Reviews

PUSHING UPWARD / Book
By Andrea Adler
Hay House

We may all be searching for an oracle, a teacher, the way to free ourselves from our addictions or our past traumas. We do so through self-inquiry, dedication, and practice. We love to walk the path of transformation and read stories of those who have stumbled over the rocks and followed the breadcrumbs to find their way home.

Author, actress, and PR expert Andrea Adler’s debut novel Pushing Upward is an entertaining and engaging tale of transformation. Within its pages, we fall in love with her heroine Sandra Billings and watch her painstakingly consult the I Ching with a variety of decisions and questions, large and small. We cringe along with her in moments of despair, humiliation, and we rejoice with her every triumph.

The year is 1974 and Billings, a twenty-one year old aspiring actress, is striving to make her mark in LA. Her guides include the sometimes cryptic verses of the I Ching and Emma, a compassionate older woman (aptly compared in a scene at a party to Glinda the Good Witch) who is part roommate/part coach, offering Sandra gems of wisdom.

An uplifting novel that is great for leisure reading, sharing with friends, or gifting to someone in search of inspiration. Pushing Upward is well worth the time spent perusing its entertaining pages.

Reviewed by Felicia Tomasko
Editor-in-Chief LA YOGA

Andrea Adler gives readers a wonderful coming-of-age story set in the retro-70’s, when payphones were necessary, a call was 10 cents, and Batik clothing was all the rage. This is the story of Sandra Billings, a young woman striving to mature into a professional actress and reliable friend. The I Ching threads throughout the narrative, wending around numerous dysfunctional Hollywood auditions, lecherous producers, crazy dating scenarios, her best friend abandoning her acting path for a more traditional lifestyle and career, and the raw realization of her history of sexual abuse.

Within the story, Pushing Upward explains how the I Ching is used as an oracle for daily living. The story has a surprise ending, pulling all the drama together and allowing the reader to witness Sandra’s “overnight” transformation from immature wannabe starlet to serious professional. This is a story all generations of customers can appreciate.

—Allyson Gracie, Wellness Specialist, Pilates & Yoga Instructor