Finding Junie Kim: Book IV–Epilogue

by Ellen Oh
When Junie interviews her grandparents about their experiences during the Korean War, she is inspired to take a stand against racism at her middle school.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Book I, Book II, Book III, Book IV–Epilogue
40 words 7 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. litany
    a prayer consisting of a series of invocations by the priest with responses from the congregation
    The litany of food items available for sale in the Sinpo Market was always fascinating to Jinjoo.
  2. waft
    be driven or carried along, as by the air
    Fried mung-bean pancake with spicy sauce, wafting in the air with the bricks of pungent soybean paste hawked by a nearby merchant, so strong you could taste it.
  3. pungent
    strong and sharp to the sense of taste or smell
    Fried mung-bean pancake with spicy sauce, wafting in the air with the bricks of pungent soybean paste hawked by a nearby merchant, so strong you could taste it.
  4. tyrannical
    marked by unjust severity or arbitrary behavior
    Even though Incheon was close to Seoul, most people despised the tyrannical old guy with the foreign wife.
  5. urchin
    a poor and often mischievous city child
    “Get off the sidewalk! Filthy urchins,” he muttered.
  6. rickshaw
    a small two-wheeled cart for one passenger
    They ran down the middle of the road, dodging pedestrians and bicyclists and rickshaw men.
  7. decisive
    characterized by resoluteness and firmness
    “That’s the Chinese freighter,” Yohan said decisively.
    “I thought you didn’t know,” Jinjoo said in suspicion. “What makes you sure now?”
  8. abate
    become less in amount or intensity
    Maybe then the sick feeling in Jinjoo’s stomach would abate.
  9. makeshift
    done or made using whatever is available
    Out on the streets the local Communists were celebrating the news of the Red invasion with a makeshift parade.
  10. thoroughfare
    a public road from one place to another
    Jinjoo could hear them from her house, which was on a side street several blocks from the main thoroughfare.
  11. disarray
    untidiness, especially of clothing and appearance
    When they’d left, Jinjoo had walked out to see their kitchen and living quarters in huge disarray. Pots and pans thrown everywhere, their mother’s pretty dishes smashed on the ground.
  12. commodity
    any good that can be bought and sold
    Rice had become a precious commodity, to be kept safe from the North Korean soldiers.
  13. subside
    wear off or die down
    Startled, she looked at Jinjoo’s angry glare and subsided.
  14. procession
    the action of a group moving ahead in regular formation
    The fourth day was the funeral procession, and they didn’t see their parents at all.
  15. roil
    be agitated
    Now the vague unease Jinjoo had been feeling roiled in the pit of her stomach, as if she’d eaten too many boiled eggs.
  16. lacquer
    coat with varnish
    Yohan’s family lived in a nice house with black lacquered double doors that Jinjoo had always admired.
  17. frantic
    excessively agitated; distraught with violent emotion
    Today her mother had just heard rumors that fifty people had been killed by the Communists at the police station. Their mother became frantic.
  18. vicinity
    a surrounding or nearby region
    When they arrived near the vicinity of the police station, they heard the wailing first.
  19. parcel
    a wrapped package
    But now all the rings were in a pile with the other family valuables, and their mother was tying it all up with a small parcel of clothing.
  20. meager
    deficient in amount or quality or extent
    Their meager meals left everyone still hungry and cranky.
  21. admonish
    scold or reprimand; take to task
    After he left, Jinjoo admonished her sister about talking too much.
  22. bearing
    (usually plural) a person's awareness of self
    Jinjoo carefully looked all around her to get her bearings.
  23. headstrong
    habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition
    “I was stubborn and headstrong. Still am.”
  24. gourd
    container made from the dried shell of a large, round fruit
    He pulled a gourd of water out of his sack and offered it to his wife before drinking some.
  25. cadence
    a recurrent rhythmical series
    As she listened to their sleep sounds, Jinjoo let her worries subside and let the cadence of their breathing lull her to sleep.
  26. defiance
    an act boldly resisting authority or an opposing force
    Eunjoo loved the church and wanted to go every week, but their mother disapproved. To be honest, Jinjoo’s interest in the church only grew in defiance of their mother.
  27. croon
    sing softly
    Junha reached over, licked it off, and crooned, “Mmmm.”
  28. coax
    influence or persuade by gentle and persistent urging
    Jinjoo coaxed and bribed them all the way to mid-afternoon, when they reached another crossroads.
  29. plod
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
    “Suit yourself,” he said as he clicked his teeth, and his horse slowly plodded away.
  30. enthralled
    filled with wonder and delight
    The children were enthralled by the colorful blooms and left the road to walk in the field.
  31. frolic
    play boisterously
    They laughed and frolicked in the beauty of the flowers, their cares forgotten for the moment.
  32. entourage
    the group following and attending to some important person
    His entourage laughs.
  33. ailment
    an often persistent bodily disorder or disease
    Patrice is back on-screen, talking about how racism causes anxiety, depression, and even physical ailments.
  34. demoralizing
    causing a loss of self-confidence or hope
    Several Black students speak honestly on how demoralizing racism is, not just from students, but from teachers and administrators too.
  35. resonate
    evoke or suggest a strong meaning or belief
    It is great to hear that the message resonated so well with so many people.
  36. scoff
    laugh at with contempt and derision
    He looks so surprised and then scoffs. “What the hell are you talking about? It don’t hurt me none.”
  37. condescending
    characteristic of those who treat others with arrogance
    He sneers my name in an elaborate, condescending manner.
  38. churn
    be agitated
    I can see the thoughts in his head churning, and he clearly doesn’t like it.
  39. beeline
    the most direct route
    And Justin is making a beeline for a convenience store to look for food.
  40. itinerary
    a proposed route of travel
    Our itinerary is full—we are going to stay in Incheon for a few days so Grandma can see how much it has changed since she left so long ago.
Created on Fri Sep 10 12:09:49 EDT 2021 (updated Tue Sep 14 13:45:22 EDT 2021)

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