Interfaith Women’s Book Club Nurtures Relationships, Understanding

November 30, 2005

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

http://csmonitor.com/2005/1130/p14s02-lire.html

On November 30, 2005 The Christian Science Monitor reported, "Laughter rings out in the salmon-colored living room of the parsonage at First Church in Cambridge, Mass. More than a dozen women - Christian, Jewish, and Muslim - are sharing insights garnered from 'Gilead,' a 2004 novel about the faith and struggles of a Christian minister in Iowa. The easy camaraderie as they discuss their distinctive approaches to prayer reflects three years of monthly meetings of the Daughters of Abraham, as they call themselves. The book club has explored the realms of the three monotheistic faiths - and blossomed into comfortable relationships that reach into each other's daily lives... The club's origin... lies in the immediate anguish of Sept. 11, 2001... [Club founder Edie Howe's wanted] to start the women's book club as a first step toward improving understanding. To ensure a joint commitment, she sought out Jews and Muslims who might share her interest and held planning discussions. A group of 18 met for the first time in September 2002 and has been meeting ever since... Keeping a booklist, they vote on priorities and read a book a month, alternating among the three religions."