“What did you say?” she asks across the table. “Did you say cheese and muffins?” “What?” I laugh. “Cheese and muffins? No, I didn’t say...

There is no escaping the similarities between us. Mom and I look alike. We dress alike. (We both wore blue dresses on Rosh Hashanah, and...

What must it seem like to outsiders—that foul mouth, the anger, the obstinacy? Yes, it’s embarrassing to hear Mom lash out verbally at...