“Pushing Upward”

Sandra, a 21-year-old Asian-American girl is being tested by a very challenging year as she chases her dream of acting in today’s LA. She stumbles upon the I CHING, learns it, and uses it as a GPS to help her in all things: finding a safe place to live she can afford, navigating a love affair, beating back the memories of a tough childhood, and a rape. This leads her to an unlikely haven as she moves in with an 80-year-old German Jewish woman, and both their lives grow and change as they help each other in this comedic and dramatic tale.

Sandra lost her American Dad and Chinese Mom when she was only four and was raised by uncaring relatives on her father’s side with no connection at all to her Asian heritage, but by the end of this tumultuous year, she . . . . No spoilers, but yes, her full heritage is embraced.

Andrea Adler’s book (available on Amazon) takes place in the seventies when she herself lived some of this tale, but now, with hopes of taking it to the screen, we want to embrace the present with diversity and #MeToo and all of the tumultuous right-now.