Fred Rich is an author whose writing, both fiction and non-fiction, probes contemporary political and moral issues from a fresh perspective. That perspective is independent, non-partisan, and pragmatic. His latest book, Escape from Extinction, an Eco-Genetic Novel (Vector Books, forthcoming October 1, 2020), is a retelling of the Prometheus/Frankenstein story for the age of genetics. Scientists wielding new tools for editing DNA have the power to change the blueprint for humanity, hack evolution, re-engineer nature, resurrect extinct species, and even create entirely new forms of life. We are in what Siddhartha Mukherjee in his bestseller The Gene calls “a headlong sprint into an abyss.” Escape from Extinction uses storytelling to explore this abyss. In Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park, the intersection of avarice and scientific hubris gave us man-eating velociraptors. Here, the “monster” is an empathetic and charming de-extincted Neanderthal teenager, who many nevertheless believe presents the same threat to humanity as Crichton’s dinosaurs. His first book, Christian Nation (W.W. Norton, 2013), is a work of speculative fiction that considers the political ambitions of Christian fundamentalism in America. The novel was called "brilliant" by Richard Dawkins, "well written and persuasive" by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "required reading" by the New York Post, and "riveting, provocative reading" by Booklist. Rich's second book, Getting to Green ( W.W. Norton, 2016), tells the story of how the American environmental movement lost its way and explains how it can get back on track. The book contains a rousing call for conservatives to reconnect with their long tradition of support for conservation and for the Green movement to adopt the reforms necessary to restore bipartisan support for the environmental agenda. Rich studied public and international affairs at Princeton and moral philosophy at King's College, Cambridge, before receiving his law degree at University of Virginia Law School. He spent his law career as a partner of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, an international law firm, before leaving at the end of 2014 to devote himself full-time to writing and teaching. Fred lives and writes in both Manhattan and New York State’s inspiring Hudson Valley. He is currently working on a book about our national crisis of incompetence.