Dear Justyce: List 2

by Nic Stone
In this companion novel to Dear Martin, a teenager in a juvenile detention center tries to make sense of his life by writing letters to an old friend.

This list covers Part One, from Snapshot: A Boy Meeting a Man (2016) to April 24.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4
40 words 216 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. hallowed
    worthy of religious veneration
    Quan is nervous as hell walking up the “Hallowed Hallway," as he’s heard the guys call it.
  2. articulate
    put into words or an expression
    It’s different than he expected, though he can’t articulate how, even in his mind.
  3. wanton
    unprovoked or without motive or justification
    But seeing framed images of ancient Egyptian kings and queens hung across from a poster that reads The racist dog policemen must withdraw immediately from our communities, cease their wanton murder and brutality and torture of black people, or face the wrath of the armed people.
  4. falter
    speak haltingly
    “Uhh—” And Quan falters.
  5. trajectory
    a progression or course of events, actions, or developments
    “My master’s thesis was on the trajectories of African American adolescent males raised in impoverished urban environments by single mothers.”
  6. impoverished
    poor enough to need help from others
    “My master’s thesis was on the trajectories of African American adolescent males raised in impoverished urban environments by single mothers.”
  7. summation
    a concluding statement that presents the main ideas
    I came across a quote of his while working on my thesis: Black Power is giving power to people who have not had power to determine their destiny. And there it was: a summation of my research findings, and what I needed to do about it.
  8. blatant
    without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious
    Quan is stunned. Not only by the blatant use of his “given” name, but also by just about every word that came out of Martel’s mouth.
  9. abide by
    act in accordance with rules, commands, or wishes
    When Quan is done, Martel tells him how the organization functions and offers Quan an in, provided he can abide by the rules.
  10. lament
    express grief verbally
    The one when you lamented the fact that Manny hadn't never done nothing wrong, but he lost his life anyway.
  11. truancy
    failure to attend, especially school
    Stayed in school cuz "truancy" was a probation violation that would've landed my ass on house arrest (definitely a no-go), but having that "Delinquent" on my record made folks treat me different even though I stayed caught up while I was in and did my work (well) once I got out.
  12. probation
    a trial period when an offender has time to redeem himself
    Stayed in school cuz "truancy" was a probation violation that would've landed my ass on house arrest (definitely a no-go), but having that "Delinquent" on my record made folks treat me different even though I stayed caught up while I was in and did my work (well) once I got out.
  13. optimal
    most desirable possible under a restriction
    "Optimal" feels like a good word.
  14. catalyst
    something that causes an important event to happen
    There were rules: no underage drinking—which had been the catalyst for Trey’s sobriety; no tobacco usage; no hard drugs...
  15. sobriety
    moderation in or abstinence from alcohol or other drugs
    There were rules: no underage drinking—which had been the catalyst for Trey’s sobriety; no tobacco usage; no hard drugs...
  16. conjugal
    relating to the relationship between a wife and husband
    ...making ridiculous accusations about Mama and “conjugal visits” to Daddy...
  17. secrete
    conceal or place out of sight
    ...Quan had secreted Dasia and Gabe away to the hiding place Dwight was never lucid enough to think of...
  18. lucid
    having a clear mind
    ...Quan had secreted Dasia and Gabe away to the hiding place Dwight was never lucid enough to think of...
  19. respite
    a relief from harm or discomfort
    As he did, all the fight went out of her. An exhale of respite soaked in a deluge of trembling grief.
  20. deluge
    an overwhelming number or amount
    As he did, all the fight went out of her. An exhale of respite soaked in a deluge of trembling grief.
  21. disclose
    make known to the public information previously kept secret
    Man, did he know. In that instant, Quan knew more than he’d ever be able to disclose.
  22. render
    cause to become
    Quan looks at the broken swing. Another way to fly rendered useless.
  23. predetermine
    establish beforehand
    At the predetermined time, picking up the black leather, payment-filled pouch the Black Jihad’s biggest client left where he always left it: in the mailbox of a house Martel owned.
  24. presume
    take to be the case or to be true
    Quan held his breath with every bill that passed through his fingertips, low-key expecting one to be missing—looking back, that was a common thing for him: presuming something would go wrong at the times he really needed everything to happen without incident.
  25. dashiki
    a loose and brightly colored African shirt
    Martel saw Quan come in and summoned him over to where he was kicked back in a new round bamboo-framed chair with a giant cushion that looked like it was wrapped in dashiki material.
  26. leach
    cause a liquid to slowly seep or be drawn out
    And Martel’s expression shifted just the smallest bit. Like some of the joy leached out.
  27. obscure
    not clearly understood or expressed
    What with the music blasting and who knows how many people loitering around the house, Quan was sure they were in violation of some obscure ordinance no one would know existed until they were slapped with random-ass charges.
  28. ordinance
    a statute enacted by a city government
    What with the music blasting and who knows how many people loitering around the house, Quan was sure they were in violation of some obscure ordinance no one would know existed until they were slapped with random-ass charges.
  29. demise
    the time when something ends
    Since Dwight’s demise, Quan had been having these...spells. Where it would suddenly get real hard to take a breath and he’d be absolutely, positively, 140 percent sure horrible things were about to happen.
  30. straggler
    someone who strays or falls behind
    Brad delivered Martel’s message to Trey, who then dispatched a few other guys to clear the stragglers in the front yard.
  31. acquit
    pronounce not guilty of criminal charges
    That officer was indicted and tried, but acquitted.
  32. competent
    legally qualified or sufficient
    Because of the “anger problem” Mar displayed in school—
    after the incident—
    he was deemed not competent to testify.
  33. paunchy
    having a large belly
    Officer Garrett Tison—White, salt-and-pepper gray hair, middle-aged and paunchy, looks a couple shakes past "ready to retire"
  34. instinctive
    unthinking
    Castillo instinctively grips the handle of his holstered gun.
  35. irrelevant
    having no bearing on or connection with the subject at issue
    Whether or not I trust 'em is irrelevant, kid. There are twelve of them and two of us.
  36. semblance
    the outward or apparent appearance or form of something
    The itch at his ankle becomes a burn as his eyes trace the barrel of Castillo's pistol to its target: the one man who's actually been around and worked to keep Quan safe and on some semblance of a straight and narrow.
  37. consistently
    in a systematic or steady manner
    Whether I knew about it or not, you wrote to me consistently for over four years without ever receiving a response.
  38. refute
    overthrow by argument, evidence, or proof
    And it's kind of a weird thing, but him believing I COULD "write a compelling argumentative essay that either supports or refutes the continued use of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird as a seminal text on American racism" (THIS guy) made me want to prove him right.
  39. seminal
    influential and providing a basis for later development
    And it's kind of a weird thing, but him believing I COULD "write a compelling argumentative essay that either supports or refutes the continued use of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird as a seminal text on American racism" (THIS guy) made me want to prove him right.
  40. imminent
    close in time; about to occur
    “A person is justified in threatening or using force against another when and to the extent that he or she reasonably believes that such threat or force is necessary to defend himself or herself or a third person against such other's imminent use of unlawful force."
Created on Wed Nov 11 12:08:37 EST 2020 (updated Thu Nov 12 14:22:43 EST 2020)

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