How to Kill a Goat and Other Monsters

One is never sure who the monsters are in these poems, only that the narrator desperately doesnt want to be one. In his brilliant debut collection, HernÁndez explores grief, loss, identity, lineage, and belonging with grace, insight, and compassion. 

These pages are infused with comfort, with desire, with heartache. Never absent is love, family. HernÁndezhyperaware of American societys dismissal or hatred of people who look like himwrites with a refreshing confidence, a sure knowledge of who he is and where he comes from. Transcending any particular experience, this volume will continue to resonate with multiple readings.

he says I deserve someone who will love me the way 

I love him. I want to kiss him, tell him love isnt measured.

I squeeze his hand instead, afraid of the thought of anyone looking at us 

from the outside of my car.

Excerpt from Defying the Dangers of Being See more