Andrea van de Loo’s memoir transcends the boundaries of personal narrative to become literature in its truest sense—a work that holds both the intimacy of lived experience and the scope of historical witness. Her story unfolds like a great novel: from wartime Netherlands through spiritual India to healing work in California, yet every page carries the authority of truth lived rather than imagined.
Perfect for Northern Colorado’s community of readers and book clubs, this is storytelling that invites deep reflection on how we inherit the past and choose our future.
Books available for purchase and signing.
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About the Book
Born during WWII in the Netherlands, Andrea van de Loo experienced a traumatic childhood, with her father’s past as a member of the Nazi SS casting a long shadow over her life. Despite these challenges, she embarked on an inspirational journey toward healing and self-discovery. Her search for self took her across the globe, where she found solace, purpose, and community.
Encompassing eighty years of the author’s life, The Pressing Stones guides readers through a deeply intimate and emotional journey, exploring family, relationships, sexuality, spirituality, motherhood, psychedelic therapy, addiction recovery, and the generational impacts of war. It also presents a personal portrait of life in Auroville, the “City of Dawn,” dedicated to the spiritual visions of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother.
This poignant portrayal of one woman’s courage and determination to follow her inner guidance, and overcome her childhood trauma, is a testament to consciousness and the human spirit, inspiring readers to find their own paths toward healing and fulfillment.
About the Author
Andrea van de Loo was born in the Netherlands in 1942 during WWII. She studied psychology at the University of Amsterdam before hitchhiking to India in 1971, where she met the Mother at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry. She lived in Auroville, an experimental city dedicated to human unity, until 1978, where her two daughters were born. Since 1979, Andrea has lived in Santa Cruz, CA, where she ran a healing practice until retiring in 2007. In retirement, she continues to learn from life and dedicate herself to family, friends, and sharing her memoir.