Everything We Never Had: List 8

by Randy Ribay
This novel follows four generations of fathers and sons from the Filipino American Maghabol family as they struggle to survive and understand each other.

This list covers vocabulary from "Better Late than Never"–"Continental Divide."

Here are links to our lists for the book: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5, List 6, List 7, List 8, List 9.

25 words 14 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. elective
    a course that the student can select from among alternatives
    “I started college as a mechanical engineering major. Then I took one history course as an elective, and now here I am.”
  2. finality
    the quality of being definitely settled
    Linda spoke once more, her voice laced with finality.
  3. amble
    walk leisurely
    After Emil pulls in and kills the engine, everyone else ambles out, stuffed from a day spent eating mashed potatoes, a turkey his uncle had himself hunted, and a dozen other dishes.
  4. unrelenting
    not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
    If he’s learned anything from his dad’s unrelenting attempts to control his life, it’s the importance of letting people be who they are.
  5. stifle
    smother or suppress
    Chris passes his dad a section of the multicolored lights, trying to stifle his annoyance.
  6. propaganda
    information that is spread to promote some cause
    “Frankly, I’ll be surprised if you even get a passing grade. All those bits of trivia you’ve been spouting sound like Communist propaganda. If you found truly reliable, objective sources, you should also have learned about the positive things the man’s done for that country.”
  7. concede
    admit or acknowledge, often reluctantly
    “I did,” Chris says, glad that his dad is at the very least conceding this.
  8. descend
    move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
    Emil shakes his head, descends, moves the ladder, climbs back up.
  9. waver
    pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
    Chris opens his mouth to argue—but then wavers.
  10. devoid
    completely wanting or lacking
    People like him live their life in a fog, devoid of curiosity and context, isolated and deluded by the false belief that they already know all there is to know about everything, everyone.
  11. liminal
    having the nature of a transitional space, phase, or experience
    It is the subdued air of a liminal space, the look before the leap.
  12. adversary
    someone who offers opposition
    Before Leon’s threat, Emil had made up his mind to simply spend the day observing Francisco and his people’s work, keeping his mind open to the possibility that a good education might make him an ally instead of an adversary, without promising anything.
  13. anguish
    suffer great pains or distress
    Before Emil can anguish over how to react, Sammy spots him, smiles, and makes his way over.
  14. pang
    a sudden sharp feeling
    Annoyingly, Emil feels a pang of pride again.
  15. impending
    close in time; about to occur
    As the bus glides along the highway, their conversation turns away from the impending grape strike and toward life in general.
  16. quizzical
    perplexed
    Sammy grabs his bag and then shoots Emil a quizzical glance when he notices that Emil carries only a folded newspaper.
  17. oppressive
    weighing heavily on the senses or spirit
    They shuffle down the aisle and off the bus, into an open sky and an oppressive early-afternoon heat.
  18. squat
    having a low center of gravity; built low to the ground
    The sun beats down on the squat stucco building of the Filipino Hall, which is, as Sammy assured him, only a short walk from the bus station.
  19. cluster
    gather or cause to gather into a grouping of similar things
    It’s flimsy folding chairs clustered around collapsible tables, stacks of extras in the corner.
  20. permeate
    spread or diffuse through
    Sammy, no doubt, would appreciate the history that permeates this space.
  21. mundane
    found in the ordinary course of events
    He would regard it as sacred instead of mundane and would probably be taking pictures of the pictures or maybe of Emil looking at them.
  22. betray
    disappoint, abandon, or prove undependable to
    “They’re going to strike soon, so there will be many jobs. But if you take a job, then you’ll be betraying your countrymen. You’re not a traitor, are you?”
  23. dignity
    the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect
    “So I am thankful for angels like your father who continue to fight for our dignity, our lives, when everyone else would sooner forget we still exist.”
  24. disparage
    express a negative opinion of
    Emil leans back, pulling his hand away in shame at how often he’s mentally disparaged his father’s efforts.
  25. assimilate
    become like one's environment
    His white teachers and Auntie Carmen always blamed the struggles of the farmworkers on their lack of work ethic or intelligence, their refusal to assimilate, their insistence on stirring up trouble.
Created on Tue Mar 18 08:45:00 EDT 2025 (updated Mon Mar 31 17:25:53 EDT 2025)

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