A holistic look at the intersection of the spiritual and scientific world, playfully cast as a primer for a final exam.

In this engaging, enormously readable debut work of nonfiction, Figueroa-Otero urges his readers to “[d]elve deeper into the concept of life as a prison created by our own mind,” in order to work their way closer to “life’s archetypal questions,” such as “Who am I? Where do I come from? Where do I go from here?” The book’s explanations of scientific facts—including the Big Bang, the nature of antimatter and dark energy, Einstein’s theory of relativity and quantum mechanics—are fluent and approachable. Its well-designed layout includes highlighted passages and eye-catching marginal illustrations. The author presents many explanations with a wry, tongue-in-cheek bemusement that underscores his doubt about some of science’s certainties. He artfully juxtaposes them with a more spiritual point of view, which centers on the essence of the universe; Figueroa-Otero initially characterizes that essence as “Love,” but quickly narrows it considerably to the love of an explicitly Christian God. The book weighs the wonders of science and nature against this divine love in which, Figueroa-Otero says, “Jesus represents the human manifestation of the Holy Spirit which is the force of Love that God left us after his Son left.” Such explications, despite frequent allusions to Jewish and Buddhist writings, will likely exclude many readers from taking this final exam, let alone passing it. But for Christian readers, the book’s concluding chapters will prove interesting, as they steadily expand the biblical dictum, “Love thy neighbor as thyself,” into a concept of “Compassionate Intelligence” that manifests when “love guides reason to the definite realization of our holographic and supportive universe.”

A friendly, stimulating Christian guide to combining thought and faith in order to live a more fulfilled life.

Indie Reader Review
SPIRITUALITY 101: For Dropouts of the School of Life
Genre: Non-Fiction
Author: Ivan Figueroa-Otero, M.D.
Rating: Three Stars
Constructed like a self-help book-cum-self-directed study complete with glossary and homework assignments, Ivan Figueroa-Otero M.D.’s SPIRITUALITY 101: For Dropouts of the School of Life is an entertaining trip towards enlightenment that attempts to demystify man’s place in relation to the universe and yes, a higher power.
Figueroa-Otero makes it clear in the opening chapters of SPIRITUALITY 101 that it’s not a book about God or even religion, per se, but rather a guided path that will help the reader to understand and harness his own spirituality. By the end of the book, Figueroa-Otero writes, he hopes that readers will have their own answers to “life’s archetypal questions: Who am I? Where do I come from? Where do I go from here?”
Though Figueroa-Otero references many religions, Christianity and Buddhism among them, SPIRITUALITY 101 is non-denominational, and approaches spirituality from a unique and scientific perspective. As “our bodies are made of up to 95% subatomic particles that are outside of time,” theorizes Figueroa-Otero, part of each of us -- e.g. our spirits -- is invisible, out of time and immortal. It’s what we do with that subatomic material that makes our lives important, and each chapter in the book is designed to bring readers nearer to their spiritual selves by developing a deeper understanding of what stands between humans and their spiritual selves.
Figueroa-Otero may not have complete mastery over his subject, and sometimes ventures off into tangents that add little to the narrative (or make little sense, such as his comparing selfish human behavior to Ricky Martin’s song “Living La Vida Loca”), but he’s an engaging writer whose interest in his subject makes it interesting to readers.
If SPIRITUALITY 101 does not completely demystify the nature of man’s spiritual journey, it’s nevertheless an interesting read.
Reviewed by J.E. Cornett for IndieReader

An immediate best-seller and with great reader's reviews, the book is a Finalist in the 2014 National Indie Excellence Awards. "Your book truly embodies the excellence that this award was created to celebrate, and we salute you and your fine work." National Indie Review.

Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going?

These are some of the questions Dr. Figueroa-Otero attemps to answer in a humble, introspective piece of self-evaluation

Spirituality 101: by Ivan Figueroa-Otero, MD (Author)

New author Ivan Figueroa-Otero, MD has embarked in a long quest of self-discovery that originates from the conflicting views of his scientific background and his religious upbringing. His first book, Spirituality 101: For the Dropouts of the School of Life, Dr. Figueroa-Otero not only dares to answer timeless questions about our spiritual nature, but humbly presents a guide to self-understanding while closing the apparent gap between the religious and scientific vision with an eclectic and original delivery.

San Juan - "In the School Of Life there are no grades or organized curriculum. Everyone comes to learn and progress in specific areas, and your lessons are structured by your daily life. It’s as if the curriculum were created while you learn. Each experience is a new opportunity to grow and develop as whole beings, and everyone decides when he or she has learned sufficiently to move on to the next course." Ivan Figueroa-Otero, MD writes a compelling book about living in a spiritual world that is so easy to understand that it becomes elegant in its simplicity. A Pediatric Surgeon for many years, Dr. Figueroa-Otero now dedicates his practice to the application of Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture for disease prevention and modifying lifestyles. He applied his abilities as a researcher and scientist to engage in a path of self discovery, and now shares his discoveries in a fun, interesting format.

"The book arises from my need to share my school of life experiences in a light textbook format. In it, I share my scholastic "lessons" for readers to try them out in a non-imposing manner, knowing they can also find alternative solutions." Dr. Figueroa-Otero wants to shed light in those areas of our spirituality that are usually ignored because they are deemed "too difficult" to handle.