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Andrew 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
When Andrew McCarthy was asked by his son if he had friends, the question left the Brat Pack actor aghast — and pondering the harsh reality of maintaining friendships as an adult.
His son’s question, and the journey to follow, would also become the basis of the actor and bestselling author’s next book.
PEOPLE has an exclusive first look at the cover of Who Needs Friends: An Unscientific Examination of Male Friendship Across America, out next year from Grand Central Publishing, an imprint of Hachette Book Group.
Who Needs Friends charts McCarthy’s “often-unexpected” 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’s official synopsis.
The cover of ‘Who Needs Friends’ by Andrew McCarthy.
Grand Central Publishing
“I set out on the road to reconnect with some old friends I hadn’t seen in years,” McCarthy says. “10,000 miles later, I’d met dozens and dozens of men across the country, talking with them about one topic — the role of male friendship in their lives.”
In the book, the writer also recounts his conversations with the variety of people he came across during his journey — including cowboys, musicians and teenagers — and reflects on why men have “a difficult time with friendship.”
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“What I discovered really shocked me,” McCarthy says.
Andrew McCarthy.
Jesse Dittmar
McCarthy is an established travel writer and author of fiction and nonfiction, including the 2017 young adult novel Just Fly Away, the 2021 memoir Brat: An ’80s Story and the 2023 book Walking with Sam.
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.
“I’ll remember it my whole life,” McCarthy previously told PEOPLE. “I hope that he will, too. It’s a thing that’s hard to forget.”
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Who Needs Friends: An Unscientific Examination of Male Friendship Across America will be published on March 24, 2026 and is now available for preorder, wherever books are sold.