Wednesday, August 28, 2024
Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay
EVERYTHING
WE NEVER HAD by Randy Ribay (Patron
Saints of Nothing, a National Book Award finalist) is told in multiple
perspectives across four generations of a Filipino-American family. The earliest
action takes place in 1930 Watsonville, California where Francisco, a recent
immigrant, has to deal with violence, prejudice, and his disappointment at life
in America. In 1965 Stockton, California, readers meet Emil, Francisco’s son, a
dutiful student and hard-working employee at his aunt’s restaurant. He resents
his labor organizer father and vows to make his own way. Then there is 1983 Denver,
Colorado where Chris yearns to play football but can’t ever live up to the
standards of his demanding father, Emil. Chris rebels as he discovers a love of
history and pursues his own interests as a teacher. His son, named Enrique
Lorenzo and called Enzo, grows up in 2020 Philadelphia, coping with anxiety,
the pandemic, and continuing discrimination. Once again, Ribay offers so much
to unpack – immigrant feelings, generational conflict, parenting styles, and
plenty of anger. Students will relate to the stories of each of these
characters as a young man and may be intrigued by the way the societal
environment and the individual choices of each character impacts the next generation.
The novel does flip back and forth between time periods and this may be
difficult for some students, but EVERYTHING
WE NEVER HAD received multiple starred reviews, including from Booklist,
Kirkus (“many heartwarming and heartbreaking moments offer deep insights
into intergenerational patterns”), Publishers Weekly, and School
Library Journal. The book contains a list of recommended resources, both
print and online like Asian Mental Health Collective, Filipino American National Historical Society, Stop AAPI Hate, and United Farm Workers. Interested
previewers can listen to an excerpt on the publisher’s website.
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