The Color of a Lie: Prologue-Chapter 6

by Kim Johnson
In this historical novel set in 1955, a Black family moves to a white-only town and begins passing for white, but their life there is threatened when one of them begins to uncover the town's dangerous secrets.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Prologue-Chapter 6, Chapters 7-14, Chapters 15-22, Chapters 23-30, Chapters 31-42
15 words 84 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. simultaneous
    occurring or operating at the same time
    I gritted my teeth as we flashed simultaneous fake smiles.
  2. punctuate
    interrupt periodically
    As we ate, the silence was heavy in the air, punctuated only by the sounds of forks scraping against our plates.
  3. stoic
    seeming unaffected by pleasure or pain; impassive
    But she was stoic, her eyes distant.
  4. pensive
    deeply or seriously thoughtful
    I forced the pensive look off my face.
  5. immaculate
    without error or flaw
    The detailing was immaculate.
  6. standoffish
    lacking cordiality; unfriendly
    They mingled while I leaned against the trunk of a tree, standoffish.
  7. furrow
    make or become wrinkled or creased
    I furrowed my brow.
  8. tactic
    a plan for attaining a particular goal
    When he was finished, he sat back down, sulking like Miss Brower was the only teacher who didn’t fall for his tactics.
  9. integrated
    designated as available to all races or groups
    “Not really. Some developer’s building on the other side of the Capewoods — calling it America’s first integrated community.”
  10. antithesis
    exact opposite
    Levittown was the antithesis of a place like Concord Park, which would be integrated and closer to the communities Black people already lived in.
  11. caste
    social status conferred by a system based on class
    “Race is a social construct. And for whatever reason, Blacks are in a caste at the bottom of the hierarchy. I could buy a house in Concord Park, but our investment would never grow. Sure, they’ll live side by side at first, but how’ll they act when neighbors get married…have kids?”
  12. pomade
    hairdressing consisting of a perfumed oil or ointment
    He just didn’t process it like Little Richard or have the sheen pomade like James Dean.
  13. revel
    take delight in
    “Let me revel in the victory. Your brother here said six months, and I said less than two.”
  14. truancy
    failure to attend, especially school
    “Why don’t they just go to a regular school?”
    “Too far out, but mostly it’s truancy...”
  15. stilted
    stiff and strained; lacking natural ease
    Harry’s voice came out proper and stilted.
Created on Tue Aug 19 07:54:50 EDT 2025 (updated Thu Sep 18 15:33:40 EDT 2025)

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