Brat Packer Andrew McCarthy publishes thoughtful worldly memoir

Who knew the guy from Mannequin could be so existential? Actor and 80's heartthrob Andrew McCarthy, known for his roles in The Breakfast Club, St. Elmo's Fire, and the (clunky and moralistic) adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' Less Than Zero spoke to NPR earlier this week about his new...book?

?Like fellow 80's icon Molly Ringwald, McCarthy has also turned to a life of belles lettres, signified by the release of his new book The Longest Way Home: One Man's Quest for The Courage To Settle Down. Part memoir, part travelogue, The Longest Way Home chronicles a trip around the world that McCarthy took before wedding his then-fiancee (now-wife), and the eventual exorcism of the anxieties that plagued him throughout his life that resulted. As McCarthy told Celeste Headlee, "I think the main thing travel does is obliterate fear. [...] That Mark Twain line, 'Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness,' is absolutely true in my opinion."

McCarthy also recently sat down with comedian/writer/cultural critic Julie Klausner on her podcast How Was Your Week? to discuss The Longest Way Home and the pitfalls of being a Brat-Packer. You can listen to the full podcast here.