Who Needs Friends
An Unscientific Examination of Male Friendship Across America
Published on 24. March 2026
256 pages
978-1-5387-6896-9 (ISBN)
Description
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.
"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.
"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.
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Other editions
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Book
approx. 03/2026
Grand Central Publishing
€27.50
Not yet published
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.
