"One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia, List 7

In the summer of 1968, three sisters travel to California to visit their estranged mother. While there, they learn about the fight for equality and civil rights.

This list covers "Civic Pride"–"Eating Crow."

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5, List 6, List 7, List 8, List 9, List 10

Here are links to our lists for other other books by Rita Williams-Garcia: P.S. Be Eleven, Gone Crazy in Alabama, Clayton Byrd Goes Underground
29 words 28 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. civic
    of or relating to or befitting citizens as individuals
    He hadn’t called Papa “Mr. Gaither, sir,” or “citizen” like the helpful police officer in our civic-pride film.
  2. community
    a group of people living in a particular local area
    We watched the same film about the firemen, policemen, and mayor, who kept our community safe and orderly.
  3. narrator
    someone who tells a story
    The film’s narrator reminded every boy—from Ellis Carter to the Jameses, the Anthonys, and every other pants wearer—that they too could grow up to be guardians of our community.
  4. prefer
    select as an alternative over another
    Sister Mukumbu used the word "policeman," while Crazy Kelvin, who filled in for Sister Pat, preferred to say “the racist pig.”
  5. arrest
    take into custody
    “My man, Hirohito, who knocked down your door and arrested your father?”
  6. hem
    the edge of a piece of cloth
    Fern tugged the hem of my top.
  7. political
    relating to views about social relationships involving power
    Hirohito’s father was what Sister Mukumbu called a “freedom fighter” and a “political prisoner.”
  8. hinge
    a joint that holds two parts together so that one can swing
    To have your front door blown off its hinges and the police rush in.
  9. license
    a legal document giving official permission to do something
    Papa had rolled down his window and shown the state policeman his license and said he was driving his girls down to see their grandma in Alabama.
  10. ambush
    hunt by stalking and attacking by surprise
    The newspaper had said how the police ambushed the Black Panthers while they were in a car and how the Panthers fled inside a house for shelter.
  11. shelter
    a structure that provides privacy and protection from danger
    The newspaper had said how the police ambushed the Black Panthers while they were in a car and how the Panthers fled inside a house for shelter.
  12. surrender
    a verbal act of admitting defeat
    That when Little Bobby came outside to surrender, and took off all his clothes except for his underwear to show he had no gun, they shot him anyway.
  13. smother
    envelop completely
    Her house might not have been smothered with love.
  14. rally
    a large gathering of people intended to arouse enthusiasm
    She said we would be attending a rally two Saturdays from today.
  15. honor
    show respect towards
    She said she would speak to me later and continued talking about the rally and honoring Bobby Hutton and freeing Huey.
  16. display
    make visible or apparent
    Or if anyone has a special talent to display, you can do that too.
  17. sway
    influence a person or outcome
    "Talent to display” was enough to sway Vonetta and Fern.
  18. occasion
    a vaguely specified social event
    Any occasion, even a riot in the making, would have been good enough to perform at.
  19. resist
    withstand the force of something
    She sings like a bird, is cute, and, like Vonetta, cannot resist the lure of applause and attention.
  20. lure
    anything that serves as an enticement
    She sings like a bird, is cute, and, like Vonetta, cannot resist the lure of applause and attention.
  21. vain
    having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
    I don’t have anything to be vain about.
  22. huddle
    crowd or draw together
    The Ankton girls huddled to talk about what they would do for their special talent.
  23. common sense
    sound practical judgment
    I had no hope of reeling either back to their good common sense.
  24. longing
    prolonged unfulfilled desire or need
    They insisted on letting the world in on their longing for a mother who wouldn’t cook a meal for them.
  25. spoilsport
    someone who ruins the pleasure of others
    Vonetta sang, “Spoilsport. Worrywart.” Then Fern joined her.
  26. participate
    be involved in
    Why don’t you want to participate in the rally?
  27. unity
    the quality of being fused into one
    Sister Mukumbu said, “We look out for each other. The rally is one way of looking out for all of our sisters. All of our brothers. Unity, Sister Delphine. We have to stand united.”
  28. genuinely
    in accordance with truth or fact or reality
    I was genuinely afraid.
  29. calisthenics
    light exercises designed to promote general fitness
    Later, after Sister Pat led us through calisthenics in the yard, Eunice came over and sat with me.
Created on Tue Mar 05 12:29:51 EST 2013 (updated Thu Feb 28 09:03:23 EST 2019)

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