Between Shades of Gray: Chapters 1-13

by Ruta Sepetys
During World War II, a Lithuanian girl named Lina is detained by Soviet soldiers and taken to a work camp in Siberia, where she must fight to survive.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1-13, Chapters 14-28, Chapters 29-44, Chapters 45-62, Chapter 63-Epilogue
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. foyer
    a large entrance or reception room or area
    Loud voices thundered from the foyer.
  2. derogatory
    expressive of low opinion
    When I complained at the dinner table, Papa yelled at me and told me to never, ever say anything derogatory about the Soviets.
  3. affix
    attach to
    Mother looked in the foyer mirror to affix her loose curls and put on her hat.
  4. scoff
    laugh at with contempt and derision
    “Bourgeois pigs, always wasting time. You won’t need that hat,” he scoffed.
  5. divert
    turn aside; turn away from
    “I have to use the bathroom,” I announced, trying to divert the attention from my mother and the coat.
  6. wiry
    lean but strong
    I also saw a tall, wiry woman with a pointy nose looking at Jonas.
  7. spinster
    an elderly unmarried woman
    She was a spinster teacher from school, one of the strict ones.
  8. writhe
    move in a twisting or contorted motion
    They opened the back gate, and I saw the man writhing in pain on the ground.
  9. mangle
    destroy or injure severely
    They lifted him up and hurled his crumpled body back into the truck. One of his legs looked mangled.
  10. dignity
    the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect
    “Foolish woman. Don’t you realize this is just the beginning? We have a chance now to die with dignity.”
  11. provost
    a high-ranking university administrator
    “You are the wife of Kostas Vilkas, provost at the university?” asked a man in a suit sitting down from us.
  12. wring
    twist and compress, as if in pain or anguish
    Mother nodded, wringing her hands.
  13. annexation
    the act of acquiring something by conquest or occupation
    “What do I think of the Soviets’ annexation?” I paused, avoiding eye contact with my father. “I think Josef Stalin is a bully. I think we should push his troops out of Lithuania. They shouldn’t be allowed to come and take what they please and—”
  14. headstrong
    habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition
    “Don’t encourage her, Vladas. The girl is so headstrong, it scares me to death,” said Papa.
  15. partisan
    a fervent and even militant proponent of something
    “Well,” replied the journalist, “now we see how she takes after her father, don’t we? You’ve raised a real partisan, Kostas.”
  16. surly
    unfriendly and inclined toward anger or irritation
    “Saw him on his way to the grave then,” said the surly bald man.
  17. swaddle
    wrap very tightly in cloth, as a baby
    Another officer walked out, carrying a swaddled bundle.
  18. lurch
    move abruptly
    The truck lurched forward.
  19. celluloid
    flammable substance used in motion-picture and X-ray film
    Images, like celluloid frames, rolled through my mind.
  20. palpable
    capable of being perceived
    We reached the train platform. The chaos was palpable. Families were being separated.
  21. crotchety
    having a difficult and contrary disposition
    They were taking Jonas. My beautiful, sweet brother who shooed bugs out of the house instead of stepping on them, who gave his little ruler to splint a crotchety old man’s leg.
  22. flail
    thrash about
    “Mama! Lina!” he cried, flailing his arms.
  23. wrack
    smash or break forcefully
    His body began to vibrate as sobs wracked his shoulders.
  24. pendant
    an adornment that hangs from a piece of jewelry
    Her hand flew up and ripped the amber pendant right from her neck and pressed it into the NKVD s hand.
  25. throng
    press tightly together or cram
    Masses of Lithuanians thronged toward them with their belongings.
  26. maneuver
    direct the course of or determine the direction of traveling
    Mother maneuvered us through the crowd, pushing and pulling our shoulders.
  27. pandemonium
    a state of extreme confusion and disorder
    I looked around the train platform, which was now in complete pandemonium.
  28. cringe
    draw back, as with fear, pain, or embarrassment
    We all cringed with each gunshot or scream.
  29. speculate
    believe, especially on uncertain or tentative grounds
    Papa said scientists speculated that from the moon, the earth looked blue.
  30. bludgeon
    strike with a club
    “In the car,” I said, happy yet horrified to see my father’s bludgeoned face.
  31. ashen
    pale from illness or emotion
    Mother’s face was ashen. She did a poor job of hiding her fear this time. Her hands trembled and she was nearly panting. “You could have been killed!”
  32. subside
    wear off or die down
    Mother’s crying subsided. I held out the piece of ham again.
  33. cassock
    a black garment reaching down to the ankles
    Two Soviets pulled a priest down the platform. His hands were bound and his cassock was dirty.
  34. deport
    expel from a country
    “See, like him,” I whispered. “He’s not a teacher. He’s a stamp collector and he’s being deported,” I said.
  35. subtlety
    a fine difference in meaning, opinion, or attitude
    It was a charcoal portrait of a young man. The corners of his lips turned up, yet despite his smile, the pain on his face made my eyes well with tears. The subtleties within his hair blended so softly, yet created strong variation.
Created on Tue Mar 27 19:04:49 EDT 2018 (updated Thu Mar 29 13:30:05 EDT 2018)

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