A Brief History of Time
an internationally-praised work of nonfiction written by Stephen Hawking, detailing experimental astrophysics for a lay audience
aphasia
the loss of language or speech due to brain injury or damage to central nervous system
borough
a community or municipality that is part of a city; New York City has five boroughs (Manhattan, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island)
Cyclone
the historic wooden rollercoaster located in Coney Island, New York
Dresden
a German city, bombed during World War II by the Allied forces of the U.S. and Britain
Empire State Building
the famous skyscraper located in midtown Manhattan; an American cultural icon and the third tallest building in the United States
feeling book
the name Dr. Fein uses for the journal he asks Oskar to keep
Flight of the Bumblebee
an interlude composed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov for his opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan in 1899-1900
free association
the mental process by which one word or image may spontaneously suggest another without any apparent connection; often used as a therapy technique to diagnose a patient
googolplex
the number 1 followed by 100 zeros
Hamlet
the Shakespeare tragedy in which the prince of Denmark seeks revenge for his father’s murder
heavy boots
Oskar’s personal term for depression
Hey Jude
a popular 1968 song written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon, performed by the Beatles.
Hiroshima
a large city on the island of Honshu, Japan; it was bombed by the United States Air Force on August 6, 1945, in the first use of an atomic bomb
idioms
a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words (e.g., rain cats and dogs, see the light); the way terms are used in every-day speech
jujitsu
a Japanese method of weaponless defense
Morse Code
a system of clicks or pauses used to create coded words and sentences
Nothing Place
for Oskar's grandparents, a private place within their apartment, where either person is treated as if he/she does not exist
one hundred
for Oskar's Grandma, the phrase is used to connote something positive
pacifist
a person who believes that war and violence are unjustifiable
Reconnaissance Expedition
for Oskar's father, a quest designed for Oskar to solve, through the use of ambiguous clues
Something Place
for Oskar’s grandparents, a place within their apartment designated for sociability
Stuff that Happened to Me
Oskar’s name for his scrapbook
tambourine
a small handheld drum adorned with metal disks
The New York Times
a prominent American newspaper
Windows on the World
a restaurant that was located on the top floors of the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City; it was destroyed in the attacks of 09/11
World Trade Center
a complex of buildings in Lower Manhattan that included the Twin Towers, which were destroyed in the attacks of 09/11
Yellow Submarine
a popular 1966 song written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon, performed by the Beatles
Yorick
a minor deceased character in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet; Hamlet holds Yorick’s skull after it is exhumed by the gravediggers in Act 5 of the play
