The Red Car to Hollywood: Chapters 18–22

by Jennie Liu
The year is 1924, and 16-year-old Ruby Chan is struggling with the expectations placed on her as a young Chinese American woman. When her relationship with a young white man is revealed and Ruby's father decides to marry her to a Chinese man, Ruby decides to take her life into her own hands.

Here are links to our lists for the book:
Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–12, Chapters 13–17, Chapters 18–22, Chapters 23–27, Chapters 28–34.
15 words 15 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. guttural
    like the sounds of frogs and crows
    Then I heard a deep guttural voice.
  2. dirge
    a song or hymn of mourning as a memorial to a dead person
    I took up “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” playing it with slow, heavy fingering. Like a dirge.
  3. churlish
    rude and boorish
    I was being churlish, but I couldn’t seem to help it.
  4. indiscretion
    a petty misdeed
    There’s always the risk of your past indiscretions being discovered.
  5. commissary
    a snack bar, especially in a film studio
    We can have lunch in the commissary while we’re there.
  6. skulk
    move stealthily
    The memory tried to skulk into my head, but with Anna May beside me, I easily pushed it out.
  7. stark
    severely simple
    The inside was a complete contrast to the stark exterior.
  8. cad
    someone who is morally reprehensible
    “I’m glad now that it didn’t happen, but I hate that I was taken in by such a cad.”
  9. bracing
    refreshing or invigorating
    The coldness of it was bracing, but otherwise it tasted bright and sweet with a bitter kick to it.
  10. tetchy
    easily irritated or annoyed
    As the minutes ticked by, the models began to throw tetchy glances my
    way, as if it were my fault that Anna May was late.
  11. apprehension
    fearful expectation or anticipation
    A vague apprehension welled inside me.
  12. bellows
    a mechanical device that blows a strong current of air
    Haber’s chest heaved and hawed like a bellows.
  13. disparaging
    expressive of low opinion
    The girls muttered a few more disparaging comments as they scuttled to get in order.
  14. suppress
    control and refrain from showing
    Even though I knew this wasn’t Miss Buckner’s decision, I couldn’t suppress the impulse to have it out with her.
  15. refute
    overthrow by argument, evidence, or proof
    I saw with satisfaction that she couldn’t refute the truth.
Created on Fri Feb 20 06:57:50 EST 2026 (updated Thu Feb 26 17:00:44 EST 2026)

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