Kwame Crashes the Underworld: Chapters 12–15

by Craig Kofi Farmer
Twelve-year-old Kwame is struggling to face the death of his beloved grandmother. But a heroic journey through the Ghanaian underworld, filled with mythology and magic, offers him a transformative experience ultimately preparing him for his grandmother’s celebration of life.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapters 5–6, Chapter 7, Chapters 8–9, Chapters 10–11, Chapters 12–15, Chapters 16–18,
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. obsessed
    having excessive or compulsive concern with something
    “Wait, so you’re…Benefo?” I ask cautiously. This isn’t what I had in mind when thinking about the legendary Benefo. I expected him to look a little more…legendary. Instead, he just looks like one of my great-uncles who are obsessed with poker.
  2. backlash
    an adverse reaction to some political or social occurrence
    The backlash I’m receiving is making me hesitate, but I keep going.
    “But I’m American. Like, I have a very American accent. I eat pizza and McDonald’s, not…chofi and jollof rice. I’d much rather wear a T-shirt than a dashiki.” My voice breaks. “Even if it’s a dashiki that my own grandmother made me for my birthday.”
  3. ambient
    completely enveloping
    Benefo seems oblivious to his wives’ disapproval. “Let us drink to that!”
    I sign Benefo’s request to Autumn amid the ambient noise. We all lift our glasses and take sips from them. The drink has a cidery flavor to it, and the carbonation crackles in my throat.
  4. debatable
    open to doubt or argument
    “Now, I was a hero,” Benefo says, smoothing his dashiki over. “The best farmer in my village.”
    “Debatable,” Osei cuts in.
    “And”—Benefo raises his voice—“I, for some reason, decided to marry Osei. Alas, tragedy befell me.”
  5. poverty
    the state of having little or no money and possessions
    “Oh, so you’re saying you’ve never told us that poverty is just a mindset?” Osei asks, throwing a hand on her hip.
    The women around the table look at Benefo with expectant expressions.
    “…It is just a mindset!” Benefo argues to an explosion of chatter around the table.
  6. elitist
    favoring those who have wealth or high status
    Osei sweeps her hand around the commotion, giving us a face that says, See? “Now, the witch doesn’t take kindly to this perspective. Personally, I don’t blame her. It’s reductionist, it’s elitist, and it’s just plain icky. So the witch goes from zero to a hundred—and curses Benefo.”
  7. widower
    a man whose wife is dead, especially if not remarried
    Osei opens her arms and does a little turn. “I end up here. Violently.”
    I wince. “Yikes.”
    “I’m so sorry,” Autumn says.
    “And guess what my wonderful widower does?” Osei says. “He takes another wife. And the same thing happens to her.”
  8. dysfunctional
    impaired in function; especially of a bodily system or organ
    The painting of the dysfunctional family in front of me begins to move—pointing and laughing at me.
  9. inhumane
    reflecting a lack of pity or compassion
    “When will you stop doing this?” Osei reproaches. “It’s inhumane.”
    “This is my last favor, Osei. And then my debt is paid. You’re acting like I didn’t do this to all those other kids.”
  10. smug
    marked by excessive complacency or self-satisfaction
    All three of us are tied up together, in a triangle of frustration and annoyance.
    I wish I’m the Shard of the goddess of heat vision—so I could shoot it right through Benefo’s smug face.
  11. intermittently
    in a manner of stopping and starting at irregular intervals
    Ama is deathly still next to me. I wonder what’s going through her mind as she sits there.
    Autumn’s not giving up. She’s been intermittently grunting and struggling against the ropes.
  12. dormant
    inactive but capable of becoming active
    Benefo leans back in his chair, out of my view. “Believe it or not, Kwame Powell, we’re trying to save the Earth we all used to live on. It’s been burning and shaking since the death of Asase.”
    I hate to admit it, but Benefo is right—I can’t go a day without hearing some news story about a dormant volcano erupting or an avalanche crumbling down a mountainside.
  13. iteration
    the act or process of doing or saying again
    Maybe I have to get creative. In each new iteration of Super Smash Bros., the characters get upgraded—they receive new powers, new moves, or just tweaks to their classic designs. What if there are things I can do, but I just haven’t done them yet?
  14. tweak
    adjust finely
    Maybe I have to get creative. In each new iteration of Super Smash Bros., the characters get upgraded—they receive new powers, new moves, or just tweaks to their classic designs. What if there are things I can do, but I just haven’t done them yet?
  15. juxtaposed
    placed side by side often for comparison
    Ama’s smile flashes through my mind, juxtaposed with the smile Grandma used to give me when she was still alive. It’s the same smile, just decades apart, with the same spark of adventure in it.
  16. hallucinate
    have illusions; perceive what is not actually there
    I just had an entire conversation with a cow.
    I must be hallucinating. It’s probably the aftereffects of the poisoned cider. I can’t actually rely on a bunch of giant cows, can I?
  17. telepathic
    communicating without apparent physical signals
    Hop on, Mama! Flo says telepathically. She lowers her head nearly to the ground. There are grooves carved into her armor, like handholds on recreational rock walls.
    I stand there, dumbfounded for a moment, before Autumn nudges me.
    “Kwame. Hop on the cow,” Autumn signs to me. She takes her sword and scrambles up Flo’s back.
  18. deflect
    impede the movement of
    I turn to see Benefo scoop up a stray wooden plank and throw it at me like a javelin. Instead of using my akrafena to deflect it, I freeze in place—watching the projectile soar toward me.
  19. gnarled
    old and twisted and covered in lines
    I sit up and look around. We’re in perhaps the ugliest forest I’ve ever seen. The trees are skinny, with gnarled branches that twist around one another. Nearly all their leaves have wilted or fallen off, creating the bed of dead leaves we’re on now.
  20. disclaimer
    a voluntary repudiation of legal claim to something
    The Eloko Forests—where Nansi is—are right in front of us. Once we step over this creek, we enter Asamando’s domain of torture and pain. I remember the disclaimer in Ama’s pamphlet—that the abosom take no responsibility for psychological trauma or physical injury that may come from a visit to the Eloko.
  21. naive
    not initiated; deficient in relevant experience
    I understand what Flo meant when she mentioned that the Eloko is alive—this is a conscious being ready to consume any visitors naive enough to venture into it.
  22. glowering
    showing a brooding ill humor
    “What? What’s going—”
    Autumn points and I see it—straight ahead, dozens of small yellow eyes glowering at us from the dead tree branches in the darkness.
  23. carnivore
    any animal that feeds on flesh
    The forest is filled with the sounds of melodic whistles. They come from above and all around us. I dare to look up, only to see at least forty creatures in the branches above us, whistling and crying. Their glowing eyes make them look like a pack of carnivores, salivating as they wait for their prey.
  24. aftermath
    the consequences of an event, especially a catastrophic one
    I take a breath and slip on the dashiki....I turn to Ama. “What do you think?”
    Even in the aftermath of the attack, Ama’s eyes are shining as she looks at me. “It fits perfectly. You look regal. You look Ghanaian.”
  25. debilitating
    impairing strength and vitality
    Ama nods. “You do. You’re focused. Driven. Competitive. I was the same way. But when I learned the ways of the Queen Mother, I learned a valuable lesson: It is debilitating to expect victory from yourself all the time. You’ll only be disappointed when defeat inevitably finds you.”
Created on Tue Mar 25 20:36:36 EDT 2025 (updated Fri Apr 11 18:49:36 EDT 2025)

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