Everything We Never Had

From the author of the National Book Award finalist 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 un-American 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,

About the author

Randy Ribay is a Filipino American author of young adult fiction. His novel Patron Saints of Nothing was a finalist for the National Book Award and the LA Times Book Prize. Randy was also a contributor to the Printz Award–winning anthology The Collectors, edited by A. S. King. His other works include An Infinite Number of Parallel Universes, After the Shot Drops, and Chronicles of the Avatar: The Reckoning of Roku. Born in the Philippines and raised in the Midwest, Randy currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, son, and cat-like dog.

Product details

• Authors: Randy Ribay, Ribay Randy
• Publisher: Penguin Young Readers US
• Languages: English
• Age Recommendation: from age 12
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 26.08.2025
• EAN: 9780593461426
• ISBN: 978-0-593-46142-6
• No. of pages: 288
• Dimensions: 138 mm x 211 mm x 15 mm
• Subjects: Children's and young people's books; YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Family / Multigenerational, YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Historical / United States / General, Historical fiction (Children's / Teenage), People & places (Children's / Teenage), Children’s / Teenage fiction: Historical fiction, United States of America, USA, Family & home stories (Children's / Teenage), Children’s / Teenage fiction: Family and home stories, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Places and peoples, YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Asian American & Pacific Islander