Author Description

Channeling the conflict between street life and safe spaces, Twice Upon a Time tackles the question, "What does it mean to be a man?" in a hostile and gentrified world. Following the death of yet another young man in Little Lancet, Jeremiah, Emmanuel, and the boys must band together to survive the process of self-destruction and an uphill battle towards hope. From public brawls to barbershop debates, Carrero's vignettes approach the charged topics of violence, adultery, and nihilism through hip-hop and biblical reference, creating a carnivalesque mosaic of masculinity's causes and effects. At the novel's core, we hear the call to action: "Unclasp those hands and use them, God. Yes, God. I'm talking to you, God." These words strike the core of Carrero's message in Twice Upon a Time, claiming that resentment and abandonment can be overcome through creation, knowledge of self, and the bonds of brotherhood.