Yahya Frederickson dares again and again to step into minefields of misinterpretation where unwitting representatives of the powerful and the subdued are supposed to exchange pleasantries of co-optation in the name of world order and cultural independence. The scenes that ensue are not without humor or confusion, but it is the job of the poet to break such dehumanizing performances of difference to reach for the inviolably mutual between us. Frederickson delivers on his ambitious humanist quest with lyrical verve, narrative mastery and numerous spiritual and psychological insights. The...