Likely Stories - Everything We Never Had

While I’m sure I would have loved the book if I’d read it on paper, the audiobook has four narrators, one for each generation, and their voices greatly enriched the experience.

There’s Francisco Maghabol, who immigrates to California from the Philippines in the nineteen twenties to earn more money and have a better life. He becomes a labor activist after experiencing the viciousness of the white mob during the Watsonville riots in January of nineteen thirty. Francisco’s activism takes him away from his family for long stretches, and his American-born son, Emil, resents the attention he lavishes on an abstract ideal, leaving Emil to help support his mom while navigating the daily racism he experiences in the Stockton, California of the ninteen-sixties.

Emil vows that, rather than stir up trouble, he will excel academically, do whatever it takes to succeed and prove he is an American, and provide his son, Chris, with everything he never had. He’ll also make sure his son doesn’t turn out like Francisco by cutting off any discussion of their Filipino heritage, and insisting that Chris focus on his studies and stay out of sports (or any extracurriculars) so he, too, can become a successful engineer. Of course, anyone who has ever had a teenager can foresee how any effort at total control is going to play out, and the unfolding of their relationship in nineteen-eighties Denver, Colorado goes about as well as you’d think.

Chris, in his turn, vows that he will ensure that his son, Enzo, knows all about his heritage and gets to decide for himself who he is and wants to be. Enzo, though, struggles with anxiety and can’t stop thinking about how many terrible things are happening in the world that he’s powerless to change. When the COVID-nineteen pandemic hits, Chris invites Emil to move out of his nursing facility into their small Philadelphia home. To the extent the book has a main viewpoint, it’s Enzo’s as he slowly gets to know his Lolo Emil and tries to bring about a reconciliation between Emil and Chris.

But the novel’s real arc interweaves their stories, illustrating how each man’s struggles with his identity and masculinity have impacted their father-son dynamics. Personally, I found Emil the least sympathetic, probably because he seemed the most emotionally constipated (not without reason, but still). However, he and Chris both really needed to come to terms with the fact that anger is also an emotion. A surprise favorite character was Enzo’s best friend Kyle; the true friendship and support those two share is lovely. Everything We Never Had doesn’t have a Hallmark ending, but it confronts important issues with compassionate clarity and hope grounded in deep love. Just…keep the tissues handy.

RECENT EPISODES OF LIKELY STORIES

Likely Stories - The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo

Have you contemplated spring cleaning? When this bug hit me, I turned to the grand-master cleaner, Marie Kondo, for inspiration. This best-selling author has sold 9 million copies of her classic book: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up – the Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. Ok, add me, Maggie McCarthy, to the ranks of readers as I set out on my decluttering journey with this instructive read.

Likely Stories - Only God Can Judge Me: The Many Lives of Tupac Shakur by Jeff Pearlman

I'm Kevin Tankersley and this is likely stories on KWBU. I first learned about the book 'Only God Can Judge Me: The Many Lives of Tupac Shakur' when I heard the author Jeff Pearlman on 'The Pete Sousa Show' podcast last year. I knew of Pearlman from his writings at Sports Illustrated and ESPN. He was a sports guy. Why would he be talking about Tupac?

Likely Stories - Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle

I can remember a number of truly incredible meals in my life, whether cooked for me at home or in restaurants locally or while traveling. Some of the food stands out in my mind: a perfectly-cooked piece of meat, a well-crafted cocktail, a side dish that pairs perfectly with the entree, a dessert that caps off the wonderful meal. But in all those epicurean events, what I recall most are the people with me around the table, loved ones sharing a gustatory experience always seems more important than the food itself.

Likely Stories - A Short History of a Small Place by T.R. Pearson

"Some books stay with you for decades. For me, that’s A Short History of a Small Place by T.R. Pearson. First published in 1985, it’s a funny, Southern tale of Neely, North Carolina, told through the eyes of young Louis Benfield, Jr. From quirky townsfolk to a chimpanzee companion, the story blends humor and heart in unforgettable ways. I first heard it on The Radio Reader in 1986—and I’ve never forgotten it."

Likely Stories - The Madwomen of Paris by Jennifer Cody Epstein

Imagine being punched in the ovaries to bring on a fit.This is The Madwomen of Paris by Jennifer Cody Epstein, which was inspired by the dark history of the Salpêtrière asylum in the 1880s.

Likely Stories - Killers of a Certain Age

I am a huge James Bond fan, and never missed an episode of Charlie’s Angels as a pre-teen growing up. A story about women my age who could still fight, run, plan, take action, and do all the things they did in their early years really appealed to me.

Likely Stories - My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

The book that I'm reviewing today is challenging. It was an unsettling read, and I thought about it for weeks after I finished it. I hesitated to recommend it on Likely Stories. But these difficult books catch our attention for a reason, they are important to talk about and examine.

Likely Stories - American Road Trip by Patrick Flores-Scott

War is hell. And what comes after war, when soldiers return home, is often its own version of torment, one that takes exceptional patience and grace from everyone--those who love the soldiers as well as the soldiers themselves.

Likely Stories - Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live by Susan Morrison

I’ve been reading a lot about Saturday Night Live lately, for a couple of reasons. First, I talk about the show when I cover the history of television in my Introduction to Mass Communication class at Baylor, and I like to keep up with what’s going on with SNL. Second, Saturday Night Live just celebrated its 50th anniversary, so there’s been plenty written about it in the last year or so.

Likely Stories - The Celebrants by Steven Rowley

In nineteen-ninety-five, five college friends, distraught over the suspected suicide of their friend and haunted by the question “would Alec have died had he known how much he was loved?” enter into a lifelong pact to hold living funerals.