All My Rage: Part III

by Sabaa Tahir
Noor and Sal — two Pakistani American teenagers living in a small town — are falling in love as they struggle with difficult family issues.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Parts V–VI
40 words 163 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. aloof
    distant, cold, or detached in manner
    Until that day, Nargis had been polite enough, if a bit aloof.
  2. reconcile
    bring into consonance or accord
    I could not reconcile the belligerent, drunken woman from the wedding with this taciturn individual.
  3. taciturn
    habitually reserved and uncommunicative
    I could not reconcile the belligerent, drunken woman from the wedding with this taciturn individual.
  4. tutelage
    attention and management implying responsibility for safety
    During my first week under his tutelage, I made enough to get the Civic back from the repo lot.
  5. sentient
    endowed with feeling and unstructured consciousness
    Once we're inside, Noor says salaam to Abu, who appears half- sentient for the first time in days, and is actually renting out a room.
  6. cede
    relinquish possession or control over
    I never did it, because it felt like I was ceding control. If I left everything to the almighty, then what the hell was I supposed to do?
  7. vertigo
    a reeling sensation; a feeling that you are about to fall
    Her brown eyes make my head spin, that delicious vertigo of tipping your head back on a playground swing and watching the horizon crest and crash.
  8. grizzled
    having gray or partially gray hair
    You're like a grizzled old sea dog in a teenager's body.
  9. reverberation
    an echo
    Feel the reverberations of the call to prayer in my bones and hear the crackle of live electric wires.
  10. relentless
    not willing or able to stop or yield
    I have five minutes between English and Trig to get her to talk—I won’t see her again until after school. By then, she'll change the subject relentlessly until I want to backflip off a cliff.
  11. waver
    be unsure or weak
    Jamie senses me wavering. "I'll throw in an extra hundred dollars."
  12. stifle
    smother or suppress
    I stifle a laugh.
  13. cunning
    marked by skill in deception
    Jamie gives me a cunning look.
  14. artless
    simple and natural; without cunning or deceit
    She's too artless to be truly manipulative.
  15. petulance
    an irritable feeling
    "Which college is Noor going to?" Jamie demands. Her petulance throws me off.
  16. eddy
    a miniature whirlpool or whirlwind
    How can you know someone for years and still not know their inner currents? I want to sink into the swirls and eddies of her ocean.
  17. lament
    regret strongly
    The song that fills the car is old—older than both of us. "Shiver” by Coldplay, about a guy lamenting how invisible he is to someone he loves.
  18. relegate
    assign to a lower position
    The bags go into the pocket where I used to keep my journal—relegated to the bottom of my sock drawer.
  19. reprove
    reprimand, scold, or express dissatisfaction with
    She gives me a reproving look. “I would have lent you money, Sal. Or my mom would have. I love Art, but he’s an idiot.”
  20. throng
    press tightly together or cram
    The street in front of Junaid’s house was thronged with people and an ambulance.
  21. soliloquy
    a dramatic speech giving the illusion of unspoken reflection
    Or you can turn in a three-page essay tomorrow about how Euripides represented gender roles via Medea's soliloquies.
  22. misdemeanor
    a crime less serious than a felony
    “Pulling a fire alarm without cause is a misdemeanor—”
  23. skulk
    lie in wait or behave in a sneaky and secretive manner
    Darth Derek is skulking nearby.
  24. profundity
    intellectual depth; penetrating knowledge
    Art's occasional profundity always surprises me, especially considering how much of his own product he samples.
  25. accost
    approach and speak to someone aggressively or insistently
    Noor eyes Art like he's a daku waiting to accost her.
  26. gaunt
    very thin, especially from disease or hunger or cold
    When I meet her gaze, she smiles, and I'm struck by how gaunt she looks. Like she's lost ten pounds in the few days since I've seen her.
  27. flush
    sudden reddening of the face
    A flush creeps up her face.
    "Oh my God," she whispers. "What is this weird hot feeling? Am I blushing? What is the point of being brown if you can blush? Not blushing is literally one of the only perks we get."
  28. composed
    serenely self-possessed and free from agitation
    She drops her hands, composed once more.
  29. matriculate
    enroll as a student
    My father took a government posting in the city of Quetta when I was a year from matriculating.
  30. testament
    strong evidence for something
    “It still stands, a testament to the strength of humanity.”
  31. stalwart
    possessing or displaying courage
    He wept when I left, though my mother was stalwart.
  32. dawdle
    take one's time; proceed slowly
    The town appeared almost abandoned, other than a McDonald’s where a lone car dawdled.
  33. sparse
    not dense or plentiful
    Toufiq wrestled with the stiff lock, and we flipped on the inner lights to find a small, sparse office and a freezing apartment.
  34. surly
    unfriendly and inclined toward anger or irritation
    My father fidgets like a surly kindergartner.
  35. belligerent
    characteristic of an enemy or one eager to fight
    “I didn't invite him.” Abu almost whispers the words. He's not belligerent. Just confused.
  36. tureen
    a large deep serving dish with a cover
    By the time the shower is running, Shafiq is back with a tureen of food but no Khadija.
  37. abscond
    run away, often taking something or somebody along
    I take the tureen from him—it’s still warm and it smells so good I want to abscond with it.
  38. quash
    put down by force or intimidation
    Guilt quashes my appetite.
  39. inexplicable
    incapable of being explained or accounted for
    Cried on the phone and wouldn’t tell me why.
    Has been wearing makeup in an inexplicable way off and on for the past couple months, even though she’s told me she hates makeup.
  40. jihad
    a holy struggle by a Muslim for a moral or political goal
    “This life is jihad—struggle," Shafiq says. “Sometimes the struggle is more than any sane person can bear. I won't judge your father for his jihad, Salahudin. How dare I, when I couldn't begin to understand it?"
Created on Fri Nov 04 12:27:18 EDT 2022 (updated Fri Nov 18 18:07:30 EST 2022)

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