We Need to Hang Out - Billy Baker

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⭐ 6.5/10

(Originally written by Magdalene)

Baker is a journalist who was asked to write an article about the loneliness epidemic amongst middle-aged American men, which forced him to realize that he fit the profile himself exactly. He explores the reasons why he hasn't seen his friends, some of the research about men and friendships, and what he does to try to fix the situation.

I will read pretty much any book about friendship, and I liked that this one focused on male friendships. I think he had a lot of really interesting insights, and I liked seeing what worked and what didn't when he tried to make changes. My main complaint is that this book is very narrow in scope. It seems to be only about white cis hetero men - he doesn't address how race, sexuality, class, gender identity, etc. affect friendship. I just wanted more out of it. I do still think it would be helpful, though, for white straight men who might also be wondering what happened to their friendships.

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