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The Border Simulator: Poems
A world-bending, lyrically rich poetry collection that reimagines the U.S.-Mexico border as both a real place and a living simulation—and tells the story of a pair of siblings trapped between the two
“Word coyote Gabriel Dozal is crossing borders with this story. It’s his narrative poetry discovering a new language.”—Sandra Cisneros, author of Woman Without Shame
“This crosser is a possession that someone wants but we’re not sure who
and the crosser must often possess themselves. In perpetuity”
In Gabriel Dozal’s debut collection, the U.S.-Mexico border is redefined as a place of invention; crossing it becomes a matter of simulation. The poems accompany Primitivo, who attempts to cross the border, an imaginary boundary that becomes more real and challenging as his journey progresses; and his sister, Primitiva, who lives an alternate, static life as an exploited migrant worker in la fabrica.
The tech world and bureaucracy collide, with humanity falling by the wayside, as Primitiva endures drudgery in la fabrica . “In the past our ID cards were decorative. Now we switch off with someone else, another worker who will wipe the serenade from our eyes.” With no way to escape the simulation, Primitivo and Primitiva must participate in it, scheming to gain its favor. To win, you must be the best performer in the factory, the best imitation of a citizen, the best machine.
Featuring a bilingual format for English and Spanish readers, The Border Simulator explores physical and metaphysical borders, as well as the digital divide of our modern era. With inventive imagery, spirited wordplay, and thrilling movement, these energetic poems oscillate between the harrowing and the joyful, interrogating, innovating, and ultimately redefining binaries and divisions.
“Word coyote Gabriel Dozal is crossing borders with this story. It’s his narrative poetry discovering a new language.”—Sandra Cisneros, author of Woman Without Shame
“This crosser is a possession that someone wants but we’re not sure who
and the crosser must often possess themselves. In perpetuity”
In Gabriel Dozal’s debut collection, the U.S.-Mexico border is redefined as a place of invention; crossing it becomes a matter of simulation. The poems accompany Primitivo, who attempts to cross the border, an imaginary boundary that becomes more real and challenging as his journey progresses; and his sister, Primitiva, who lives an alternate, static life as an exploited migrant worker in la fabrica.
The tech world and bureaucracy collide, with humanity falling by the wayside, as Primitiva endures drudgery in la fabrica . “In the past our ID cards were decorative. Now we switch off with someone else, another worker who will wipe the serenade from our eyes.” With no way to escape the simulation, Primitivo and Primitiva must participate in it, scheming to gain its favor. To win, you must be the best performer in the factory, the best imitation of a citizen, the best machine.
Featuring a bilingual format for English and Spanish readers, The Border Simulator explores physical and metaphysical borders, as well as the digital divide of our modern era. With inventive imagery, spirited wordplay, and thrilling movement, these energetic poems oscillate between the harrowing and the joyful, interrogating, innovating, and ultimately redefining binaries and divisions.
- GenresPoetry
240 pages, Paperback
Published August 15, 2023
6 people are currently reading
3024 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 13, 2024
essential reading for bilingual speakers and those who are even tangentially associated con la frontera, ponte las pilas y cómprale pero ayer
January 9, 2026
maybe I’m just in hater mode today… i’d give it 2.5⭐️ if I could. fell short for me, i wanted more from a collection of poems called border simulator
October 7, 2023
"Quit using the border for your writing!" But no, I'm using the language of the users of the border for my language cuffs, they fit so well on my frame.
This was a really solid collection of poems that all fit into a broader story about a brother and sister separated by the U.S. Mexico border. A very timely and personal collection. I did feel some of the poems were a bit looser and weaker than others, and while the whole "words within words" technique was interesting at first it felt kinda forced by the end. Still a good collection overall!
This was a really solid collection of poems that all fit into a broader story about a brother and sister separated by the U.S. Mexico border. A very timely and personal collection. I did feel some of the poems were a bit looser and weaker than others, and while the whole "words within words" technique was interesting at first it felt kinda forced by the end. Still a good collection overall!
January 11, 2025
Poetry is not something I would typically read in my spare time, but this option seemed somewhat interesting and relevant at first glance. I don't really identify with border crossers, but I could identify with someone who wants to draw a parallel with the whole experience potentially being a simulation. That sounds vaguely like science fiction. Anyway, I gave this one a shot.
Now having finished this, I have a few thoughts. I guess that might be the point of poetry, to evoke thought where thought otherwise might not emerge. But my first point is to wonder: is this poetry? This is similar to when I wonder whether certain music is "Metal." Nothing rhymed, words broke up mid line for no reason, indentation seemed random, there was no syllable rhythm, and the book even broke out into prose midway through anyway. Did I end up reading a novel in disguise? Perhaps. In retrospect, asking this question did help me finish the book.
The one thing that definitely makes this feel strongly like poetry is the word-play. The author continuously plays with synonyms and homonyms and makes light of how confusing English can be in light of other similar sounding words. I groaned mightily many, many times. It felt pretentious. Is this what poetry does? I do this when inhibited in my own writing and I later want to vomit on re-read. The only saving grace here is the potential presence of a point I began to derive: these border crossers only barely know these words (being Spanish speakers), and so the word-play wants to poke fun at that. The mixing in of pop culture references with this did make me laugh, but only for a brief moment before I wanted to gag again. I hope for the author's sake that point was the intent.
I did appreciate a lot of the consistent imagery here, but I also had to wonder what the plot actually was. I think there were a few twists throughout, but whether Primitivo and Primitiva were actual people or just metaphors stayed kind of nebulous for me. Perhaps that is the point, and there is nothing deeper. However, it really seems like there is something deeper here. If only I felt rewarded with deeper meanings during a paragraph re-read as I usually do with philosophy text.
The double-sided English-Spanish nature of the book was quite surprising, and the level of determination to get it done this way is very respectful. However, I was secretly hoping, even as I ignored the Spanish side of the pages, that when the English text said something in Spanish, that the Spanish side would turn around and say the same thing in English. Alas, it didn't. I certainly didn't focus enough on the right side of the book to brush up on my Spanish, and that is one reason why. It's a missed opportunity. Then again, perhaps Spanish people don't use English words in their dialogue, or the author is intentionally trying to criticize them for that. Who knows.
The most impactful thing I can say about this book is: every time I picked it up and read a few pages, I had to wonder whether the author was drunk or high or if I were too sober. I can't say I enjoyed it, but I do appreciate the effort.
Now having finished this, I have a few thoughts. I guess that might be the point of poetry, to evoke thought where thought otherwise might not emerge. But my first point is to wonder: is this poetry? This is similar to when I wonder whether certain music is "Metal." Nothing rhymed, words broke up mid line for no reason, indentation seemed random, there was no syllable rhythm, and the book even broke out into prose midway through anyway. Did I end up reading a novel in disguise? Perhaps. In retrospect, asking this question did help me finish the book.
The one thing that definitely makes this feel strongly like poetry is the word-play. The author continuously plays with synonyms and homonyms and makes light of how confusing English can be in light of other similar sounding words. I groaned mightily many, many times. It felt pretentious. Is this what poetry does? I do this when inhibited in my own writing and I later want to vomit on re-read. The only saving grace here is the potential presence of a point I began to derive: these border crossers only barely know these words (being Spanish speakers), and so the word-play wants to poke fun at that. The mixing in of pop culture references with this did make me laugh, but only for a brief moment before I wanted to gag again. I hope for the author's sake that point was the intent.
I did appreciate a lot of the consistent imagery here, but I also had to wonder what the plot actually was. I think there were a few twists throughout, but whether Primitivo and Primitiva were actual people or just metaphors stayed kind of nebulous for me. Perhaps that is the point, and there is nothing deeper. However, it really seems like there is something deeper here. If only I felt rewarded with deeper meanings during a paragraph re-read as I usually do with philosophy text.
The double-sided English-Spanish nature of the book was quite surprising, and the level of determination to get it done this way is very respectful. However, I was secretly hoping, even as I ignored the Spanish side of the pages, that when the English text said something in Spanish, that the Spanish side would turn around and say the same thing in English. Alas, it didn't. I certainly didn't focus enough on the right side of the book to brush up on my Spanish, and that is one reason why. It's a missed opportunity. Then again, perhaps Spanish people don't use English words in their dialogue, or the author is intentionally trying to criticize them for that. Who knows.
The most impactful thing I can say about this book is: every time I picked it up and read a few pages, I had to wonder whether the author was drunk or high or if I were too sober. I can't say I enjoyed it, but I do appreciate the effort.
February 6, 2026
Beautifully written and even better translated, I love the dialogue between poems and translations, the little winks from one language to another. The border is literally and figuratively there, English bleeds into Spanish and vice versa, it is quite impressive.
"The border exists
because people walk over
It's defined by those that cross Outsiders
think they shape it and they do
bind/separate
Cause some need to bind
to be separate"
It is such a wonderful and heartbreaking narrative. I am usually not drawn to poetry, and I read this for a class but I'm so glad I did. There's a certain sensibility and idk I just really liked it. It's sometimes confusing, rushed, lost, and that's precisely what makes it so good.
"The border exists
because people walk over
It's defined by those that cross Outsiders
think they shape it and they do
bind/separate
Cause some need to bind
to be separate"
It is such a wonderful and heartbreaking narrative. I am usually not drawn to poetry, and I read this for a class but I'm so glad I did. There's a certain sensibility and idk I just really liked it. It's sometimes confusing, rushed, lost, and that's precisely what makes it so good.
May 10, 2023
Ow. I am so thankful to Random House Publishing Group/One World, NetGalley, and Gabriel Dozal for granting me digital access to this captivatingly heartbreaking collection of poems, that details the ironic and hypocritical metaphors and symbolism to refugees looking to cross the MX/US border, to pursue a new life.
Not a day goes by where I don't want to bash my head in over the federalized strategies that are pushed into existence that are fueled by hate and racism, to keep people out of our country, which was stolen, colonized, and not ours from the get-go.
I feel this is very profoundly important to consume, media-wise, and I urge you to pick up a copy on August 15, 2023.
Not a day goes by where I don't want to bash my head in over the federalized strategies that are pushed into existence that are fueled by hate and racism, to keep people out of our country, which was stolen, colonized, and not ours from the get-go.
I feel this is very profoundly important to consume, media-wise, and I urge you to pick up a copy on August 15, 2023.
August 16, 2023
Day 15 of #TheSealeyChallenge 2023. The Border Simulator by Gabriel Dozal published by Random House. Spanish Translator
Natasha Tiniacos
@SealeyChallenge @gabbydozal @natiniacos @randomhouse
#thesealeychallenge2023 #sealeychallenge #poetry
Happy pub day! Insightful and impactful study of contemporary border issues.
Some of my favorite moments:
Where’s the pastfuture border?
Get on the right side of the border, the side with jobs.
The fence knows how you will cross before you even cross it.
Our Father, Halloween and Texas, how should Primitiva play her hand?
It was at the fábrica where I learned that seams last longer than me.
Natasha Tiniacos
@SealeyChallenge @gabbydozal @natiniacos @randomhouse
#thesealeychallenge2023 #sealeychallenge #poetry
Happy pub day! Insightful and impactful study of contemporary border issues.
Some of my favorite moments:
Where’s the pastfuture border?
Get on the right side of the border, the side with jobs.
The fence knows how you will cross before you even cross it.
Our Father, Halloween and Texas, how should Primitiva play her hand?
It was at the fábrica where I learned that seams last longer than me.
January 26, 2024
Cool collection. Very modern and interested in interacting with what we're all going through, whether we do or do not want to admit it (technology).
I love the juxtaposition between the border—which is not relatable to me—pressed against the software and hardware, which so is. Many readers will have to deal with that contrast.
The prose stuff dragged for me, but the poems are fun, and they get better and better as you near the end.
I love the juxtaposition between the border—which is not relatable to me—pressed against the software and hardware, which so is. Many readers will have to deal with that contrast.
The prose stuff dragged for me, but the poems are fun, and they get better and better as you near the end.
July 10, 2024
This is a collection of poetry about two people Primitivo and Primitiva who are in a simulation to cross the border. The poems really reflect on what it is like to cross the border and what it could be like with more tech. On the left page the poem is in English and the right page the poem is in Spanish. I kind of got lost in what the poem was trying to get across to the reader.
I give it 3.5 stars
I give it 3.5 stars
August 20, 2023
Tricky one to review because I appreciate that this highly conceptual poetry collection/novella was not quite my cup of tea yet still delivering powerful themes on colonialism, language, and identity. The audiobook was a wonderful way to engage with this text to alternate between hearing each poem in English and then Spanish.
September 8, 2025
"This back stands with the moment, if it can stand at all. What,
with time's weight hunching us closer and closer to the earth? til we're also part
of the earth
and only then do future crossers step on us to get here."
Great word play in this collection!!
with time's weight hunching us closer and closer to the earth? til we're also part
of the earth
and only then do future crossers step on us to get here."
Great word play in this collection!!
June 8, 2023
Just won the giveaway! Can’t wait to read!
Read
October 5, 2023Notables 2023 #82
May 3, 2024
The concept was fascinating but I dont think it was truly expressed which was a big let down. However, I really liked the idea and I think it definitely has potential
Read
December 24, 2024Funny, poignant, and haunting. Sometimes horrifying! I especially liked the audio book narrated by the author, but I also recommend having a physical copy to follow along!
March 26, 2025
Well written poetry. The emotions that the border bring are so powerful. This book provides the reader a unique window on how life functions with the border as divisive as it is.
July 30, 2024
Clever use of language.
Borders in the seams of the pants.
Fabricas along the border.
The border is a country of its own.
Setting: Texas - Mexico border
Genre: poetry, political history, non-fiction
Borders in the seams of the pants.
Fabricas along the border.
The border is a country of its own.
Setting: Texas - Mexico border
Genre: poetry, political history, non-fiction
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews