Ayn Rand's famous 1957 classic, Atlas Shrugged, has become more widely read and influential with each passing year, thanks in part to its brilliant dramatization of Rand's Objectivist philosophy and its celebration of self-reliance, integrity, rationality, and productive effort. Like any great work of literature, however, Atlas Shrugged can be intimidating. Even those who have read and re-read it may feel they have not fully appreciated its vision of life. For the neophyte and the longtime admirer alike, The World of Atlas Shrugged provides essential context, brilliant commentary and authoritative insight into the novel's literary purpose and structure.
Hello, I'm Robert Bidinotto. Thanks so much for stopping by my author page.
By way of introduction: I'm a widely published, award-winning investigative journalist, magazine editor, and author.
My first novel, "HUNTER: A Thriller," was published in late June 2011. Bridging and blending the crime and spy-fiction genres, and with a powerful love story at its heart, "HUNTER" is a unique suspense thriller. It draws upon my colorful experiences as an investigative journalist writing "true crime" books and articles. I hope you check it out here on Amazon, where it's available both as an ebook and as a trade paperback.
On November 27, 2011, "HUNTER" was selected as the #1 Kindle "Editors' Pick" and immediately skyrocketed onto the Kindle Store Bestseller List. By December 3, it had peaked at #4 overall, simultaneously becoming the #1 bestselling Kindle ebook in "Mysteries & Thrillers," "Thrillers," "Romantic Suspense," and "Spy Stories & Tales of Intrigue." "HUNTER" also landed on the Wall Street Journal's "Top 10" bestseller list in "Fiction Ebooks." As of mid-December, it had attracted more than 130 "5-star" Amazon reader reviews.
As for my previous books: I was editor of and chief contributor to the widely acclaimed "Criminal Justice? The Legal System vs. Individual Responsibility," with a Foreword by John Walsh of "America's Most Wanted." I also wrote "Freed to Kill," a compendium of horror stories that exposed the terrible failings of our legal system. Many of those hair-raising stories, as well as ones that I investigated for Reader's Digest, served as the basis for my fiction thriller, "HUNTER."
While working as a Staff Writer for Reader's Digest, I authored high-profile investigative pieces on crime and other public controversies. I'm perhaps best known for my article "Getting Away with Murder" in the July 1988 issue of the Digest. It stirred a national controversy about crime and prison furlough programs during the 1988 presidential election campaign, and is widely credited with having affected the outcome of the election. That article was honored as a 1989 National Magazine Award finalist for "Best Magazine Article of the Year in the Public Interest Category" by the American Society of Magazine Editors.
I've written and lectured widely, on many topics. My articles, essays, columns, book and film reviews have appeared in Success, Writer's Digest, The Boston Herald, The American Spectator, and other journals. I've appeared on scores of major radio and television talk shows, and I've lectured before campus, civic, business, and public affairs organizations throughout North America and in Europe.
From 2005-2008, I served as editor-in-chief of The New Individualist magazine. While editor, I was a 2007 Gold Winner of Folio's prestigious "Eddie" Award, for editorial excellence -- the magazine industry's highest honor. I also received the Free Press Association's Mencken Award for "Best Feature Story," as well as other awards and honors from the National Victim Center and victim rights organizations, for my outspoken public advocacy on behalf of crime victims.
With my wife, Cynthia, and our stridently individualistic cat, Luna, I make my home on the Chesapeake Bay. I do enjoy communicating with my readers. So please feel free to contact me through my fiction blog, "The Vigilante Author, at www.bidinotto.com; my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bidinotto; and my Twitter account at @RobertBidinotto.
I look forward to hearing from you. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy "HUNTER" and the continuing adventures in the series.
