{"product_id":"the-border-simulator-isbn-9780593447291","title":"The Border Simulator","description":"\u003cb\u003eA 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\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e“Word coyote Gabriel Dozal is crossing borders with this story. It’s his job: narrative poetry discovering a new language.”—Sandra Cisneros, author of \u003ci\u003eWoman Without Shame\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e“This crosser is a possession that someone wants but we’re not sure who\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eand the crosser must often possess themselves. In perpetuity”\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 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. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe tech world and bureaucracy collide, with humanity falling by the wayside, as Primitiva endures drudgery in \u003ci\u003ela fabrica\u003c\/i\u003e. “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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFeaturing a bilingual format for English and Spanish readers, \u003ci\u003eThe Border Simulator\u003c\/i\u003e 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 job: narrative poetry discovering a new language. We, the readers, are the customs agent. Will we let it cross? It’s the poet’s job to smuggle this story to us, to issue it papers, without us realizing it. ‘Language is expensive, \/ silence is expensive.’ In the end, Dozal’s poetry asks: Which side of the fence are you on?”\u003cb\u003e—Sandra Cisneros, author of \u003ci\u003eWoman Without Shame\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A new technology altogether—one that undoes the fabrication of the border so that we may see clearly all its violences \u0026amp; stories \u0026amp; teeth . . . Dozal’s poems are urgent\/insurgent \u0026amp; will stick with me for a long time.”\u003cb\u003e—José Olivarez, author of \u003ci\u003ePromises of Gold\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“This multilingual romp that Dozal and Tiniacos have given us is so smart and savvy in its multivalent, trailblazing, translational forms, so adept in its deadly playful linguistic experimentation, in its many genres of detainment. This book is a one-of-a-kind stunner.”\u003cb\u003e—Daniel Borzutzky, National Book Award–winning author of \u003ci\u003eThe Performance of Becoming Human\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Brilliant, ambitious . . . This collection goes far beyond reimagining the U.S.-Mexico border and asks us to reckon with how technology simulates a border between insiders and outsiders, gamifying our distrust. . . . A wild Choose Your Own Adventure for the twenty-first century.”\u003cb\u003e—Leigh Stein, author of\u003ci\u003e What to Miss When\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Finally, an epic, capable of detecting the minutest spectral workings of border history in the making, stands before us. . . . A masterpiece of structurally interlocking new fables . . . It is a literary spectrometer of social possibilities. As Dozal puts it, ‘Where’s the pastfuture border?’”\u003cb\u003e—Rodrigo Toscano, author of \u003ci\u003eExplosion Rocks Springfield\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eGabriel Dozal\u003c\/b\u003e is from El Paso, Texas. He received his MFA in poetry from the University of Arizona. His work appears in \u003ci\u003ePoetry \u003c\/i\u003emagazine,\u003ci\u003e Guernica, Bomb Magazine, The Iowa Review, The Brooklyn Rail, The Literary Review, Hunger Mountain, The Volta, Contra Viento,\u003c\/i\u003e and more.\u003cb\u003eBorder vs\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Border Simulator (like the real border) was made up\u003cbr\u003eof narratives that passed inspection, ports of entry÷ poems\u003cbr\u003ethat have artificial rivers have brother and sister\u003cbr\u003estream down holographic mountains in an attempt to reach\u003cbr\u003ethe lower valley’s work floor.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis brother and sister duo,\u003cbr\u003ePrimitivo and Primitiva,\u003cbr\u003eare parts of a border\u003cbr\u003estory that exist vs invented ones,\u003cbr\u003eand the stories are looking for work!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrontera vs\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEl simulador de fronteras (como la verdadera frontera) fue hecho\u003cbr\u003ede narraciones que pasaron la inspección, puertos de entrada÷ poemas\u003cbr\u003eque tienen ríos artificiales tienen hermano y hermana\u003cbr\u003etorrente entre montañas holográficas en un intento de alcanzar\u003cbr\u003eel piso de trabajo del valle inferior.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEste dúo de hermano y hermana,\u003cbr\u003ePrimitivo y Primitiva,\u003cbr\u003eson partes de una historia\u003cbr\u003ede frontera que existe vs las inventadas,\u003cbr\u003e¡y las historias están en busca de trabajo!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Work of the Border Is Clean Up and Dry Cleaning\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGuess my weight, Primitivo; guess what size shirt I wear.\u003cbr\u003eI know the weight of your Daewoo, Primi.\u003cbr\u003eUs Customs already have the answers to the questions\u003cbr\u003e:\u003cbr\u003eWhere did Primitivo and Primitiva come from?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen is Primitivo a past version of himself?\u003cbr\u003eWhen is Primitivo a future version?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhere’s the pastfuture border?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is what Primitivo is searching for, the elusive present moment.\u003cbr\u003eA moment covered in snow\u003cbr\u003ecap lard. Did you make this snowcapped moment, Primitivo?\u003cbr\u003eYou’ve never even seen snow, how could you?\u003cbr\u003eOr did us Customs lard up the moment? You tell us, Primitivo.\u003cbr\u003eThat’s the quiz at the port of entry. He’s not sure\u003cbr\u003ewhat’s on the other side but he knows it’s better than his real job.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGet on the right side of the border, the side with jobs.\u003cbr\u003eYou’re on the wrong side of the border AND the wrong side of \u003cbr\u003ehistory, Primi.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eEl trabajo de la frontera es limpiar y lavar al seco \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAdivina mi peso, Primitivo; adivina la talla de la camisa que llevo. \u003cbr\u003eSé cuánto pesa tu Daewoo, Primi. \u003cbr\u003eNosotros Aduanas ya tenemos las respuestas a las preguntas.\u003cbr\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e¿De dónde vienen Primitivo y Primitiva? \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e¿Cuándo es Primitivo una versión pasada de sí mismo? \u003cbr\u003e¿Cuándo es Primitivo una versión futura? \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e¿Dónde está la frontera pasadafutura? \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEsto es lo que Primitivo busca, el momento elusivo del presente. \u003cbr\u003eUn momento pico nevado \u003cbr\u003ede manteca. ¿Sentiste como manteca este momento, Primitivo? \u003cbr\u003eNunca has visto la nieve, ¿cómo podrías? \u003cbr\u003e¿O nosotros, Aduanas, enmatecamos el momento? Tú dinos, Primitivo. \u003cbr\u003eEsa es la prueba en el puerto de entrada. Él no está seguro de \u003cbr\u003equé es lo que hay del otro lado, pero sabe que es mejor que su \u003cbr\u003etrabajo verdadero. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePonte en el lado correcto de la frontera, el lado con trabajos. \u003cbr\u003eEstás en el lado incorrecto de la frontera Y el lado incorrecto de \u003cbr\u003ela historia, Primi.With a Spanish translation by Natasha Tiniacos","brand":"One World","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46300444197093,"sku":"NP9780593447291","price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780593447291.jpg?v=1767738496","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-border-simulator-isbn-9780593447291","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}