Out of Darkness: December 1936–January 1937

by Ashley Hope Pérez
In this novel, a romance between a Mexican-American girl and an African-American boy in a segregated Texas town is set against the backdrop of a real historical event: the New London School explosion, which killed around 300 people in 1937.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Prologue–September 1936, October 1936–November 1936, December 1936–January 1937, February 1937–March 1937, After–Epilogue
35 words 46 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. porter
    a person employed to carry luggage and supplies
    He got a few issues of the Chicago Defender every month or so from his cousin Lewis, who sometimes worked as a porter on trains from Chicago to Dallas and was something of a radical.
  2. radical
    a person who has revolutionary ideas or opinions
    He got a few issues of the Chicago Defender every month or so from his cousin Lewis, who sometimes worked as a porter on trains from Chicago to Dallas and was something of a radical.
  3. retract
    formally reject or disavow
    “Retract your statement,” Jim said.
  4. revulsion
    intense aversion
    Forcing down her revulsion, she picked up the handkerchiefs with her cleaning rag and dropped them into the laundry basket in the hall.
  5. tinge
    affect as in thought or feeling
    She couldn’t be sure, but Naomi thought that her mother’s expression was already tinged with regret.
  6. inexplicable
    incapable of being explained or accounted for
    Inexplicably, Wash began to smile, and his smile frightened her. She knew how fast charm could turn cruel.
  7. plausible
    apparently reasonable, valid, or truthful
    “Maybe I shouldn’t have been there by your house, but I was, I was...” Naomi cast about for a plausible explanation. “I was looking for the twins, and what do I see?”
  8. shaft
    a column of light
    She lifted her hand into a shaft of light that illuminated Wash’s face, then she laid it on his cheek.
  9. buffer
    a neutral zone between two rival powers
    Naomi couldn’t say anything when she walked past; they didn’t have the twins as a buffer or an excuse.
  10. billow
    rise up as if in waves
    A heavy silence billowed through the car.
  11. pry
    be nosey
    “Cari,” she whispered, gripping her sister’s arm, “you know better than to pry.”
  12. crude
    conspicuously and tastelessly indecent
    Suddenly the game she had planned seemed crude, not sweet and playful as she’d imagined it.
  13. extravagant
    recklessly wasteful
    She thought about saving some of the yellow fabric to make an Easter dress for Cari, but Cari said she absolutely did not want to match. And so Naomi gave herself permission to be extravagant with the cloth.
  14. intently
    with strained or eager attention
    She stared intently at her marshmallow, holding it outside the lower flames to avoid blackening it.
  15. gruff
    deep and harsh sounding as if from shouting or emotion
    “They’re voting with their absence,” came a gruff voice. “Cowardly. Or ‘diplomatic’ if you want a four-dollar word for it.”
  16. diplomatic
    marked by tact in dealing with sensitive matters or people
    “They’re voting with their absence,” came a gruff voice. “Cowardly. Or ‘diplomatic’ if you want a four-dollar word for it.”
  17. tumbler
    a glass with a flat bottom but no handle or stem
    The owner of the voice navigated his bulk through the doorway and jostled past Mr. Crane onto the porch, a tumbler in hand.
  18. uppity
    arrogant or self-important
    The rest of my esteemed colleagues, they’d rather ignore you till you give up than call you an uppity son...
  19. simper
    smile in an insincere, unnatural, or coy way
    He couldn’t simper around these fools and still be what he was becoming for Naomi.
  20. brazen
    not held back by conventional ideas of behavior
    “You are mighty brazen, boy,” Gibbler said. He jerked his head left and then right and grinned at the cracking sound his neck made. “You want to be a high-tone colored, huh?”
  21. vouch
    give personal assurance; guarantee
    “One thing’s for sure, give him tools, and this young man can fix up anything you can find and build anything you can think of. I can vouch for that.”
  22. jowl
    a looseness of the flesh of the lower cheek and jaw
    The long jowls of his face jiggled.
  23. browbeat
    discourage or frighten with threats or a domineering manner
    Nights after school board meetings, she was condemned to sip iced tea alone on Mr. Crane’s porch while her father browbeat the old superintendent inside and drank up his bourbon.
  24. frilly
    having decorative ruffles or similar ornamentation
    And that was how Naomi ended up wearing her mother’s frilly red dress.
  25. appalled
    struck with dread, shock, or dismay
    Abuelita would be appalled, but Naomi just smiled.
  26. drawl
    a slow speech pattern with prolonged vowels
    Henry raised an eyebrow. “Havin’ trouble following you, darlin’,” he drawled.
  27. transitory
    lasting a very short time
    The oil field was his escape. It was a transitory life, so nobody knew him.
  28. solace
    comfort offered to one who is disappointed or miserable
    He took solace in the fact that others, if they ever heard of the wretched accidents, might well assume that it was some other Henry Smith standing by when disaster struck.
  29. righteousness
    the quality of adhering to moral principles
    “That dead man is a reminder! We cannot delay in putting things right with our Savior. We have to choose a path of righteousness. Do you hear, Henry? You’re a new man in the Lord!”
  30. sanctify
    make pure or free from sin or guilt
    “Repent and seek sanctification. Pursue the path where you can make things right.” Pastor Tom thumped a hairy hand against his Bible.
  31. beeline
    the most direct route
    After school, she left the twins helping Miss Bell and made a beeline for the tree.
  32. stagger
    astound or overwhelm, as with shock
    The thought of the day ahead staggered and exhausted her.
  33. considerable
    large in number, amount, extent, or degree
    “I’d say the scenery just improved considerably.”
  34. lull
    make calm or still
    She let his gentleness and the quiet familiarity of the tree lull her to sleep.
  35. muslin
    plain-woven cotton fabric
    For the last little shirt she was making for Muff’s baby, she’d cut a bit of muslin out in the traditional Mexican style.
Created on Wed Dec 05 12:31:24 EST 2018 (updated Tue Dec 11 13:05:14 EST 2018)

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