Stanley Book

This new novel STANLEY, written in fine poetic prose, was inspired by the dedicated work of Stanley Ann Dunham Soetoro in the last year of her life, and who died before her son Barack Obama became President of the United States of America. In real life, Stanley's father had wished for a boy. When she was born, he surprisingly named her Stanley. In her life, the admirable and legendary Stanley Ann Dunham Soetoro became an American Economic Anthropologist who worked diligently and with great compassion in helping the peasants of Kajar, Indonesia. Maxwell has written this novel by creating a family of villagers and friends around a woman named Stanley. We are privy to Stanley's inner most thoughts as she explores the depth of love and friendship while in search of her own identity as she is working to obtain microfinance loans to help the Indonesian cottage industries.

In this novel, Maxwell has woven a story around a loving Indonesian family, with Rachman, the village blacksmith, his wife Ndari and their children Bintang and Melati. A charming, handsome and wealthy Englishman, Kermit, as a photographer, is an important part of Stanley's documentation and soon becomes a close friend.

One chapter called The Life of a Metal tells us how with wondrous skills and craftsmanship and family pride, these dedicated peasants turn scrap metal into useful tools for agriculture in Jakarta. Stanley follows the traditions, dreams and conflicts of the family members, each with their own goals while she arranges with the foundation for recognition and financing.