irrational as gender, “but Sadie, I really don’t — ”
    “His name is Miles,” Mom says.
  24. violation
    a disrespectful act
    This was a violation.
  25. hunker
    squat, hunch, or crouch down
    Dad flashes a smile and hunkers down on the porch steps with Lady, gestures me down with him.
Created on Wed Jun 04 08:34:10 EDT 2025 (updated Tue Jun 10 18:24:17 EDT 2025)

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