Lucky Broken Girl: Parts IV and V

by Ruth Behar
Recent immigrants from Cuba, Ruthie and her family are just learning to adjust to life in New York City when Ruthie is severely injured in a car accident. This novel, based in part on the author's childhood experiences, won the 2018 Pura Belpré Award.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Parts I and II, Part III, Parts IV and V
40 words 89 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. hibernation
    cessation from or slowing of activity during the winter
    I remember what Chicho taught me about perspective and all of a sudden the winter seems beautiful to me, a time of hibernation and waiting, just like I’ve been hibernating and waiting.
  2. glum
    moody and sorrowful
    After we get back upstairs, the glum ambulance men drop me in my bed like a sack of potatoes.
  3. lame
    a fabric interwoven with threads of metal
    I select her gold lamé sandals, which have a thick platform sole and an ankle strap.
  4. profession
    an occupation requiring special education
    “An artist? That’s not a good profession for a nice girl,” he says, frowning.
  5. inspiring
    stimulating or exalting to the spirit
    And then I say, “Baba, you have to keep telling me stories, so I’ll have inspiring things to write about.”
  6. custom
    a specific practice of long standing
    As we count down to the new day, we follow the Cuban custom of gulping down thirteen grapes as quickly as we can.
  7. concoction
    any foodstuff made by combining different ingredients
    How delicious it is, this concoction of milk and eggs and burned sugar.
  8. sentimental
    marked by tender, romantic, or nostalgic emotion
    “Kid, listen, don’t get sentimental on us,” Bobbie says.
  9. beret
    a soft cap with no brim or bill
    She wears a light blue coat and a black beret.
  10. crusty
    having a hardened outer part as a covering
    But the shell is inside me now and it’s grown hard and crusty.
  11. invalid
    someone who is incapacitated by a chronic illness or injury
    “You can be an invalid for the rest of your life. Is that what you want, child?”
  12. intently
    with strained or eager attention
    He looks at me intently, waiting for my answer.
  13. console
    give moral or emotional strength to
    I want to give Chicho something to console him and I remember the embroidered handkerchief from Cuba that Mami let me keep.
  14. momentum
    an impelling force or strength
    “That’s it. Crutches, and then leg. Keep up the momentum. Breathe, girl, breathe. You’re not diving underwater.”
  15. crutch
    a staff that fits under the armpit and supports body weight
    At the top of the landing, she says, “You’re going to lower one crutch down to the step below, slowly, and follow with the other crutch. Steady yourself. Then lower your left foot and let the right leg follow. That’s all there is to it.”
  16. dread
    be afraid or scared of
    I dread it, but I follow her into the elevator and we go down one flight, to the fifth floor.
  17. vertigo
    a reeling sensation; a feeling that you are about to fall
    “Listen to me, girl. You can go down the stairs. I’m going to show you how. I was so upset the other day I wasn’t thinking clearly. I think your problem is vertigo. And we can take care of that. Come on, girl, please. Get up for just a moment.”
  18. descent
    the act of changing your location in a downward direction
    I start my descent, crutches, then foot, crutches, then foot, crutches, then foot.
  19. exception
    an instance that does not conform to a rule
    “You’ve eaten too many, but since it’s Ruthie’s first time, I will make an exception. But only for today!”
  20. frothy
    emitting or filled with bubbles
    She mixes up frothy shakes out of cantaloupe.
  21. exasperated
    greatly annoyed; out of patience
    “Okay, Mami, I’ll try,” I say, starting to feel a little exasperated.
  22. nymph
    a minor nature goddess depicted as a beautiful maiden
    I just read the story of the god Apollo and the nymph Daphne.
  23. laurel
    a small aromatic tree with shiny dark green leaves
    Her father heard her cries, and as she ran from Apollo, she suddenly felt thick and heavy, her hair turned to leaves and her arms to branches, and then her legs turned into a tree trunk and her feet into roots. She became a laurel tree.
  24. iridescent
    varying in color when seen in different lights
    With my glasses, I see cracks lining sidewalks, the petals on dandelions, the iridescent mother-of-pearl buttons on Danielle’s blouse, and all the words and sentences and math problems that Mrs. Margolis writes on the blackboard.
  25. sleek
    designed to offer the least resistance while moving through air
    And she’s graceful, like a greyhound, so I draw her face and dark eyes but give her the body of that dog with long sleek legs.
  26. nimble
    moving quickly and lightly
    I hop over to greet Amara, proud of how nimbly I amble about on my crutches.
  27. amble
    walk leisurely
    I hop over to greet Amara, proud of how nimbly I amble about on my crutches.
  28. transition
    make or undergo a change
    “Okay, you’re done with that. Time to transition to just one crutch.”
  29. wean
    detach the affections of
    “You’ll get too used to the crutch and it will be harder to wean you off of it. Let me see...Here, I have an idea.”
  30. tango
    music written in duple time for Latin-American dancing
    “The tango is music for those who are sad. The tango is music to help you cry. So you can let go of your sadness. Then you can be happy again.”
  31. gait
    a person's manner of walking
    “I need to observe your gait.”
  32. reincarnation
    the doctrine that a person may be reborn successively
    Here in India we believe in reincarnation.
  33. chum
    a close friend
    If you have a little time and feel like writing to an old school chum, send me a letter, please.
  34. prosthesis
    a device that replaces a missing part of the body
    There is the soldier who lost a leg and is learning to walk with a prosthesis.
  35. wistfully
    in a pensively sad manner
    She looks away wistfully for a moment as if she were reliving those days.
  36. humble
    low or inferior in station or quality
    Now the lawn is green again and full of humble yellow dandelions.
  37. bound
    move forward by leaping
    I recall the girl who could do this so easily, who could bound her way down the board feeling confident that her legs would hold her up.
  38. metamorphosis
    striking change in appearance or character or circumstances
    “Danielle, I’m a different Ruthie now. I’ve been through a metamorphosis. Now I am a girl who reads books and makes pictures. I like to be still. I like quiet. I can’t go back anymore and be the old Ruthie. That Ruthie is gone forever.”
  39. chic
    elegant and stylish
    “I think they fit you perfectly, Ruthie. You look very nice, very chic! They go well with your glasses and your books! Why don’t you walk in them and see how they feel?”
  40. accustomed
    in the habit of or adapted to
    I step forward first with my left leg, my good leg, as I’m accustomed to doing.
Created on Tue Jun 26 15:34:36 EDT 2018 (updated Tue Jun 26 16:50:36 EDT 2018)

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