Love Is a Revolution: Chapters 1–5

by Renée Watson
The summer before her high school senior year, Nala Robertson meets Tye Brown at a Harlem talent show, which inspires her to be more proactive in her relationships and community.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–14, Chapters 15–31
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. subtle
    difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
    Maybe I’ll get highlights—chestnut ombré or copper brown. Maybe honey blonde. Subtle of course, just enough to add texture and depth.
  2. venture
    proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
    But a promise is a promise, so I get dressed and agree to venture out in this hotter-than-a-sauna storm because I’d do anything for Imani, my cousin-sister-friend, who shares her mom and dad with me.
  3. activism
    a policy of action to achieve a political or social goal
    “Well, what I mean is, it’s a talent show to raise money and awareness. It will be promoting Inspire Harlem and raising money for our activism programs,” she says.
  4. sentiment
    tender, romantic, or nostalgic feeling or emotion
    I thought it would be a night of love poems, sweet and beautiful sentiments about relationships with parents, partners, friends.
  5. alcove
    a small recess opening off a large room or garden
    The alcove has drawers and cabinets on both sides—extra storage and closet space for all our stuff that Aunt Ebony keeps saying we need to go through so we can give away clothes we don’t wear anymore.
  6. plantain
    starchy banana-like fruit
    Uncle Randy and Aunt Ebony are here cooking together, and the way they have this kitchen smelling with sweet plantains and curry chicken makes me want to stay and eat dinner.
  7. parish
    a local church community
    They were all born in Spanish Town, the parish of St. Catherine, and moved to New York in their teens when Grandpa decided that the States would give his children a better life.
  8. petty
    preoccupied with unimportant matters in a spiteful way
    Maybe it’s petty to be thinking like this, but I really don’t want to go to this talent show tonight.
  9. mantra
    a commonly repeated word or phrase
    We nudge each other whenever someone says a corny Save-the-World mantra or cliché.
  10. cliche
    a trite or obvious remark
    We nudge each other whenever someone says a corny Save-the-World mantra or cliché.
  11. scaffold
    a temporary arrangement erected around a building
    Why do people keep their umbrellas up even when walking under scaffolding?
  12. strut
    walk in a proud, confident way
    She struts in like a peacock.
  13. renaissance
    a revival of learning and culture
    “You know, Countee Cullen...the Harlem Renaissance poet...the teacher?”
  14. profess
    state freely
    But right now, in this moment, I am ready to profess my love for Tye Brown.
  15. complexion
    the coloring of a person's face
    I love his dark skin. The way his white shirt contrasts against his deep brown complexion.
  16. magnitude
    relative importance
    “Oh, I’m, um, I’m...I volunteer for an organization that offers activities for elderly people in the neighborhood. We do, um, like arts and crafts stuff with them—nothing super important or at the magnitude of Inspire Harlem,” I say.
  17. entourage
    the group following and attending to some important person
    Imani is carrying the flowers Toya gave her, so it probably looks like we are her entourage or that she is some kind of princess and we are her court.
  18. relish
    spicy or savory condiment
    This deliciousness is two hamburger patties, onions, pickles, and special sauce, topped with pickled cherry pepper, bacon relish, American cheese, and smoky chipotle mayonnaise.
  19. braised
    cooked by browning in fat and then simmering
    Meat: goat, beef, pork, chicken, lamb, duck.
 Prepared all ways: grilled, fried, baked, stewed, seared, braised.
  20. undermine
    weaken or impair, especially gradually
    Toya says, “First of all, our name is Inspire Harlem, so maybe it would have been a good idea to have some kind of inspirational songs. Not songs with vulgar lyrics that actually undermine the work we are trying to do and all we stand for.”
  21. capitalism
    an economic system based on private ownership of assets
    “We’ve discussed how capitalism has made us go after things that we don’t need and how music sometimes reinforces those toxic ideals.”
  22. ideal
    a principle or value that one hopes to attain or conform to
    “We’ve discussed how capitalism has made us go after things that we don’t need and how music sometimes reinforces those toxic ideals.”
  23. degrading
    characterized by dishonor
    I’ve been raised on those images and lyrics, and yeah, they are degrading to women.
  24. integrity
    moral soundness
    At first Aunt Ebony and Uncle Randy weren’t too excited about their daughter dating anyone, but Asher won them over once they realized he was just as serious about his grades and integrity as he was about having a girlfriend.
  25. generic
    having no special or distinctive characteristics; unoriginal
    I want to strike up a conversation with Tye, but I don't know what to say, so I go to the generic question I always ask when there’s too much silence.
  26. blatantly
    in a completely obvious manner
    These hips ground me when I march the streets
    mourning bodies who look like me. Killed, terrorized blatantly.
  27. morbid
    suggesting the horror of death and decay
    She is eighty-four, so that means she has fewer years to be alive. That’s just the truth, that’s just math. Whenever I say this to Imani, she says I am being morbid and that I shouldn’t think about that.
  28. necessarily
    in an essential manner
    I laugh because this sounds like an exchange Grandma would have with my mom or with Aunt Ebony. Not necessarily about how much sugar they are consuming, but she’d be fussing about something.
  29. appropriate
    suitable for a particular person, place, or situation
    She is the queen at fussing at people—making sure they are eating enough of the right thing, that they are wearing the appropriate clothes based on the weather, that they are getting enough sleep.
  30. dingy
    discolored by impurities; not bright and clear
    It is a dingy white with only one medium-sized framed photo of a field of flowers centered in the middle.
  31. sole
    single and isolated from others
    “I don’t know what to say—I, let’s see, I care about leaving this world in better shape than it is for us. My uncle always tells me that’s my sole responsibility. He’s always saying some quote about service being the rent we pay for our room here on earth.”
  32. literal
    without interpretation or embellishment
    He’s being literal. He really wants to teach me something.
  33. casual
    not showing effort or strain
    But Tye seems like the kind of guy who likes a more casual look.
  34. wicker
    flexible branches or twigs that can be woven together
    I rummage through the wicker basket that sits on her dresser.
  35. elope
    run away secretly with one's beloved
    “We’re not eloping. We’re just going to Riverbank.”
Created on Wed Dec 21 09:10:54 EST 2022 (updated Fri Jun 30 13:14:00 EDT 2023)

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