Author: Edward Ortiz

Book Review: Think Again

“The purpose of learning isn’t to affirm our beliefs; it’s to evolve our beliefs.” (p. 26) Photo by Ed Ortiz Think Again by Adam Grant was an interesting read, but I’m a bit on the fence, so to speak, about this book. It offered a lot of good insights about reframing the way we make … Continue reading Book Review: Think Again →

Book Review: COMBEE – Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom during the Civil War

Photo by Ed Ortiz Last year, I attended the Printers Row Lit Fest, an annual book fair and literary festival held in Chicago. While there, I listened to Edda L. Fields-Black speak about her book Combee and her ancestors. It was a very powerful talk that led me to purchase the book. Combee: Harriet Tubman, … Continue reading Book Review: COMBEE – Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom during the Civil War →

Twenty-Three Years Later, Still in Love

“When love exists, nothing else matters—not life’s predicaments, not the fury of the years, not a physical winding down or scarcity of opportunity.” — Isabel Allende This past weekend, we celebrated our wedding anniversary—23 years that feel like yesterday. We met in college in 1993, so we’ve known each other for over 30 years. It’s … Continue reading Twenty-Three Years Later, Still in Love →

Reflections on the Integrity of Life: A Day at the University of Chicago

Last Thursday, I attended a wonderful conference at the University of Chicago called “Religion and Responsibility: Moral Reflection in a Global Age.” It was a two-day conference, but I decided to attend only the first day—specifically the first three lectures—because that was all the time I had. The conference was sponsored by the Divinity School, … Continue reading Reflections on the Integrity of Life: A Day at the University of Chicago →

Where Have All the Men Gone? The Urgent Case for Male Mental Health Professionals

Back in November 2024, I reviewed the book Of Boys and Men by Richard V. Reeves. He studies the reasons men are falling behind women with respect to education, and he emphasizes the need for men to begin transitioning into fields traditionally dominated by women—what he calls HEAL jobs (health, education, administration, and literacy). Pamela … Continue reading Where Have All the Men Gone? The Urgent Case for Male Mental Health Professionals →

Swim Tests Don’t Belong in College Graduation

I recently read an article titled "Making waves on campus: A once-proud tradition is becoming awkward for elite universities" in The Economist about swim test requirements at some U.S. universities as a condition for graduation. I didn’t know that this was a requirement at institutions like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cornell University, and Columbia … Continue reading Swim Tests Don’t Belong in College Graduation →

Book Review: The Complete Writings of Phillis Wheatley

Photo by Ed Ortiz - Book and Hot Puerto Rican Coffee in My Taíno-Inspired Mug I finished reading The Complete Writings of Phillis Wheatley over the weekend, and I really enjoyed reading her poems and learning more about her life. Most importantly, I learned that people often think less of others when they make no … Continue reading Book Review: The Complete Writings of Phillis Wheatley →