Swing: Part 5–Epilogue

by Kwame Alexander
Best friends Noah and Walt bond over their shared love of baseball and appreciation for jazz. With the help of some vintage love letters (and some intervention from Walt), Noah tries to express his true feelings for his long-time crush, Sam. But as Walt and Noah attempt to "find cool," division and prejudice within their community cause their lives to take an unexpected turn.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Prologue–Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5–Epilogue

Here are links to our lists for other books by Kwame Alexander: The Crossover, Booked, Solo, Rebound
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. cummerbund
    a broad pleated sash worn at the waist with a tuxedo
    Hey, you like the tux? he asks, unzipping the garment bag he's carrying.
    It’s fire.

    Black pants, white jacket, red cummerbund.
  2. wallow
    devote oneself entirely to something
    That instead
    of wallowing
    in despair,
    which is what
    I’d really like
    to do,
    I've got to act
    like I'm ecstatic
  3. ecstatic
    feeling great rapture or delight
    That instead
    of wallowing
    in despair,
    which is what
    I’d really like
    to do,
    I've got to act
    like I'm ecstatic
  4. counter
    speak in response
    Am I getting another car? I say sarcastically, hugging him.

    Nope, Mom counters, but where is my vintage brass Asian elephant?
  5. coveted
    greatly desired
    I don't snitch on Granny, but I'm so troubled, I don't deny that Mom's coveted elephant from Thailand is missing its tusks, and that I hid the elephant away because Moses knocked it over...
  6. taunt
    harass with persistent criticism or carping
    The sax, trumpet,
    piano, and drums
    taunt me,
    haunt me,
    scream at me.
  7. outlook
    belief about the future
    The outlook is dismal for Walt Disney Jones today:
    two strikes and three balls, I doubt he makes the play.
  8. sneer
    a facial expression of contempt or scorn
    “Strike one!” the umpire roars.
    With a sneer, Walt assures he’s got something in store.
  9. cocky
    overly self-confident or self-assertive
    The smile is gone from Walt’s lip;
    upon his cocky shoulder, a chip.
  10. stride
    significant progress
    I’ve hit my stride.
    Oh, really? How’s that?
  11. arrogant
    having or showing feelings of unwarranted importance
    We must have perseverance and be arrogant in our self-love.
  12. attain
    gain with effort
    We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.
  13. appalling
    causing shock, dismay, or horror
    ...he says
    my car is appallingly
    filthy
  14. institution
    an establishment where an organization is situated
    That's where I need to be. Right
    in the middle of an institution
    that reeks of social justice and progress.
  15. reek
    have an element suggestive of something
    That's where I need to be. Right
    in the middle of an institution
    that reeks of social justice and progress.
  16. mutual
    common to or shared by two or more parties
    Yep, just don't tell Walt that you broke up with me. Tell him it was mutual. I gotta protect my street cred.
  17. suspect
    not as expected
    That sounds real suspect.
  18. ephemera
    something transitory or not of lasting significance
    But the best
    part of my week
    is taking
    the fifty dollars
    Mom gave me
    to the thrift store,
    to buy a couple
    Coltrane albums,
    ephemera of all kinds
  19. posture
    behave affectedly or unnaturally in order to impress others
    Everyone's either
    smiling or smirking,
    twirling or twerking,
    posing or posturing,
    kissing or wanting.
  20. solitaire
    a card game played by one person
    And I'm here
    playing solitaire.
  21. drench
    cover with liquid; pour liquid onto
    We danced all night, drenched in sweat and passion, then went outside to cool off.
  22. fatigues
    military uniform worn by personnel when doing menial labor
    Next to a park
    on a baseball field,
    swinging a bat
    at an imaginary ball,
    and surrounded by
    flags staked
    in the ground
    like a shield,
    is a guy
    in army fatigues
    screaming
    “The Star-Spangled Banner!”
  23. stake
    tie or fasten to a pole
    Next to a park
    on a baseball field,
    swinging a bat
    at an imaginary ball,
    and surrounded by
    flags staked
    in the ground
    like a shield,
    is a guy
    in army fatigues
    screaming
    “The Star-Spangled Banner!”
  24. checkered
    patterned with alternating squares of color
    I sit
    in the police station
    staring at a checkered wall,
    each block
    a different memory.
  25. suspended
    supported or kept from sinking or falling by buoyancy
    The bat falling
    from Walt’s hands,
    suspended
    for too long.
  26. interrogation
    formal systematic questioning
    Interrogation
    I sit
    with my dad
    until it’s almost daylight,
    answering questions
  27. mourning
    state of sorrow over the death or departure of a loved one
    Dad wants to
    take me home
    to shower
    to eat
    to not remember
    the sorrow,
    to begin
    to climb
    the volcano
    of mourning, but
    there is only one place
    I want to go.
  28. muted
    being or made softer or less loud or clear
    I walk in,
    see tubes.
    Lots of them.
    A muted television.
  29. tributary
    a branch that flows into the main stream
    My tributaries are in a mad rush, yo, he says, each word sounding fainter. They can't stop the bleeding inside.
  30. hearty
    showing warm and sincere friendliness
    Now’s not the time to joke, Noah, he says, and then squeezes
    my hand tight,
    and laughs heartily
    like it’s his last time
    doing it.
Created on Tue Nov 06 14:13:51 EST 2018 (updated Wed May 01 11:23:48 EDT 2019)

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