Who Needs Friends
An Unscientific Examination of Male Friendship Across America
Published on 24. March 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
384 pages
978-1-5387-8321-4 (ISBN)
Description
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER
A moving and provocative exploration of male friendship and loneliness, from New York Times bestselling author, filmmaker, and actor Andrew McCarthy as he crisscrosses the country to reconnect with his friends.
"[A] soulful book, filled with the kind of bighearted, amiable characters who one hopes will populate any road trip." - New York Times
“You don’t really have any friends, do you, Dad?”
A seemingly innocuous, if direct, question from Andrew McCarthy’s son left him reeling. McCarthy did have friends, but like so many other men, the necessities of modern adult life had forced his friendships to the background. At one point his friends had been instrumental in broadening his horizons, bolstering his courage, providing safe harbor. Now, McCarthy found himself questioning what had happened to those friendships, whether he needed them, what he valued, and what he had to offer. A simple question had become a moment that demanded a reckoning.
Who Needs Friends charts McCarthy’s journey over nearly ten thousand miles behind the wheel, following him on often-unexpected travels through Appalachia, the Mississippi Delta, the Chihuahuan Desert, the Rocky Mountains with one driving purpose: to reconnect. Along the way he talks to countless men about their male friendships, from cowboys and blues musicians to preachers and rootless teens. What began as a simple desire to catch up with a few friends turned into a deep exploration of the challenges and rewards that men experience in forming bonds with each other.
In McCarthy’s own words, “It turns out that guys have a difficult time with friendship.” But that’s not the way it needs to be.
A moving and provocative exploration of male friendship and loneliness, from New York Times bestselling author, filmmaker, and actor Andrew McCarthy as he crisscrosses the country to reconnect with his friends.
"[A] soulful book, filled with the kind of bighearted, amiable characters who one hopes will populate any road trip." - New York Times
“You don’t really have any friends, do you, Dad?”
A seemingly innocuous, if direct, question from Andrew McCarthy’s son left him reeling. McCarthy did have friends, but like so many other men, the necessities of modern adult life had forced his friendships to the background. At one point his friends had been instrumental in broadening his horizons, bolstering his courage, providing safe harbor. Now, McCarthy found himself questioning what had happened to those friendships, whether he needed them, what he valued, and what he had to offer. A simple question had become a moment that demanded a reckoning.
Who Needs Friends charts McCarthy’s journey over nearly ten thousand miles behind the wheel, following him on often-unexpected travels through Appalachia, the Mississippi Delta, the Chihuahuan Desert, the Rocky Mountains with one driving purpose: to reconnect. Along the way he talks to countless men about their male friendships, from cowboys and blues musicians to preachers and rootless teens. What began as a simple desire to catch up with a few friends turned into a deep exploration of the challenges and rewards that men experience in forming bonds with each other.
In McCarthy’s own words, “It turns out that guys have a difficult time with friendship.” But that’s not the way it needs to be.
More details
Edition
(Onix), on Demand ed.
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
Little, Brown & Company
Edition type
Large type / large print edition
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 208 mm
Width: 138 mm
Thickness: 33 mm
Weight
410 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5387-8321-4 (9781538783214)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Andrew McCarthy is the author of four books, Walking with Sam: A Father, a Son, and Five Hundred Miles Across Spain, Brat: An '80s Story, Just Fly Away, and The Longest Way Home — all New York Times best sellers. He is an award-winning travel writer and served for a dozen years as an editor-at-large at National Geographic Traveler. Best known as an actor for the past four decades, Andrew has appeared in such iconic films as Pretty in Pink and Less Than Zero. He lives in New York.