NEED TO KNOW
\nAndrew McCarthy has a new book on the wayPEOPLE can exclusively reveal the cover of Who Needs Friends: An Unscientific Examination of Male Friendship Across America, which recounts the actor and author’s road trip across the U.S. to reconnect with his friendsThe book will hit stores in spring 2026<\/p>\n
When Andrew McCarthy<\/a> was asked by his son if he had friends, the question left the Brat Pack actor aghast\u00a0\u2014 and pondering the harsh reality of maintaining friendships as an adult.\u00a0<\/p>\n His son\u2019s question, and the journey to follow, would also become the basis of the actor and bestselling author\u2019s next book.<\/p>\n PEOPLE has an exclusive first look at the cover of Who Needs Friends: An Unscientific Examination of Male Friendship Across America<\/a>, out next year from Grand Central Publishing, an imprint of Hachette Book Group.<\/p>\n Who Needs Friends<\/a> charts McCarthy\u2019s \u201coften-unexpected\u201d road trips across America, to places like Appalachia, the Mississippi Delta and the Rocky Mountains, to catch up with his own friends, per the book\u2019s official synopsis.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n The cover of ‘Who Needs Friends’ by Andrew McCarthy.<\/p>\n Grand Central Publishing<\/p>\n \u201cI set out on the road to reconnect with some old friends I hadn\u2019t seen in years,\u201d McCarthy says. \u201c10,000 miles later, I\u2019d met dozens and dozens of men across the country, talking with them about one topic \u2014\u00a0the role of male friendship in their lives.\u201d\n<\/p>\n In the book, the writer also recounts his conversations with the variety of people he came across during his journey \u2014 including cowboys, musicians and teenagers \u2014 and reflects on why men have \u201ca difficult time with friendship.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I discovered really shocked me,\u201d McCarthy says.\n<\/p>\n Andrew McCarthy.<\/p>\n Jesse Dittmar<\/p>\n McCarthy is an established travel writer and author of fiction and nonfiction, including the 2017 young adult novel Just Fly Away<\/a>, the 2021 memoir Brat: An ’80s Story <\/a>and the 2023 book Walking with Sam<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n A former editor for National Geographic, McCarthy’s latter book recounts another odyssey he took: a 32-day journey across Spain with his son Sam.<\/p>\n “I’ll remember it my whole life,\u201d McCarthy previously told PEOPLE<\/a>. \u201cI hope that he will, too. It’s a thing that’s hard to forget.\u201d\n<\/p>\n The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!<\/a><\/p>\n