The Rock and the River: Chapters 12–21

by Kekla Magoon
Growing up in Chicago in the 1960s, Sam is a witness to both racism and the growing Civil Rights Movement. But when his father and brother embrace conflicting tactics for confronting prejudice and violence in their community, Sam must figure out where his loyalties lie.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–2, Chapters 3–6, Chapters 7–11, Chapters 12–21

Here are links to our lists for other books by Kekla Magoon: The Season of Styx Malone, X: A Novel
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. turnout
    attendance for a particular event or purpose
    The morning of the demonstration the sky dawned pale blue, with easy rolling clouds. Father was rather cheerful as he looked out the front window at the perfect weather. "Should be a good turnout today,” he said.
  2. falter
    be or become weak, unsteady, or uncertain
    The crowd’s chanting faltered then stopped altogether as people turned to stare.
  3. frenzied
    excessively agitated
    The crowd grew frenzied as the prison vans pulled up alongside the protesters.
  4. burly
    muscular and heavily built
    A burly white man in a union jacket charged through a line of people, fists flying.
  5. union
    an employee organization that bargains with an employer
    A burly white man in a union jacket charged through a line of people, fists flying.
  6. reel
    walk as if unable to control one's movements
    Stick intercepted him with a shoulder bump that sent the man reeling a few steps back.
  7. jostle
    come into rough contact with while moving
    The crowd jostled and pushed me off course.
  8. pungent
    having a sharp, biting, or caustic quality
    The man holding Stick stared at me with pungent hatred in his eyes.
  9. hypocrisy
    pretending to have qualities or beliefs that you do not have
    “Some of the whites who are supposedly on our side only stay there as long as our freedom doesn’t interfere with their superiority. The hypocrisy is so deep, we can’t even see it most of the time. And they never will see it.”
  10. sheen
    the visual property of something that shines
    His eyes flashed with a sheen of anger that frightened me more than a little.
  11. reverberate
    ring or echo with sound
    The door closed with a thud, leaving us alone amid the sound reverberating off the concrete walls.
  12. discernable
    able to be perceived by the senses or intellect
    Father’s voice shook with conviction that was discernable even through the television’s fuzzy speakers. "We must come together at one table—the table of brotherhood, to use Dr. King’s words—we must come together and hear each other out so that true justice and equality may—”
  13. drone
    talk in a monotonous voice
    Then the picture broke away and returned to a sound stage, where a reporter began droning.
  14. vigil
    a purposeful surveillance to guard or observe
    The vigil keepers had gone home, the only evidence of their presence was a few wax-stained signs strewn across the pavement.
  15. ashen
    pale from illness or emotion
    "I think I do,” I said, looking into Father’s ashen face. "That’s what this is about.”
  16. monologue
    a long utterance by one person
    Father and I sat quietly the whole way, listening to Mama chatter on about anything she could think of. As we pulled into the driveway, she finally ceased her endless monologue.
  17. retort
    a quick reply to a question or remark
    His eyes flashed and I expected him to utter a crashing retort.
  18. whim
    a sudden desire
    Stick sort of chuckled. A strange sound, coming from him, and not very funny. “One PE class and now you’re an expert? This is a commitment, not a whim.”
  19. acquit
    pronounce not guilty of criminal charges
    “Bucky’s life is on the line. Father will move any mountain he can in order to get him acquitted. Don’t accuse him of being anything less than committed.”
  20. mainstream
    the prevailing current of thought
    When he finally spoke, he raised intense and weary eyes to face me. “It’s the Panthers’ ideas that people fear most, not our guns. We’re telling blacks that we can fix some of our problems ourselves, that we don’t have to wait to be accepted into the white mainstream to have our day come.”
  21. captivated
    filled with wonder and delight
    As Stick went on, I let myself be captivated by his words, swept into his vision of the movement.
  22. bailiff
    officer of the court employed to execute writs and processes
    The bailiff stuck his head through the door and called out, “Miss Maxie Brown?”
  23. jubilant
    full of high-spirited delight
    We stopped the frantic celebrating, but everyone was jubilant.
  24. transpire
    come about, happen, or occur
    Everything became still.
    The air.
    My body.
    The entire world around me. The horror transpiring in front of me, suspended for one disbelieving instant.
  25. void
    an empty area or space
    My stomach churned. I welcomed the feeling, let it fill the void in me.
  26. smolder
    have strong suppressed feelings
    His eyes smoldered. "I haven’t even begun.”
  27. reciprocal
    concerning each of two or more persons or things
    I lost my sense of time, just standing in the dark. Reliving the events that had led me to this place. The red wetness in Stick’s palm. The sound of my own screams. The hate in the cop’s eyes, the reciprocal hate blossoming within myself.
  28. leer
    a facial expression of contempt or scorn
    At the foot of my bed, the block tower loomed, jagged and leering.
  29. cascade
    a sudden downpour likened to a rain shower
    I leaped across the room, throwing my body into the tower, thrashing my arms and legs until it was nothing but a cascade of blocks upon the floor.
  30. compose
    make calm or quiet
    The car had stopped, but we sat waiting for Mama to compose herself a little so we could walk to the graveside.
  31. cower
    show submission or fear
    “We’re already in real trouble,” Raheem said. “They come after us, we go after them. How many times have you said it? It’s time for the world to know that we’re not gonna cower in fear when they put a gun to our heads, because we’ve got one pointing back at them!”
  32. eulogy
    a formal expression of praise for someone who has died
    Father and Mama put their arms around each other as Reverend Downe began his eulogy for Stick.
  33. decisive
    characterized by resoluteness and firmness
    Raheem patted my shoulder then withdrew his arm, his jaw set at a decisive angle.
  34. smattering
    a small number or amount
    The windows were covered in newspaper and the door with a smattering of work permits and construction bills.
  35. waver
    be unsure or weak
    The gun remained steady in Raheem’s hand, but his voice wavered.
  36. sage
    having wisdom that comes with experience
    Leroy nodded sagely. "He’ll be okay."
  37. knack
    a special way of doing something
    "What are you going to tell your father?” Leroy had a knack for getting to the heart of the matter.
  38. turmoil
    violent agitation
    The river is motion, turmoil, rage.
  39. charisma
    personal attractiveness that enables you to influence others
    Stick had an energy, a charisma that I would never have.
  40. forge
    make something, usually for a specific function
    When it tires of one journey, it rubs through some rock to forge a new way.
Created on Wed Apr 24 11:48:27 EDT 2019 (updated Wed Apr 24 12:04:22 EDT 2019)

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