Carbó spent most of his early career developing contemporary Filipino-American literature as a genre and he is credited by scholars such as Elisabetta Marino as playing an instrumental role in its modern conception.
[3] As the capital city of the Philippines, Manila's close ties with America resulted in a heavy saturation of American pop culture and television shows like The Bionic Man, Charlie's Angels, and Star Trek which dominated his childhood.
[5] Carbó also enjoyed local Tagalog TV shows such as John N Marsha, Kulit Bulilit, and Uncle Bob's Lucky Seven Club.
[3] Between ages 7 and 10, Carbó's father would cajole him to recite Philippine national hero José Rizal's "Mi Ultimo Adios" at large dinner parties,[3] instilling in him an interest in classic literature.
During that period at Bennington College writers were getting published or signed by New York literary agents even before they graduated like Bret Easton Ellis and Donna Tartt.
'[8] The poetry's protagonist is named Ang Tunay na Lalaki (The Real Man) and he comments on New York pop culture through a Filipino-American lens.
The anthology includes poetry that recounts symbols of Filipino and Filipino-American life, such as jeepneys and cuisine, and use them as vehicles to convey the issues of their united identity.
[11] Not all reviewers appreciated the focus on English, however; Roger J. Jiang Bresnahan opposed the decision, claiming it bred disunity by ignoring their common Philippine culture.
Carbó often alludes to older Filipino works, his stories often contain historical figures,[2] continuing the literary tradition F. Sionil José established in Dusk by depicting the famous Apolinario Mabini in the novel.
In an interview with El Ghibli's Elisabetta Marino, Carbó claimed "the necessity of publishing more Filipino-related material for a world where there was no previous representation takes over the creative impulse.
His contemporary colleague Eileen Tabios's introduction serves as an artist's take on history, starkly contrasting Carbó's with her inclusion of emotion and experience as a Filipina.