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From Amazon
Sidney Poitier wrote The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography because he "felt called to write about certain values, such as integrity and commitment, faith and forgiveness, about the virtues of simplicity, about the difference between 'amusing ourselves to death' and finding meaningful pleasures--even joy." Yet Poitier's book does not speak from on high; its tone is conversational and endearingly self-critical. He begins the first chapter by recounting an evening spent channel-surfing and wondering, as most of us do at one time or another, "What am I doing with my time?" The spiritual reflections in The Measure of a Man are nonsectarian; Poitier's faith is clearly influenced by his experience in Christian churches, but he is not, strictly, Christian. Though idiosyncratic, his faith is disciplined and rigorous, informed by leaders as diverse as Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. Poitier's love--for himself, his family, and the world--infuses his recollections of his early life on Cat Island in the Bahamas and his memories of his stage and film career (including his Oscar-winning role in Lilies of the Field). Poitier has been rich and poor; he has been popular and despised; and his extremely varied experiences have made him a wise man, as he demonstrates with statements like this one: "[W]hat we do is stay within the context of what's practical, what's real, what dreams can be fashioned into reality, what values can send us to bed comfortably and make us courageous enough to face our end with character."
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
Given the personal nature of this narrative, it's impossible to imagine hearing anyone other than Poitier, with his distinctive, resonant voice and perfect enunciation, tell the story. In his second memoir Poitier talks about his childhood in the Caribbean, where he was terribly poor by American standards, but quite happy, swimming and climbing all he could. One of eight kids, Poitier was sent to live with an older brother in Miami when he started to get into difficulties as a teen. But frustrated by his inability to earn a living and by the disparaging way whites treated him, Poitier left Miami for New York. There he worked as a dishwasher, started a drama class and launched a celebrated acting career that led to starring roles in such classics as To Sir, with Love and Raisin in the Sun. Poitier's rendition of these events is so moving that listeners will wish this audio adaptation were twice as long. Simultaneous release with the Harper San Francisco hardcover (Forecasts, May 1).
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.
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First Sentence
t's late at night as I lie in bed in the blue glow of the television set. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
t's late at night as I lie in bed in the blue glow of the television set. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Book Club Review,
By Calgary Women's Book Club (Calgary, AB, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (Oprah's Book Club) (Paperback)
On the whole the book was great and Sydney Poitier is an amazing man. We found the book went in circles a bit and were not sure what his point was once we got near the end of the book.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good book by a wonderful actor,
By
This review is from: The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (Oprah's Book Club) (Paperback)
In my spare time I don't read a lot of biography books but because it's Sidney Poitier I had to have it. After reading this up I found it to be pretty good but a bit dry in certain areas nevertheless informative along the way. This book does give us incredible journey of his life and he doesn't take credit for who he is, but gives credit to his Creator, his parents and who gave him a hand-up along the way.In this autobiography you learn what Sidney was thinking and feeling through the span of his life. From growing up on Cat Island and not having any of our modern day conveniences to Nassau, to Miami, and New York. He shares with us his thoughts and feelings and reasons why he made the decisions he did. Personally, I would love to sit, talk, and debate with him for hours. He has always seemed to know who he was and never let anyone tell him otherwise. Sidney found a way to make himself as he knew himself fit into the world instead of changing himself to fit into the world. Sidney shows his thoughtful side by sharing a lot of his personal thoughts with us without dwelling on the bad things in life. He comments on today's youth and the negative benefits of our world where they are used to so many physical things. "The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography" also provides strength and family value. Sidney Poitier is a noble man and his six daughters are lucky to have a father like him which makes this book worth having.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Like the man---like the book,
By Sea-dog (Montreal Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (Oprah's Book Club) (Paperback)
Normally one to read strictly fiction such as "The Time Traveler's Wife" or "Life of Pi," I instead chose this excellent book by Mr. Poitier. Glad I did. I'm always hesitant to read this type of thing, thinking that either it won't be well written or that some ghost writer will have eeked out all the good stuff and edited out the "real" things. Not so, this book. Mr. Poitier is all over it and his honest and pulls-no-punches book is just the thing for those interested in not only Hollywood and its workings but more so of the man himself.
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