The Pecan Sheller: Chapters 19–30

by Lupe Ruiz-Flores
Her family's financial woes in late 1930s San Antonio, Texas, force 13-year-old Petra to drop out of school and take a job shelling pecans at a factory. Her future seems bleak until she and her coworkers organize and go on strike for better wages and work conditions.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–8, Chapters 9–13, Chapters 14–18, Chapters 19–30
15 words 7 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. gaunt
    very thin, especially from disease or hunger or cold
    He ran his fingers through his hair, and Petra noticed how gaunt he looked.
  2. indignation
    a feeling of righteous anger
    “Enough.” Petra stood up, hands on hips, indignation on her face.
  3. union
    an employee organization that bargains with an employer
    This was the first time Petra had ever heard of a union. Power, protection...she liked the sound of those words.
  4. picket
    take part in a strike or protest
    “She used to work in the cigar factory. A few years ago she was part of a strike there—she and the other workers asked for better wages and walked off the job in protest when the bosses said no. They picketed in front of the factory, got harassed by the police, even got arrested. She is one of us.”
  5. brazier
    large metal container in which coal or charcoal is burned
    Groups of people huddled around the braziers for warmth.
  6. penetrate
    pass into or through, often by overcoming resistance
    The wind penetrated Petra’s thin coat. She held her hands over the nearest fire.
  7. transfixed
    having your attention fixated as though witchcraft
    She’s so young, and yet people twice and three times her age listen to her, Petra thought, looking around at the hundreds of pecan shellers who stood transfixed.
  8. jostle
    come into rough contact with while moving
    Someone jostled her, and she tripped and fell to the ground. She covered her head as people jumped over her.
  9. blacklist
    add to a group to be boycotted, banished, or avoided
    Amá scoffed. “If I couldn’t get another factory job, you certainly won’t. Not after this. You’ll be blacklisted as a troublemaker. I hope you’ll be proud of yourself if we end up on the street because of you.”
  10. skimp
    limit in quality or quantity
    Without Petra’s wages, the only money coming in was from Amá’s washing and ironing, which balanced out to pennies a day. They skimped on food. Bought fewer mesquite logs for the fire.
  11. disheveled
    in disarray; extremely disorderly
    “Lie down,” a disheveled Doña Ramoncita said softly. “Try to rest. Don’t worry.”
  12. threadbare
    thin and tattered with age
    As Petra burrowed under a threadbare quilt and pretended to get comfortable, Doña Ramoncita sat in the kitchen, reading her worn-out Bible by the light of the oil lamp.
  13. sprig
    a small branch or stem, usually with leaves or flowers
    “I see little green sprigs,” Doña Ramoncita said, delighted. “I’ll water them in the morning.”
  14. antagonize
    provoke the hostility of
    “At sixteen, she was still very naïve. She thought she could talk the soldiers out of destroying our homes. We warned her. Her mother begged her not to antagonize them.”
  15. vehemently
    in a forceful manner
    Petra wanted to return to the picket line while Amá vehemently opposed it.
Created on Wed Mar 18 20:45:01 EDT 2026 (updated Tue May 12 12:35:53 EDT 2026)

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