Brat

An '80s Story

By: Andrew McCarthy

Narrated by: Andrew McCarthy

From an actor and director who got his start as a Brat Pack member, an emotionally poignant memoir, perfect for fans of Patti Smith's Just Kids and Rob Lowe's Stories I Only Tell My Friends. The inspiration for the Hulu documentary.

Everyone knows Andrew McCarthy from his iconic movie roles in Pretty in Pink, St. Elmo's Fire, Weekend at Bernie's, and Less than Zero. A member of the legendary Hollywood Brat Pack (including Rob Lowe, Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, and Demi Moore), his filmography has come to represent both a genre of film and an era of pop culture.

In Brat, McCarthy focuses on that singular moment in time. The result is a revealing look at coming of age in a maelstrom, reckoning with conflicted ambition, innocence, addiction, and masculinity. 1980s New York City is brought to vivid life in these pages, from scoring loose joints in Washington Square Park to skipping school in favor of the dark revival houses of the Village–where he fell in love with the movies that would change his life.

Filled with personal revelations of innocence lost to heady days in Hollywood with John Hughes and an iconic cast of characters, Brat is a surprising and intimate story of an outsider caught up in a most unwitting success.

Critic reviews

PRAISE FOR ANDREW MCCARTHY

"Soulful and searching . . . McCarthy's prose shines with intelligence and intimacy . . . A long, strange trip on the direction of full-throttle love."—Cheryl Strayed, New York Times Book Review

"McCarthy ponders some of the biggest and most frightening questions surrounding intimacy: How does a loner connect? How does a traveler settle down? How do we merge into families without losing ourselves? The answer seems to be that all these things are impossible...and yet somehow we do it anyway. There is much to be learned, and much to be admired, in this elegant, thoughtful story."—Elizabeth Gilbert, bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love

"A candid, touching, and often humorous new memoir."—San Francisco Chronicle

"Combining the best aspects of Paul Theroux's misanthropy in books like Old Patagonian Express and Elizabeth Gilbert's emotions in Eat, Pray, Love, this book is hard to put down. Bound to be popular, this compelling and honest chronicle will not disappoint readers."—Library Journal

"Andrew McCarthy treks from Baltimore to the Amazon, exploring his commitment issues as fearlessly as he scales Mount Kilimanjaro."—Elle

"Brave and moving. . . McCarthy's keen sense of scene and storytelling ignites his accounts...[t]hreaded with an exemplary vulnerability and propelled by a candid exploration of his own life's frailties."—National Geographic

"This is not some memoir written by an actor who fancies himself a world traveler. McCarthy really is a world traveler - and a damned fine writer, too...To readers who think, "Andrew McCarthy? Really?" the answer is a resounding and emphatic yes. Really."—Booklist

"Rarely have I seen the male psyche explored with such honesty and vulnerability. This is the story of a son, a father, a brother, a husband, a man who finds the courage not only to face himself, but to reveal himself, and, in so doing, illuminates something about what it is to be human, fully alive, and awake."—Dani Shapiro, author of Devotion

"It's hard to write books that are both adventurous and touching, but Andrew McCarthy manages to pull it off and more! A smart, valuable book."—Gary Shteyngart, bestselling author of Super Sad True Love Story and Absurdistan

"Where lesser writers might reach for hyperbole and Roget to describe such exotic lands as Patagonia, Kilimanjaro and Baltimore, in The Longest Way Home, McCarthy leans on subtlety, a straightforward style and hard-won insights to allow his larger stories to unfold. It's not hard to imagine him as the solitary figure in the café, scribbling in a notebook by candlelight, making the lonely, tedious work of travel writing look romantic and easy."—Chuck Thompson, author of Better Off Without 'Em and Smile When You're Lying

Rationalizations

McCarthy lived the rarest of existences: Fame that preceded itself. Singularly ill-prepared for being a professional actor, McCarthy spends a lot of time in the book coloring his past by rationalizing his actions and the actions of others. He recycles several phrases throughout the text, and after a while, they lose any meaning. The book is neither a tell-all Hollywood gossip nor a technical examination of process. It's a lot of, "I was kind of a jerk, but got the job anyway". What purpose do such statements serve?

Loved it!

Well-written and read. I’ve always been a fan of Andrew McCarthy, and this book did not disappoint. It brought back a lot of great memories. I highly recommend this for anyone who is a fan of 80s movies :)

Truth be Told

Loved listening to Andrew tell his side of the story in such a truthful way and around his struggles with anxiety and fame.

Eh....not very interesting.....

Love his movies but his life story came across pretty whiney and flat. Not many interesting tidbits. Not very likable either.

Evolution of an Adult Who Just Happened to be Famous

Andrew shows great insight with respect to his evolution as a human being throughout the book, and also opens a window on the world that actors truly live in - warts and all!