It is a little past three in the morning on a foggy, Seattle Sunday, but a group of women are already armed and ready with a carpool list, tea, and that month's novel tucked under their arms, in anticipation of their monthly gathering of the Mind, Body, Soul (MBS) club at the Ismaili Center in Seattle, Washington.
“Mind, Body, Soul isn't just a book club,” said Shairose Gulamani, founder of the club. “In 2008, I realised that I used to read maybe two books a month when I was young. And how I barely read or did anything for myself anymore.”
Book club members gather at a book signing event. (L to R: Shabina Premji, Zahra Dedhar, Shyna Dhanani and Shairose Gulamani.). Courtesy of Shairose GulamaniFurthermore, Shairose felt that she needed to take a wholesome approach to her life by focusing on her physical and spiritual wellbeing as well. “That was a New Year's resolution,” she explained.
Since the inception of MBS in February 2009, the club's self-motivated Ismaili women – whose ages range from 24 to over 50 – meet every first Sunday of the month to discuss books as varied and diverse as the women in the group. “We start with meditation and prayers in the morning at Jamatkhana, then go for a two to four mile walk to take in the sunrise.”
After that, the group heads to a nearby coffee shop, restaurant, or someone's generously-offered home, for breakfast and a discussion of the themes, lessons, emotions, journeys, and adventures in the book of the month. The club has discussed books ranging from novels, to biographies, to books on spirituality, and anything in between.
“We started with Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne about a young boy's experiences of the Holocaust,” recounts Shairose, “and after that the group started voting on which books to read each month. The requests list is now large enough to last us until 2012.”
MBS gals, Fauzia Karmali and Zahra Dedhar, engrossed in a discussion of Mitch Albom's, “Have a Little Faith”. Courtesy of Shairose GulamaniZahra Dedhar, an avid member – who has not yet missed a single gathering – says sharing thoughts and experiences about a book in a group is a great vehicle for community members to learn about the world, as well as each other. “If I had to pick one book, my favourite would be Beneath a Marble Sky, but each book – Lemon Tree, a story about the Palestinian conflict and refugee situation or Mountains Beyond Mountains, the story of Paul Farmer, a doctor working for equal healthcare in Haiti – has taught us something.”
But let's face it: It must be hard for a group of busy women (many of whom are working professionals or mothers – some both) to wake up on a weekend morning with such ambitious activities. Zahra admits that it can be a challenge, and the group's attendance fluctuates every now and then, ranging from 6 – 12 women at times. “We carpool so that there's pressure and responsibility to show up,” she adds. But once Zahra is up and on her way, it is as if the promise of all there is to gain in the early morning gives her energy for the rest of her day.
In addition to their regular gatherings, the club members have had phone and face-to-face conversations with some of the authors whose books they have enjoyed. In December 2008, they met with Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea, and were pleasantly surprised to learn about the author's association with the Aga Khan Development Network and his high regard for the Ismaili community. The group also hopes to read Mortenson's new book Stones Into Schools.
Shairose is busy scheduling events for the rest of the year. “We have a 24-hour retreat planned at a hotel nearby for the ladies in celebration of our first year!” she says.
Members of the Mind, Body, Soul book club gather for a group photograph. The club has become an important part of Seattle's Ismaili community. Courtesy of Shairose GulamaniShe feels that the Mind, Body, Soul book club is an easy model for others to replicate, provided the members adhere to the assigned times each month and not compromise that stability for any reason. The club has steadily become an important part of Seattle's Ismaili community, where its members take unexpected and fulfilling journeys – in mind via books to faraway places, in body to better health, and in soul to higher realms.
Three steps to setting up your own book club
Want to know how to go about setting up your own book club? Shairose Gulamani shares three easy steps:
STEP 1: Make the idea to start a book club a personal goal and be committed to it.
The more vested you are in the idea of starting a book club and your reading journey, the more likely you are to make it happen. MBS was borne out of Shairose's New Year resolution to read, walk, and pray more.
“I liked the idea of combining all three goals and executing it once a month,” she says. When she pitched her idea to a few friends, some were enthusiastic, while others were skeptical. Ultimately, the idea caught on because Shairose did not give up. “I was determined to follow through with it” she says, “and hoped that at least one other person would join me each month.”
STEP 2: Set up a consistent meeting schedule and stick to it.
Consistency is the key. From the start, Shairose picked a time (the first Sunday morning of every month) and adhered to it. There were requests along the way to adjust the time or day of the week but Shairose remained committed to the original idea. “By staying focused, I had to trust that people would join in when they could and if they wanted to,” she says.
STEP 3: Keep the excitement alive through constant email communications and plan ahead for each session.
MBS members stay in touch throughout the month and know what to expect at each month's session. “Part of the success of MBS,” says Shairose, “is due to the constant communication that happens multiple times during the month.” After each session, a summary is sent out to keep members energised and excited about the next session. Each member is thanked and acknowledged, and details of the next month's book is provided.
“Two weeks before the meeting, I send another email reminding the members of our upcoming session, asking them about their progress and whether they are enjoying the book for that month,” adds Shairose.
Beyond these three steps, the leader of the book club plays a critical part in its success. “It is vital that you act as a role model by attending each session, reading each month's book and guiding the discussion as needed,” she says. “If members see that you are committed, they will be more likely to attend and participate each month.”
