Hollow Fires: Parts I–II

by Samira Ahmed
Seventeen-year-old aspiring journalist Safiya Mirza comes across a dead body in a Chicago park. Because it belonged to another Muslim teenager, the haunting sight guides her to uncover the truths behind the murder of Jawad Ali.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Parts I–II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Parts VI–VII
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. culvert
    a transverse and enclosed drain under a road or railway
    The odor filled the air around the sloping embankments of a crumbling stone culvert that was lined with steel.
  2. hodgepodge
    a motley assortment of things
    I could say it was solely the hodgepodge of clues and half-baked theories that had led me there.
  3. plaintive
    expressing sorrow
    At first you ignore it, the echo. But it never goes away. It’s quieter at times. The voice. And then louder. Pleading. Plaintive. Angry.
  4. stenographer
    someone skilled in the transcription of speech
    I'm more than the stenographer's click-clack.
  5. immutable
    not subject or susceptible to change or variation
    He says my job is solely to find the verifiable, immutable facts.
  6. obscure
    make unclear, indistinct, or blurred
    Some facts barely scratch the surface of the truth.
    Some facts obscure it.
    Some facts are lies.
  7. ascertain
    learn or determine by making an inquiry or other effort
    Ali was taken into custody to ascertain that he wasn’t “a sleeper, taught to blend in or distract,” Leary went on to say.
  8. sleeper
    a spy or saboteur or terrorist planted in an enemy country
    Ali was taken into custody to ascertain that he wasn’t “a sleeper, taught to blend in or distract,” Leary went on to say.
  9. forthcoming
    easygoing and open when speaking or sharing information
    Commander Phillip McCarthy said Ali should have been “more transparent and forthcoming” rather than repeatedly describing the device as a “jet pack.”
  10. cognizant
    having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization
    “The department is cognizant of his age and, at this time, will not be charging him with any crimes, including a possible felony count of planting a hoax bomb.”
  11. contraption
    a small mechanical device or tool
    In fifth grade, some of the kids started calling me Contraption Kid because I loved inventing things. Because someone gave me a stick of gum, two paper clips, and a string, and I invented a tool to sneak Starbursts out of the bowl on the attendance secretary's desk.
  12. salvage
    save from ruin, destruction, or harm
    Recycle! Reuse! Repurpose! she'd always say. She knew exactly what I was doing. Saw my sketch and approved it. We'd been taking apart old electronics, like radios and TVs with dials and antennas, and Ms. Ellis said I could use any materials I could salvage.
  13. naturalization
    the proceeding whereby a foreigner is granted citizenship
    ILLINOIS STATE SENATOR QUESTIONS LAX NATURALIZATION POLICIES IN LIGHT OF ALLEGED BOMB THREAT
  14. truancy
    failure to attend, especially school
    IRAQI IMMIGRANT STUDENT ARRESTED FOR HOAX BOMB HAD RECORD OF TRUANCY
  15. tacky
    not completely dried and slightly sticky to the touch
    I peeled it off, but sticky residue from the tape is still there. That stripe of tacky gunk outlasted me.
  16. vinyl
    shiny, tough, and flexible plastic
    Even still, when they moved him from the culvert to the stretcher, his body landed on the vinyl green pad with a quiet thud.
  17. fallout
    any adverse and unwanted secondary effect
    They remembered 9/11. I didn’t, so I wasn’t around to witness that fallout. But I was here for the first Muslim ban.
  18. relentless
    never-ceasing
    And America’s ongoing, relentless wars in the Middle East that started before I was born and that, honestly, I’ve never been able to fully distinguish or understand. One giant, endless conflict with a lot of nameless dead civilians.
  19. dupe
    fool or hoax
    It was a winter day with a hint of spring, of bright, new things; but every Chicagoan knew not to be duped by the false promise of a sunny day.
  20. liberal
    having political views favoring reform and progress
    It's mostly limousine liberal, faux woke privilege that prides itself on voting the right way.
  21. abysmal
    exceptionally bad or displeasing
    The diversity numbers are even more abysmal for faculty, the administration, and the board of directors (which is all white this year).
  22. moderate
    a person who takes a position in the political center
    But do we ever read the full text of Dr. King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" when he calls out white moderates?
  23. meme
    a cultural idea or behavior passed from person to person
    Before break, the Spectator had published an open letter from the Organization of BIPOC Students that called on the administration to address racial, religious, and identity-based biases at school, especially in light of a racist anti-Black meme that had been posted on the school's Facebook page.
  24. susceptible
    easily influenced mentally or emotionally
    This hard-boiled, tough-as-nails investigative journalist was not susceptible to his incredibly cute dimples.
  25. reverie
    absentminded dreaming while awake
    “Did you do anything fun over break?” he asked, knocking me out of my ridiculous heart-eyed reverie.
  26. suppress
    control and refrain from showing
    Richard tried to suppress a smile.
  27. esteemed
    having an illustrious reputation; respected
    “The only interesting thing I did was watch a bunch of movies suggested by our esteemed editor in chief.”
  28. prowess
    a superior skill learned by study and practice
    "I’ll have you know it wasn’t merely my athletic prowess that got me into this school.... It was also my dad’s very large donation.”
  29. deprecate
    cause to seem or feel unimportant; belittle
    I liked that he could be self- deprecating.
  30. turret
    a small tower extending above a building
    I dropped my phone into my bag and watched the students amass on the stone steps that led to the large red doors of our turreted main building.
  31. verdant
    characterized by abundance of vegetation and green foliage
    Especially on misty, gloomy days, DuSable Prep looked like a spooky British boarding school without the verdant rolling hills or accents.
  32. gaggle
    a large, disorganized group of people
    There was always post-holiday chaos on the first day back from break—students swapping stories about where they went skiing or snorkeling—but now there was a gaggle of students all staring down at their phones.
  33. snag
    obtain by acting quickly or smartly
    As I reached into my bag to snag my phone and see what the trash fire/horror show of the day was, I saw Asma waving wildly at me and running across the street, her long black hair in loose waves that framed her deep brown skin and killer contoured cheekbones.
  34. impeccable
    without error or flaw
    Unlike my nonexistent makeup, hers was impeccable, as always, but it couldn’t hide the wide-eyed look of panic on her face.
  35. clandestine
    conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods
    Still, we’d had each other’s backs since she caught Paula Ryan trying to clandestinely spit in my soup during our first year at DuSable—because why not prank the scholarship kid?
  36. fawning
    attempting to win favor by flattery
    Time to take this school back from the fawning beta multiculturalists and those who want to open the nation’s floodgates to illegals.
  37. pablum
    worthless or oversimplified ideas
    This school, this newspaper, this editor, they are all feeding you fake news pablum.
  38. reclaim
    reassert one's right or title to
    Reclaim your space like we claim this one. We are everywhere. This place is ours.
  39. herald
    a sign indicating the approach of something or someone
    I am the herald of lightning.
  40. manifesto
    a public declaration of intentions
    It was my column. My byline. But crossed out and replaced by a racist manifesto?
Created on Thu Oct 13 09:24:00 EDT 2022 (updated Wed Mar 08 15:51:34 EST 2023)

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