Everything We Never Had
Written by Randy Ribay
Published by Kokila
Watsonville, 1930. Francisco Maghabol barely ekes out a living in the fields of California. As he spends what little money he earns at dance halls and faces increasing violence from white men in town, Francisco wonders if he should’ve never left the Philippines.
Stockton, 1965. Between school days full of prejudice from white students and teachers and night shifts working at his aunt’s restaurant, Emil refuses to follow in the footsteps of his labor organizer father, Francisco. He’s going to make it in this country no matter what or who he has to leave behind.
Denver, 1983. Chris is determined to prove that his overbearing father, Emil, can’t control him. However, when a missed assignment on “ancestral history” sends Chris off the football team and into the library, he discovers a desire to know more about Filipino history―even if his father dismisses his interest as unamerican and unimportant.
Philadelphia, 2020. Enzo struggles to keep his anxiety in check as a global pandemic breaks out and his abrasive grandfather moves in. While tensions are high between his dad and his lolo, Enzo’s daily walks with Lolo Emil have him wondering if maybe he can help bridge their decades-long rift.
Told in multiple perspectives, Everything We Never Had unfolds like a beautifully crafted nesting doll, where each Maghabol boy forges his own path amid heavy family and societal expectations, passing down his flaws, values, and virtues to the next generation, until it’s up to Enzo to see how he can braid all these strands and men together.
Primary ISBN: 9780593461419
Publication Date: August 2024
Available As: Hardcover, Audiobook, eBook
Young Adult, Age 12 or older
Community Represented: Filipino/Filipino American
Themes: Accolades & Awards, Accolades & Awards: Starred Review, Accolades & Awards: Youth Media Awards, Activism, Coming of Age, Cultural Empowerment & Joy: Family, Cultural Empowerment & Joy: Identity, Discrimination: Racial, Family Relationship: Grandparents, Family Relationship: Parents, Format: Audiobook, Generation: 1st, Generation: 2nd, Generation: 3rd, Generational Differences, Genre: Historical, Mental Health, Migrant/Seasonal Worker, Own Voices/Lived Experience, Trauma & Healing: Intergenerational
Setting: United States (Watsonville CA), United States (Stockton CA), United States (Denver CO), United States (Philadelphia PA)
Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: Immigrant, 1st Generation, 2nd Generation, 3rd Generation
Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience
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