Margin Notes

Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay is a novel told from four perspectives of four generations of one Filipino American family: Francisco, Emil, Chris, and Enzo. The story begins in the 1930s, where Francisco deals with the hard work of being a farm worker. In 1965, Emil must live with his dad never being home while also making money by working for his aunt. In 1983, Chris learns more about the history of the Philippines and his family. And in 2020, Enzo deals with the pandemic Covid-19, along with his anxiety, which he refers to as his murder hornets.

Francisco is constantly regretting his decision to move to America to work. He struggles to make enough money to send to his family, let alone stay healthy himself. He is also dealing with racism directed at the Filipinos, such as not being paid fair wages. Emil, Francisco’s son, has a hard time dealing with the pressure of his dad being the main leader for farm work because everyone wants him to follow in his father’s footprints. He would rather go to college to make a living for his family he dreams of having someday.

Chris, Emil’s son, and his dad struggle with their relationship as a father and son because his dad makes him quit football to focus on school. Chris learns so much about the history of the Philippines, and so much more about his family and the struggles they had to go through. He found the research fun and interesting.

Enzo, Chris’ son, has terrible anxiety, and when Covid hits all it does is escalate his worries. And to add to all this, his grandfather (Emil) comes to live with them. This is very hard for Chris because of their past struggles in their relationship, but Enzo does his best to fix that.

One night while Francisco and the other farm workers are out dancing with the white ladies at the Filipino dance hall, having the time of their lives, some of the white boys show up to fight. Can the workers stay alive with the little weapons that they have?

One day when Emil finally decides to look for his dad in the fields, he meets an elderly woman who tells him stories about her past. He learns information about his dad that will make him hate the guy forever. Is there any hope of them repairing their relationship?

Chris is still struggling with not being on the football field. But when he works hard at school and learns so much about the history of his family, will that be enough to earn the respect of his dad?

Enzo’s life is going so well; he and his best friend Kyle hang out every day, play basketball, and he is learning to handle his murder hornets. But his life takes a turn when the pandemic hits and he finds himself in between the relationship of his dad and grandfather. Can he do anything to fix it?

Everything We Never Had is a very interesting novel. It talks about the past of four generations of Filipino Americans and what challenges they faced during their lives. I love reading books that are written in multiple perspectives because I get to see how over time all the stories connect. I couldn’t imagine leaving my family for work in another country to provide for them. Also, if I had to live without my dad in my life like Emil did for so long, that would be so hard because I am always looking up to family. Living like Chris, and having my favourite sport taken away, would be so hard to deal with. I can’t imagine living in the pandemic and having terrible anxiety. Even with all the difficulties in their lives, each character was determined to find a way to live life to its fullest.

I would suggest this book to people who enjoy reading about multiple generations, how they all connect, and their life experiences. This book would also appeal to readers who like history and learning more about what life was like in the past. This story was kind of like Alan Gratz’s books because there are multiple perspectives and historical events, but this book is meant for older readers, around 14 and up due to some language and hard topics.

One of the main ideas in this book is that life doesn’t always go your way, but we have to be okay with that. During the book, Enzo talks about his life and all the struggles he goes through, but he powers through and lives life to its fullest: “These days he doesn’t even know what’s going to happen next week. But he’s learning to be okay with that and with the idea that some things get worse before they can get better.” This book has really taught me about perseverance and that I should always keep my head up even in tough times.

Emerson Prescott was born in Fredericton, New Brunswick. While growing up, he loved reading bedtime stories, eating, and playing outside. Now, at the age of 15, he really hasn’t changed. Emerson is an active teenager who is always up to something, whether that is eating grilled cheese at 10 o’clock, playing sports with friends, or mountain biking. He lives in Fredericton with his parents and four siblings and is the second oldest in the family. In their spare time, the Prescott family enjoys bike rides, hikes, and board games. Emerson has won a provincial volleyball title five years in a row and hopes to make it six. He has also won multiple basketball banners with his middle school team. When you can’t find him, he is probably doing what he loves best: biking, building jumps, cutting grass on the ride-on mower, or shooting hoops in the driveway.