Women who love to read often say that one of the most satisfying experiences is diving into a good book and losing touch with time, responsibilities and the obligations of daily life. These women will also say that merely escaping into the pages of a book alone is enough for them. But the women of the Muslim Women's Book Club know that engaging in a spirited discussion, accompanied by the sharing of personal stories brings the book to life in a manner that is profoundly more fulfilling.

The Muslim Women's Book Club was founded in the Atlanta area by working mom Fara Habib in November 2009. The MWBC has 25 members, some of whom are stay at home moms and others of various professions, but each of whom enjoys reading and meeting once a month to share her thoughts. Attendance varies but there are usually 10-12 regulars who come to designated Atlanta area restaurants for the 2 to 3 hour discussions.

The MWBC is not accepting new members in order to facilitate smaller, more intimate discussions but they do encourage others to start their own book clubs as it is an easy and gratifying thing to do.

The book selections are eclectic and come from various genres including contemporary fiction, historical fiction, multicultural, and even young adult. Fara states, 'So many of the women tell me that book club has not only gotten them back into reading, but also reading different types of books that they would not normally pick up on their own.'

From a distance, the MWBC may simply seem like a collection of women who have a nerdy penchant for reading books. But look a little closer and an unexpected thing happens. You find a society of women tied together by their common understanding of a simple truth, that a book club is not merely a place to debate the merits of a book, but a sanctuary from the day-to-day drama of real life, a place to be heard and not judged.

Through the discussions of books, the members of the Muslim Women's Book Club hope, pray, dream, muse, laugh, cry, and celebrate as they navigate through the complexities of their individual lives. Indeed, the simple truth is that a good story, whether in a book or from one's own unique life, is even better when shared in the company of good friends.

Farah Khan is a full time mom of three kids and a part time dentist in the Atlanta area.

Subscribe to AtlantaMuslim.com weekly to get the latest news from the local Atlanta Muslim Community.

Sponsored by: