Amina's Voice: Chapters 1-5

by Hena Khan
Amina, a Pakistani-American girl, struggles to balance her commitment to her culture with her desire to fit in. When her mosque is vandalized, Amina must finally find her voice.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1-5, Chapters 6-10, Chapters 11-18, Chapters 19-25
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. jeer
    laugh at with contempt and derision
    I can still hear Luke and his friend jeering at me from the side of the stage.
  2. prowl
    move about in or as if in a predatory manner
    Even though the cat gets my tongue when either Emily or Julie come prowling, Soojin never has any problem telling them exactly what she thinks.
  3. ponder
    reflect deeply on a subject
    Instead, she actually seems to be pondering the name as if it’s a possibility.
  4. chime in
    break into a conversation
    And Emily has always sucked up to Julie, even if that means laughing really hard at her dumb jokes or chiming in when she puts everyone else down.
  5. expectant
    marked by eager anticipation
    Soojin peers into my face expectantly.
  6. sulk
    be in a huff and display one's displeasure
    I don’t argue further and sink into my seat, glad for a change that Baba doesn’t allow me to sit in the front so I can sulk in peace.
  7. allot
    give out
    We get to school in time for the last three classes, since there are only ten minutes allotted for teachers to summarize their lessons.
  8. sprawl
    sit or lie with one's limbs spread out
    He’s sprawled on the old sectional with the television remote.
  9. complexion
    the coloring of a person's face
    Her accent, along with her complexion, is a bit lighter than Baba’s, and people have a hard time guessing that she’s from Pakistan.
  10. mantel
    a shelf that projects from the wall above a fireplace
    In the photo that sits on the mantel in the family room, there’s a four-year-old version of him in a bow tie with a face covered in blue birthday-cake icing.
  11. muse
    reflect deeply on a subject
    “Is that so?” Baba muses. “Basketball?”
  12. visa
    an endorsement that allows the bearer to enter a country
    “They actually gave him a visa?”
  13. grimace
    a contorted facial expression
    Mustafa and I exchange grimaces.
  14. orientation
    a course introducing a new situation or environment
    We always work on projects together and were thrilled when we got our schedules during orientation and saw that we had three of our classes together: social studies, music, and science.
  15. scoff
    laugh at with contempt and derision
    Or when they both scoffed at us and said, “Speak English, you’re in America,” while we were teaching each other phrases in Urdu and Korean.
  16. critical
    urgently needed; absolutely necessary
    It’s critical that we stay within the weight limit, or our oxen will be overtaxed.
  17. petty
    preoccupied with unimportant matters in a spiteful way
    I’m embarrassed and feel petty, but I can’t stop the words that are rattling around in my head from coming out.
  18. bicker
    argue over petty things
    They know that our parents are sipping chai with plates of tea biscuits upstairs and that they aren’t the slightest bit interested in our bickering.
  19. kameez
    a long tunic worn by people from South Asia
    I follow Rabiya upstairs, trying not to trip over the deep-pink shalwar kameez Mama forced me to wear.
  20. embroidery
    decorative needlework
    The embroidery on the neckline is so itchy that I’m tempted to change into the pajamas I brought along in case I spend the night.
  21. engrossed
    giving or marked by complete attention to
    Our parents are engrossed in conversation while the television blares in the background.
  22. blare
    make a loud noise
    Our parents are engrossed in conversation while the television blares in the background.
  23. crimson
    a deep and vivid red color
    A fast-paced Indian song pulses as Bollywood actresses in crimson outfits twirl in perfect coordination in front of a stage decorated with yellow and red flowers.
  24. grate
    make resentful, irritated, or angry
    I love the sound of the drums mixed with the strings, although the super-high-pitched, tinny singing grates on my ears.
  25. a cappella
    without musical accompaniment
    The girl is singing a cappella and is totally off tempo.
  26. hoarse
    deep and harsh sounding as if from shouting or illness
    I’m getting hoarse from singing and laughing so hard.
  27. hijab
    a headscarf worn by Muslim women
    Dahlia always wears the hijab, and not just at the Islamic Center.
  28. unison
    the act of occurring together or simultaneously
    “Boring,” they both chime in unison.
  29. imam
    the person who leads prayers in a mosque
    Imam Malik grew up in Florida and can easily switch between perfect Arabic and English.
  30. mosque
    a Muslim place of worship that usually has a minaret
    It looks like a giant shoe box next to the shiny curved dome of the mosque with two towering minarets.
  31. minaret
    a slender tower with balconies, especially on a mosque
    It looks like a giant shoe box next to the shiny curved dome of the mosque with two towering minarets.
  32. jostle
    come into rough contact with while moving
    I climb the narrow stairway back to my classroom, trying to avoid getting jostled.
  33. plush
    characterized by extravagance and softness
    Rabiya has saved me a spot on the plush green carpet next to her.
  34. plaque
    a tablet that commemorates a person or achievement
    In the hush of the prayer hall, with its crystal chandelier, gold trim, and big plaques with Arabic calligraphy decorating the walls, a familiar calm washes over me.
  35. calligraphy
    beautiful handwriting
    In the hush of the prayer hall, with its crystal chandelier, gold trim, and big plaques with Arabic calligraphy decorating the walls, a familiar calm washes over me.
Created on Thu Feb 08 16:43:47 EST 2018 (updated Thu Feb 08 16:58:45 EST 2018)

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