Welcome to the online press kit for Barnet Bain

Barnet Bain, Producer of an Oscar-Winning Film, Writes New Book: ‘How to Be a Friend (In an Unfriendly World)’

Originally developed from his Columbia University master’s course for psychologists, the book grew out of real conversations about how we connect, listen, and stay kind, even when it’s not easy.

Award-winning Filmmaker Barnet Bain is known for beloved movies such as the Oscar-winning “What Dreams May Come,” Emmy nominee “Homeless to Harvard” (Outstanding TV Movie), Eckhart Tolle’s “Milton’s Secret,” and “Jesus,” translated into 2,245 languages and often cited as the most widely seen film in history by The New York Times. In Bain’s new book, "How to Be a Friend (In an Unfriendly World)" (Wiley, Dec. 9, 2025), he shows how to stay open-hearted in a divided world. After all, many of us are asking ourselves, “What happened to civility today?”

“Friending is how we practice love in public. It’s the soft skill that holds everything else together.” - Barnet Bain

Making Connection Possible Again

Originally developed from Barnet Bain’s Columbia University master’s course for psychologists, "How to Be a Friend (In an Unfriendly World)" grew out of real conversations about how we connect, listen, and stay kind, even when it’s not easy. It’s not about fixing people or performing kindness. It’s about remembering how to be with others (and with ourselves) even when the world feels impatient. If you’ve ever felt lonely in a crowded room, or wondered how to show up better for the people who matter most, this book will meet you right where you are.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll find inside:

• Simple ways to connect — how to stay open and kind even when life feels overwhelming or people disappoint you.


• Stories that feel familiar — from small moments of misunderstanding to the quiet courage it takes to reach back out.


• Tools for everyday friendship — how to listen without fixing, speak without wounding, and hold boundaries without closing your heart.


• Reflections that meet you where you are — not lofty advice, but gentle reminders that real connection starts right here.

What Does It Take to Be a Friend?

Has the world gotten noisier? Colder? Are you craving real connection again? If so, Bain’s stories, reflections, and tools will remind you how to show up, listen deeply, repair misunderstandings, and build relationships that can withstand stress, differences, and disconnection. It will help you be sane, connected, and whole in a fractured age.

The first book on friendship was written by Cicero in 44 BC, a tumultuous period for the Roman Empire. With “How to be a Friend (In an Unfriendly World),” Bain explores how to build the capacity to be a friend in today’s world.

A Guide for Staying Human When the World Feels Divided

Friendship isn’t free. It’s financed by attention. What’s challenging to that focus is no one ever taught us how to generate and sustain friendships. We just… fall into it, like a pothole. Sometimes it’s smooth sailing, sometimes you lose a tire.

“How to Be a Friend (in an Unfriendly World)” invites readers to slow down, look within, and remember that friendship (like love) begins where self-judgment ends. In a culture obsessed with performance and perfection, his message lands like an exhale.

Download a one page prep sheet.
Readers of the book receive this Friendship Field Guide.
Visit public website: BarnetBain.com