THIS IS A STORY of culture, religion and politics in Indonesia in the eyes of Stanley Harsha, a former United States diplomat who had a "love affair" with Indonesia for almost 30 years. Acculturated into a Javanese family through marriage, the author offers perspectives on Indonesia’s rich multicultural society and intimate views of its customs. The book explains why Indonesian Islam is tolerant and peaceful.THE BOOK COMPARES United States and Indonesian societies, two nations that today both have populist presidents, Barack Obama and Joko Widodo (Jokowi). Based on first-hand experience, the author describes Indonesia’s peaceful transition from a dictatorship to the world’s third largest democracy, critically analyzing religion, human rights and the war against terrorism.