I Must Betray You: Chapters 18–36

by Ruta Sepetys
In 1989 Romania, with the country controlled by a dictator, seventeen-year-old aspiring writer Cristian Florescu dreams of freedom, especially when he is blackmailed by the secret police into informing on the family of an American diplomat.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: "Beneath the Gilded Frame"–Chapter 7, Chapters 8–17, Chapters 18–36, Chapters 37–63, Chapter 64–Epilogue
40 words 38 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. idle
    silly or trivial
    He stood, making idle chatter as the students filed out of the building.
  2. wisp
    a thin tuft, piece, or amount of something
    His wisps of remaining hair were slicked with a greasy pomade.
  3. crude
    devoid of any qualifications or disguise or adornment
    I began to sketch the layout of the Van Dorns’ apartment, purposely crude and simplistic. Walls. Doors. Windows.
  4. pomade
    hairdressing consisting of a perfumed oil or ointment
    I smelled the oily pomade in his hair. Musk over sweat. Disgusting.
  5. meticulously
    in a manner marked by extreme care of details
    His fingernails were meticulously clean and buffed.
  6. buff
    polish and make shiny
    His fingernails were meticulously clean and buffed. Odd on such enormous, knuckled hands.
  7. fancy
    imagine; conceive of; see in one's mind
    The agent’s large mitts—perhaps Paddle Hands fancied himself a goalkeeper?
  8. appraise
    estimate the nature, quality, ability or significance of
    OSCAR’s behavior was appraising, smug. Thinks he has the upper hand.
  9. altercation
    a noisy, angry argument or fight between people
    Recent informer source report states that OSCAR had a physical altercation with his friend and fellow student Luca Oprea.
  10. bleak
    offering little or no hope
    We trudged down the cement stairs to join the sea of humanity swarming into the freezing dark—that bleak wasteland of time.
    To stand in lines.
  11. contemplate
    reflect deeply on a subject
    My father said nothing, just shrugged. My father was quiet when he was mad, quiet when he was tired, quiet when he was happy, and quiet when he was contemplating.
  12. fabricate
    make up something artificial or untrue
    The video I saw that afternoon was not a fabricated script.
    The boys on-screen were not actors.
    They were real people, in a real house in the West, with real food.
  13. disparity
    inequality or difference in some respect
    What did she think of the disparity? Mama had seen movies from the West. How long had she known that the lives depicted on-screen weren’t fantasy? Did she ever question why other people ate bananas while we lived in a charcoal wasteland?
  14. convulsion
    a violent uncontrollable contraction of muscles
    His hands began to vibrate and then his entire body quaked with convulsion.
  15. naive
    marked by or showing unaffected simplicity
    How naive. Had I really thought that Luca and I were the only student informers? There were probably many.
  16. predicament
    an unpleasant or difficult situation
    I walked home, my mind tangled with predicament and paranoia.
  17. perestroika
    an economic policy adopted in the former Soviet Union
    “You mean the restructuring plan? The one they mentioned on Radio Free Europe?”
    “Perestroika? Bah,” Bunu scoffed. “Maybe in other countries. But not here. Ceauşescu would never allow that in Romania. That would dilute his authority.”
  18. insulate
    place or set apart
    “This five-foot-nothing man has absolute mental control over twenty-three million people. And his wife is part of that power. We have two dictators and they’ve insulated and trapped us.”
  19. brooding
    deeply or seriously thoughtful
    “Of course. Writers are dangerous. And you’re a brooding, philosophical Virgo. You’re not a follower. Even your hair’s a revolution.”
  20. survey
    look over carefully or inspect
    I surveyed the passengers, sandwiched together.
    Wrinkled faces.
    Wrinkled clothing.
    Wrinkled spirits.
  21. proletarian
    belonging to or characteristic of the working class
    Speaking of holidays, Santa Claus is considered too religious here. In Romania, we replaced him with a proletarian character named Moş Gerilă, Freezer Man. We celebrate our winter season by entering the factories for work!
  22. dignitary
    an important or influential person
    The album was packed full of colorful photos featuring Beloved Leader and Heroine Mother with dignitaries and heads of state.
  23. benevolent
    intending or showing kindness
    They thought he was a benevolent dictator. They’d welcomed him into their countries.
  24. terminology
    a system of words used to name things in a discipline
    I quickly scanned through the article, struggling with some of the terminology.
  25. glasnost
    a Soviet policy allowing freer discussion of social problems
    But I recognized a few words from the Radio Free Europe broadcasts:
    Democracy. Perestroika. Glasnost.
  26. barter
    exchange goods without involving money
    “Yeah, Reagan and Bush aren’t really fans, but back in the day, Nixon bartered a deal with Ceauşescu. Romania was allowed to open a cultural office in New York and the U.S. opened this library in Bucharest.”
  27. novelty
    originality by virtue of being refreshingly new
    “Yeah, you’re always in school or standing in a line. Hey, take me to stand in line sometime. That would be interesting to write about for my college essays.”
    He wanted to stand in a line? Did it seem like a novelty to him?
  28. bravado
    a swaggering show of courage
    The way he said it, he was concerned. “Okay,” I said. He seemed relieved. Maybe the bravado had been for show.
  29. cinch
    pull, fasten, or tie something tightly
    There’s a plastic bag over my head, cinched at the neck.
  30. awry
    away from the correct or expected course
    My family knew something had gone awry, but they didn’t know what.
  31. persevere
    be persistent, refuse to stop
    “Keep trying. She’s worth it. And so are you.”
    Was it my sister’s kindness? Her encouragement to persevere? Whatever it was, it broke me.
  32. discreet
    not easily noticeable
    Comrade Director gave a discreet nod when I passed him in the hall the next day.
  33. savvy
    marked by practical hardheaded intelligence
    How did Luca deal with this guy? Luca was kind but not savvy. No wonder our classmate had a breakdown.
  34. dupe
    fool or hoax
    If I got my notebook to Mr. Van Dorn, the embassy would see me as a source of truth and report that Ceauşescu was duping everyone.
  35. sentiment
    tender, romantic, or nostalgic feeling or emotion
    “What was described in the article?”
    “Just general sentiments of a song,” I said.
  36. chisel
    carve with an edge tool
    But the momentary, minuscule crack in his armor, I saw it. I had chiseled my way in and briefly distracted him.
  37. viability
    the capacity to be done in a practical and useful way
    Consideration should be given to OSCAR’s family loyalty and viability as a continued source.
  38. stark
    devoid of any qualifications or disguise or adornment
    The stark loneliness of the small, pale room was warmed by a photo of Pope John Paul II.
  39. raze
    tear down so as to make flat with the ground
    When Ceauşescu razed the center of Bucharest, a brave engineer saved several historic churches.
  40. prattle
    speak about unimportant matters rapidly and incessantly
    Could Mrs. Drucan hear her daughter? I hoped not.
    She prattled on and her eyes filled with tears.
Created on Wed Jan 24 12:57:38 EST 2024 (updated Thu Jan 25 13:28:48 EST 2024)

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