Like Vanessa: A Long Way from Our World–Much, Much Too Late

by Tami Charles
Inspired by the first black woman to be crowned Miss America, thirteen-year-old Vanessa enters a local beauty pageant in the hopes of transforming her life.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Fifty Stinkin’ Years–Goin’ Up Yonder, Pray Myself Invisible–Baby Steps, Girlfriend, Rise of the Undead–Junito Shatters the Earth, A Long Way from Our World–Much, Much Too Late, Me and My Stupid Miss America Dreams–I Remember
40 words 14 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. fiasco
    a complete failure or collapse
    It’s enough to take my mind away from the fiasco with TJ the other day.
  2. doom
    make certain of the failure or destruction of
    Today Stephanie Bowles is the target. Poor thing was doomed the second she put on those corduroy high-waters and no-name sneakers.
  3. cashmere
    a soft fabric made from goat's wool
    Her burgundy lip gloss matches her wine-colored cashmere sweater dress.
  4. prim
    exaggeratedly proper
    “See you tryin’a talk all prim and proper,” she whispers, lifting her nose up as she moves down the line.
  5. gracious
    characterized by kindness and warm courtesy
    One by one, Miss New Jersey greets the rest of the contestants, so gracious, poised, and well spoken.
  6. regal
    belonging to or befitting a supreme ruler
    Everything about Miss New Jersey is regal, but not in a conceited, uppity, stank way.
  7. conceited
    having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
    Everything about Miss New Jersey is regal, but not in a conceited, uppity, stank way.
  8. uppity
    arrogant or self-important
    Everything about Miss New Jersey is regal, but not in a conceited, uppity, stank way.
  9. memorabilia
    objects that are valued because of their link to historical events or a particular interest
    We spend the next few hours being shown all the Miss America memorabilia.
  10. flapper
    an unconventional young woman in the 1920s
    It’s funny to see how the styles have changed from the 1920s to now. The flapper dresses the contestants wore back then were wack like that!
  11. decorum
    propriety in manners and conduct
    Mrs. Walton stops short, turns around, and cuts Beatriz the most hateful look. “Decorum, Miss Mendez.”
    But Beatriz can’t help being loud. “What in the world is a decorum? Some kind of decoration or something?” Her voice echoes against the glass.
  12. shenanigan
    reckless or malicious behavior that causes annoyance
    I pretend I dropped my hair tie and start looking on the floor so Mrs. Walton won’t think I’m part of Beatriz’s shenanigans, funny as she is.
  13. lag
    hang or fall in movement, progress, development, etc.
    Stephanie’s lagging behind, not because she doesn’t want to get in but because she is literally putting on every piece of swim gear imaginable.
  14. lunge
    make a thrusting forward movement
    My body lunges forward. Cold. Wet. Sinking. The floor disappears beneath me.
  15. hoist
    raise or haul up with or as if with mechanical help
    The teachers hoist me out of the pool while Julicza covers me with towels.
  16. mousy
    quiet, timid, and ineffectual
    “I wanna do the pageant too,” Stephanie’s mousy voice chimes in on the conversation.
  17. rant
    talk at length in a noisy, excited, or angry manner
    I smile as the girls continue to rant and rave about our day here at the shore, a long way from Grafton Hill—our ’hood, our world.
  18. scour
    examine minutely
    I scour the aisles, looking for something reasonable, but everything is so dang expensive.
  19. rancid
    having an offensive smell or taste
    The rancid smell fills the room, and Mama’s lips get real tight.
  20. dismal
    causing dejection
    That dismal face of hers turns cherry red, and spit starts flying outta her mouth as she screams, “Girl, I just gave you a bath!”
  21. scald
    burn with a hot liquid or steam
    My other senses are working overtime. I can taste metal in my mouth. Smells bad, like flesh rotting in the desert sun. Feels scalding hot, heat seeping through my nose, torching up my insides something bad.
  22. stifling
    characterized by oppressive heat and humidity
    In and out, in and out, my lungs gasp in the stifling heat of my room, life flowing through me.
  23. wring
    twist, squeeze, or compress in order to extract liquid
    My insides are pulsing like someone took my intestines and wrung them out like a mop.
  24. figment
    a contrived or fantastic idea
    Pretend that everything that I’m going through is nothing more than a figment of my imagination.
  25. slack
    avoid responsibilities and work, be idle
    I’ve slacked off during the past week because of all the homework, the pageant practices, and the trip to Atlantic City.
  26. hurl
    throw forcefully
    A woman is bent over, hurling her whites into the dryer.
  27. accessory
    an article worn to complement one's main clothing
    My interview outfit is freshly pressed, and all the matching accessories are packaged with it.
  28. contour
    form the outlines of
    TJ’s been teaching me all the latest makeup tricks: how to contour my cheekbones before applying blush, how to moisturize my face before adding foundation, and the best way to line my lips before applying lip gloss.
  29. ricochet
    spring back; spring away from an impact
    “What in the hell do you have on your face? And what are you wearing?” His voice is so loud, it ricochets from both walls and explodes in my ears.
  30. defy
    resist or confront with resistance
    “I told you a long time ago that you were not allowed to try out for that damn pageant. And after all this time, I find out the truth. That you’ve been sneaking behind my back for months. Without my permission! You defied me!”
  31. dandy
    very good
    I’m doing just dandy other than the fact that my father has ruined my life.
  32. ignorant
    uneducated in general; lacking knowledge or sophistication
    “Because he’s ignorant. Because he wants to keep me trapped here. Because he feels that something like a pageant could open me up to the possibility of a world outside this place. So I won’t leave...like Mama did.”
  33. hypothermia
    subnormal body temperature
    When the bus arrives, I breathe a sigh of relief ’cause if I swallow one more drop of frozen air, my vocal cords might go into a state of hypothermia.
  34. garland
    a circular band of flowers or other foliage
    The streets are lined with tall trees dressed in Christmas garlands.
  35. demeanor
    the way a person behaves toward other people
    LaToya looks at the picture, looks at me, and then at the picture again. That’s when her whole demeanor changes as she steps out of her glass-enclosed booth.
  36. valid
    still legally acceptable
    Visitors also have to be at least eighteen years old with a valid state-issued ID or be accompanied by someone fitting that description.
  37. frail
    physically weak
    LaToya reaches for Mama’s frail hand and pulls her forward so she’s standing just inches from my face.
  38. cower
    show submission or fear
    I tower over her weak frame, and I place Darlene behind me. She cowers to my largeness, taking two steps back.
  39. suppress
    put out of one's consciousness
    That nightmare. It was real. The memories, the dreams, all the night terrors blast back into my mind. For nine years, I suppressed it all. Tried to forget.
  40. insecurity
    the anxiety experienced when feeling vulnerable
    This whole time I thought Daddy was the monster. That he was the one who created all of these lies, all of the fears and the insecurities.
Created on Mon Jul 09 20:31:49 EDT 2018 (updated Tue Jul 17 14:10:12 EDT 2018)

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