On the Bright Side: Chapters 40-52

by Anna Sortino
Deaf teenager Ellie meets Jackson at the mainstream school she's been forced into after her boarding school was shut down, but while Jackson helps her adjust, he faces an unexpected and jarring medical problem.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1-6, Chapters 7-16, Chapters 17-28, Chapters 29-39, Chapters 40-52
15 words 17 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. wane
    grow smaller
    The dizziness wanes.
  2. organic
    grown or raised without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides
    If they ask, I’ll just say that Mom can stop buying organic strawberries for a few weeks to offset the cost.
  3. smitten
    marked by foolish or unreasoning fondness
    Arun chuckles, sharing a glance with Shay that convinces me he’s smitten.
  4. berate
    censure severely or angrily
    I also keep berating myself for falling for Ellie.
  5. objectively
    in a manner not influenced by emotion
    Being with Ellie didn’t use to feel like a risk, but trying to consider it all objectively, that’s all I see.
  6. excruciating
    extremely painful
    He’s still typing another message, so I wait. It’s an excruciating few minutes.
  7. subdued
    softened in tone
    The usual suspects creep in, subdued but ever present—my right eye vision slightly fading and my feet tingling.
  8. innovative
    introducing new ideas or creative methods
    “This group is so innovative,” the nurse says, beaming.
  9. pique
    call forth, as an emotion, feeling, or response
    “Don’t look too excited when I tell you this…” she signs, which piques my interest immediately.
  10. neurologist
    a medical specialist in the nervous system
    In the circle introductions, he mentions being out with a relapse and that his neurologist wants to try switching treatments.
  11. momentum
    an impelling force or strength
    Around the conference room floor, it takes a bit of energy to get going, but once I’ve got momentum, it’s fairly smooth sailing.
  12. garner
    assemble or get together
    During a second loop, I garner enough momentum to have some wind in my hair.
  13. grievance
    a complaint about a wrong that causes resentment
    What’s more festive than airing out some grievances?
  14. cathartic
    emotionally purging
    This was cathartic. Like taking a weight off my shoulders that I hadn’t realized had been dragging me down for so long.
  15. refute
    overthrow by argument, evidence, or proof
    Ellie laughs but refutes me.
Created on Tue Aug 05 08:51:09 EDT 2025 (updated Wed Aug 27 18:15:33 EDT 2025)

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