Maxwells of Montreal, Volume 2
Middle and Late Years 1923–1952

This book is the second volume in Violette Nakhjavani's series on the history of the Maxwell family, and chronicles the story of one family, bonded by their love for the Baha'i Faith and for each other, committed through the decades of uninterrupted service to the promotion and establishment of that Faith worldwide. This volume is a rich tapestry of narrative and history, and includes the last Tablet May Maxwell received from 'Abdu'l-Bahá, extracts from Rúhiyyih Khánum's notebooks, sketches made by William Sutherland, and citations from letters and cables from Shoghi Effendi to members of the family which have never been transcribed before.

This volume spans the years 1923 - 1953, beginning with the early ministry of the Guardian and the pilgrimage of May and her daughter in 1923/4. It describes Mary's education as a young Bahá'í, her pilgrimage during her adolescence and the growth of the youth movement in Montreal, as well as the family's services to the Bahá'í Faith in Canada and the United States during the 1920s and 30s. It then moves to Europe, where May in France and Mary in Germany contributed to the advancement of these Bahá'í communities between 1935 and 1937. But in 1937 Mary's marriage to Shoghi Effendi changed the lives of the family forever. As Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhiyyih Khánum she would be called to extraordinary heights of service and sacrifice. The final part of this book (Late Years) gives an account of May's heroic services before her passing in Argentina in 1940, and describes Sutherland's remarkable architectural achievement as architect of the Shrine of the Báb during his final years in the Holy Land.