Betty Mermelstein: 3 books

Teenager Karen has difficulty getting along with her mother, who does not share her love for crawling, six-legged creatures. While preparing for Thanksgiving dinner, Karen sees an image of a man when she polishes an old sterling silver spoon. She realizes that same face is in one of the photographs...

These seven short stories delve into relationships, whether they are familial, with friends, or with strangers. They ask the reader to reflect upon each relationship and hopefully relate to one or more as having had a similar experience.

Karen steps out of her mother's car onto her college campus for the first time. She didn't think she could have afforded going there, but the ruby scarab she had found for her ancestor spirits, Thomas and Margaret, was the monetary start she needed when they gave the scarab back to her to...