ABOUT FRED RICH

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. 

Rich, who spent the first 35 years of his career as a prominent international lawyer, was recognized as “the preeminent project finance lawyer in the world” by Chambers and was named “Dealmaker of the Year” by The American Lawyer. His switch to a writing career in shocked the legal world.

His first book, a work of speculative political fiction, proved eerily prophetic  (Christian Nation, W. W. Norton, 2013). Rich warned of the rise of the so-called "alt-right" in partnership with theocratic fundamentalists. He predicted the 2016 election of a demagogic populist as president, followed by a steady erosion of democratic norms. 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, a life-long environmentalist, then turned his attention to environmental politics (Getting to Green, Saving Nature: A Bipartisan Solution, W. W. Norton, 2016). 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. The Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution called it one of the most important environmental books of the year. The book attracted widespread coverage, including being featured on PBS Newshour.

Genetic editing, with its potential to allow mankind to engineer both humanity and the natural world, was a natural segue. Rich’s eyes were opened to the under-told story of genetic editing (and its use to “de-extinct” extinct species) on the Advisory Board of The Hastings Center, the country’s most prominent bio-ethics think-thank, where scholars and practitioners debate the moral conundrums posed by health care, science, and technology. Rich pursued graduate studies in moral philosophy as a Keasby Scholar at King’s College, Cambridge, and also serves on Dean’s Advisory Committee of the Harlem-based City University of New York School of Public Health.

When not writing books, Rich operates an urban farm, serves on the boards of various environmental and performing arts organizations, and blogs. He is an amateur composer (The Hudson Oratorio, Albany Records, 1996) and gardener, and splits his time between New York City and the Hudson Valley. Rich is currently working on three books, one of which is a non-fiction exploration of America’s crisis of competence.