The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (Oprah's Book Club)

Book Description

"I have no wish to play the pontificating fool, pretending that I've suddenly come up with the answers to all life's questions. Quite that contrary, I began this book as an exploration, an exercise in self-questing. In other words, I wanted to find out, as I looked back at a long and complicated life, with many twists and turns, how well I've done at measuring up to the values I myself have set."
âSidney Poitier

In this luminous memoir, a true American icon looks back on his celebrated life and career. His body of work is arguably the most morally significant in cinematic history, and the power and influence of that work are indicative of the character of the man behind the many storied roles. Sidney Poitier here explores these elements of character and personal values to take his own measureâas a man, as a husband and a father, and as an actor.

Poitier credits his parents and his childhood on tiny Cat Island in the Bahamas for equipping him with the unflinching sense of right and wrong and of self-worth that he has never surrendered and that have dramatically shaped his world. "In the kind of place where I grew up," recalls Poitier, "what's coming at you is the sound of the sea and the smell of the wind and momma's voice and the voice of your dad and the craziness of your brothers and sisters...and that's it." Without television, radio, and material distractions to obscure what matters most, he could enjoy the simple things, endure the long commitments, and find true meaning in his life.

Poitier was uncompromising as he pursued a personal and public life that would honor his upbringing and the invaluable legacy of his parents. Just a few years after his introduction to indoor plumbing and the automobile, Poitier broke racial barrier after racial barrier to launch a pioneering acting career. Committed to the notion that what one does for a living articulates to who one is, Poitier played only forceful and affecting characters who said something positive, useful, and lasting about the human condition.

Here is Poitier's own introspective look at what has informed his performances and his life. Poitier explores the nature of sacrifice and commitment, price and humility, rage and forgiveness, and paying the price for artistic integrity. What emerges is a picture of a man in the face of limitsâhis own and the world's. A triumph of the spirit, The Measure of a Man captures the essential Poitier.

Customer Reviews:

Nice man, wandering story..........2007-10-04

I had to force myself to finish this book, simply because I didn't want to waste my money by leaving it when I was tempted to. It was interesting to realize that an actor whose work I had appreciated came from such a spare beginning, but by halfway through the book, the continuous wandering asides and disclaimers of the author so overwhelmed the narrative that I could barely tolerate it. It seems to me that the story could have been told to greater effect with half the words!

****LOVED IT****.......2007-09-24

Kept me interested...I really enjoyed this book...I couldn't put the book down until I finished reading it!!!!

MEASURE OF A MAN does not measure up.......2007-09-21

Wow, a book about Sidney Poitier. An outstanding actor with a book that just does not give him true justice. The reading tends to be dry and lacks substance. His life struggles could have been the story of any man or woman, black or white. The writing and editing are weak in some sections.

You should rent or buy one of Poitier's movies instead. His movie roles show his true skills.

SPIRITUAL "Of, Relating to, Consisting of, or Affecting the Spirit" MERRIAM-WEBSTER.......2007-08-30

I've always been smitten with Poitier's voice--his diction and control on film, the flow of his words as they travel in and around ideas during interviews--so I read THE MEASURE OF A MAN with an ear for his voice. I wondered, Is it translatable to print? It is, but that means allowing Poitier's thoughts to meander until they find their point, and that his thoughts are less formulated (or formal) and more "in his own words," than they might be if they were written by a biographer. (I read just enough "You know?"s "You hear me when I tell you?"s and "You follow?"s to feel like he was talking to me, but not too many to be annoyed.) I read to imagine what it might be like to have a conversation with Poitier. The book reinforced what I already knew--I'd be as intimidated as heck--but it also gave me the courage to think I'd be able to speak my mind.

As an editor, I read Poitier's book because I wanted to know how he defines a "spiritual" autobiography. Is it a I-Was-A-Sinner-But-I-Found-Jesus-And-Now-I'm-Saved chronology? Is it about how Christianity or another faith influenced his life? Neither. Poitier examines the people, events, circumstances, beliefs, and so on, which have related to, consisted of, or affected his "spirit," and, in doing so, he writes about childhood experiences in the Bahamas, his changing perceptions of his parents, how he adapts to living in the United States, his approach to acting and filmmaking, and his attitude toward fatherhood. He also shares a debate a friend and he had about the Basic Truth of Nature, a debate worth every second of reading it takes to get to.

Is THE MEASURE OF A MAN going to satisfy readers interested only in Poitier's film career? No, but I urge them to read it anyway, if for no other reason than to find out how his "spirit" influenced the films he starred in.

Books.......2007-08-21

I purchased this book for my daughter and she loved it!
She is a teacher and plans to teach this story in her English class fall 2007.
A great story with a great moral.

The Measure Of A Man - A Spiritual Autobiography

Average customer rating:

profound
An Insightful Autobiography
A True and Honest Measure of Oneself
A story well told
Insightful into a surprisingly diverse number of areas

The Measure Of A Man - A Spiritual Autobiography
Sidney Poitier
Manufacturer: Harper-san Francisco
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0062516078

Amazon.com

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."

Book Description

"I have no wish to play the pontificating fool, pretending that I've suddenly come up with the answers to all life's questions. Quite the contrary, I began this book as an exploration, an exercise in selfquestioning. In other words, I wanted to find out, as I looked back at a long and complicated life, with many twists and turns, how well I've done at measuring up to the values I myself have set."

In this luminous memoir, a true American icon looks back on his celebrated life and career. His body of work is arguably the most morally significant in cinematic history, and the power and influence of that work are indicative of the character of the man behind the many storied roles. Sidney Poitier here explores these elements of character and personal values to take his own measure--as a man, as a husband and father, and as an actor.

Poitier credits his parents and his childhood on tiny Cat Island in the Bahamas for equipping him with the unflinching sense of right and wrong and of selfworth that he has never surrendered and that have dramatically shaped his world. "In the kind of place where I grew up," recalls Poitier, "what's coming at you is the sound of the sea and the smell of the wind and momma's voice and the voice of your dad and the craziness of your brothers and sisters ... and that's it." Without television, radio, and material distractions to obscure what matters most, he could enjoy the simple things, endure the long commitments, and find true meaning in his life.

Poitier was uncompromising as he pursued a personal and public life that would honor his upbringing and the invaluable legacy of his parents just a few years after his introduction to indoor plumbing and the automobile, Poitier broke racial barrier after racial barrier to launch a pioneering acting career. Committed to the notion that what one does for a living articulates who one is, Poitier played only forceful and affecting characters who said something positive, useful, and lasting about the human condition.

Here, finally, is Poitier's own introspective look at what has informed his performances and his life. Poitier explores the nature of sacrifice and commitment, pride and humility, rage and forgiveness, and paying the price for artistic integrity, What emerges is a picture of a man seeking truth, passion, and balance in the face of limits--his own and the world's. A triumph of the spirit, The Measure of a Man captures the essential Poitier.

Customer Reviews:

profound.......2007-08-13

An humbling read in deed...this is a man with a profound sense of self,I'll come back to this book often in the years to come.

An Insightful Autobiography.......2007-05-07

Learn about the man behind the great actor and storyteller who captivates audiences on the big screen.

A True and Honest Measure of Oneself.......2006-03-18

Sidney Poitier has always been one of my favorite actors and he has meant so much to me personally as a lover of the cinema. He is one out of a handful I can say that about. His autobiography is impressive and he is ever so modest about many of his accomplishments.

Sidney Poitier is one of America's greatest screen actors, a multi facetted practitioner of the performing arts and a true humanitarian. Not only did he portray men of humanity with a sense of dignified morality but his own career as a black actor broke racial barriers that ran parallel with the perception and acceptance of blacks in American films.

The beginnings of Sidney Poitier's big break into theatre and films have always seemed sketchy and are slightly different depending on what sources are available. However several events do seem to stand out and these lend credence to Poitier's place as a humanitarian because the poverty, the racial prejudices and the people that helped start his career were never forgotten. Sidney Poitier was understudying Harry Belefonte in the play "Days of our Youth" while working at the American Negro Theater. It does seem likely that he filled in for Belefonte for several performances at which he gained experience and proficiency through Belefonte's assistance. After several more productions and a national tour of "Days of Our Youth" Poitier got his first staring film role two years later in 1950's NO WAY OUT with Richard Widmark and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. This is a role that his good friend Harry Belafonte said put the truth about black people on the screen for millions to see due to Poitier's brilliant performance as a young good natured yet morally strong doctor pitted against bigoted Widmark.

Throughout the fifties, Sidney Poitier made some very important films in the history of cinema and some that were controversial during their time. BLACKBOARD JUNGLE made in 1955 was a realistic look at adolescence contempt for society at an inner city trade school for delinquent boys. Glenn Ford played a new teacher who decides that his only chance of teaching the boys anything is to reach the roughest boy of the bunch played by Sidney Poitier. Poitier gave a brilliant performance as the one youth that new true right from wrong and only used his tough facade to survive in a world of his peers where he would otherwise have been the low man on the rung. 1958's THE DEFIANT ONES directed by the progressive filmmaker Stanley Kramer was an engrossing story of two escaped prisoners, Sidney Poitier and Tony Curtis, who must overcome issues of race in their struggle for freedom from police in the deep South. Sidney Poitier was nominated for an Academy Award.

In 1961 Sidney Poitier starred in A RAISIN IN THE SUN from Lorraine Hansberry's play, the first by a black playwright to show on Broadway. It was about a black Chicago family's attempts to make a better life against the many problems they faced both from within and from outside their household. In 1962 Sidney Poitier won the Academy Award for Best Actor for director Ralph Nelson's LILIES OF THE FIELD. Poitier played the handyman stranger who helps build a chapel for German-speaking nuns in the American southwest. Just prior to LILIES OF THE FIELD Poitier made PRESSURE POINT produced by Stanley Kramer. It was an intelligent drama based on a true case, with Poitier playing a prison psychiatrist trying to search out the problems of his deranged Nazi patient played by Bobby Darin. This was one of Poitier's best performances but the film has been long forgotten.

By 1965 Sidney Poitier was truly becoming a mainstream actor and his race seemed to play a minor factor in the characters he was portraying. In 1965 he made THE BEDFORD INCIDENT, THE SLENDER THREAD, A PATCH OF BLUE and appeared in George Stevens' THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD. In 1966 he starred in Ralph Nelson's DUEL AT DIABLO a violent tale about bigotry between whites and Indians out west. However, 1967's GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER directed by Stanley Kramer involved the first interracial kiss in screen history. Some reviewers criticized the film's story of interracial romance, as being unrealistic since Poitier played a black man who had such impeccable credentials race was hardly a factor. Kramer pointed out that that was his point. He wanted to put Poitier and his fiancée on an even playing field where their only differences could only be the color of their skin. Therefore, was there really a difference?

In 1967 Norman Jewison's IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT Poitier plays a black big-city black detective who assists redneck Southern sheriff Rod Steiger solve a murder. This is an excellent film and makes a great social commentary on color, respect and friendship. It also contains an innovative score by Quincy Jones. This film is a modern classic and is still powerful today. In 1967's TO SIR WITH LOVE, written and directed in Britain by James Clavell, Poitier plays a West Indian teacher to a bunch of tough East End teenagers who becomes successful and reaches them by teaching the class about survival in the real world. Poitier was and remains a force to be reckoned with.

Sidney Poitier helped change many persistent racial attitudes that had persisted in this country for centuries by the image he projected on and off the screen and the very life that he has lived. He has opened the doors for countless artists in succeeding generations. He is an actor who stood and still stands for hope, for excellence, and who has given happiness and the will to persevere in questionable times to millions of people around the world.

A story well told.......2006-01-15

Sidney Poitier's autobiography illuminates not only why he is true hollywood royalty, but why he is also to be considered a royal man. There is nothing pompous or egotistical about his journey from the island to Hollywood, but rather it is a very human story told with humility and grace.

Insightful into a surprisingly diverse number of areas.......2005-07-09

Poitier recounts his very humble childhood on Cat Island in the Bahamas. He then tells us stories about coming to the USA, making it into Hollywood, his experience with racism and civil rights, his reflections on life and spirituality, and the making of his movies. The book is a little uneven: I loved his stories about getting started in acting and making his films, while I got impatient with some of his thoughts on the nature of the world. But overall, this memoir is insightful and entertaining.

He provides an engaging narrative of the Civil Rights Movement from the perspective of black artists in show business. He gives a powerful example as he tells the story of refusing a film because it would have betrayed the values that his father taught him, and of how that refusal ultimately led to his Hollywood career taking off. He also entertains with anecdotes about his experiences with Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Harry Belafonte, Carl Sagan, and many others. Shortly after watching his film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, I read the story of how that film got made and enjoyed the insight that story provided.

Along the way, Poitier shares some wonderful insights about life and culture, progress and overconsumption.

If you have any opportunity to listen to this book on tape, I recommend it. Poitier reads the entire book himself, and his voice and intonation would make this worth listening to even if the memoir were less good than it is.

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The Measure Of A Man - A Spiritual Autobiography
Sidney Poitier
Manufacturer: Harper-san Francisco
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000P3YDYQ

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The MEASURE Of A MAN. A Spiritual Autobiography.
Sidney. Poitier
Manufacturer: HarperSanFrancisco,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NYBIMW

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The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography
Sidney Poitier
Manufacturer: Harper San Francisco
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OF59JI

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The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography
Sidney Poitier
Manufacturer: HarperSanFrancisco
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OF59RK

The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (Oprah's Book Club)

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The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (Oprah's Book Club)
Sidney Poitier
Manufacturer: HarperSanFrancisco
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000QY9XJY

The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (Unabridged)

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The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (Unabridged)
Sidney Poitier
Manufacturer: audible.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Download

African-American & Black | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000MZHSS0

Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography

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Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography

Manufacturer: Tandem Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: 1417647647

Book Description

Holding her lovely head high, Wyoming schoolmistress Caroline Chalmers did what no lady should: she marched right into the local saloon to see the dashing and reckless Guthrie Hayes. Worse still, she went to ask him for help. She needed the former Confederate raider to plan a jailbreak to rescue her fiancé, Seaton Flynn, from the hangman's noose. An orphan by spinster sisters, Caroline was prepared do almost anything to save her beloved Seaton.

So why did her breath suddenly become a shivery sigh when she looked into Hayes's twinkling green eyes? Too late Caroline knew how perilous her request really was, for this strong and daring ex-soldier would refuse her nothing no matter how dangerous...but first he intended to teach her everthing about the power of a man's love, beginning with a shameless odyssey to ectasy in his arms....

Customer Reviews:

Caroline and the Raider.......2007-03-15

I enjoyed this book. I had read another in the series and I wanted to know what happened to Caroline and the other sister. It was a good story and had a happy ending for the girls. The story of each girl was different and thus was not redundant as some series are.

I read this until I finished it!.......2006-02-18

This book held my attention and I wanted to know what happened. There were a lot of different settings which made it interesting and how each was played out.
This is a book I plan to keep to reread later.

The last page couldn't come too soon..........2004-03-15

Orphaned as a child and raised by two spinster sisters, Wyoming schoolmistress Caroline Chalmers needs to get her fiancé out of jail. Seaton Flynn has convinced her he's innocent, and needs to somehow escape the hangman's noose. Boldly Caroline marches into a bar to seek help from a notorious Confederate raider, Guthrie Hayes. Guthrie's not so sure of Seaton's innocence, but they set out together. In the meantime, Caroline also continues her search for her two sisters, all of whom were separated as children.

This was my first read by Ms. Miller, despite the fact this is the third installment in a series. The book started out pretty good, but I soon got bored. This story seemed to be more about how many times, places and positions they could do the deed. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy reading romantic fiction, and the love scenes that go with it, but this was a little over the top. I did finish the book, but I was glad when that last page arrived! If you're a Miller fan, this book is probably for you, otherwise I can't recommend it.

Fabulous Ending to the Orphan Train Series.......2001-06-25

Caroline calls Gutherie out of the local bar to seek his assistance in breaking her intended out of a jail for a crime he convinces her that he did not committ. It doesn't take long for Gutherie to fall for Caroline, whom he promptly begins calling "wildcat" for the remainder of the book. The hero and heroine are funny and hot and their adventure is a page-turner. Underneath their story is the reunion of Caroline with her two sisters from Lily and the Major and Emma and the Outlaw stories. Read the book in one sitting, like many of Ms. Miller's books.

Caroline and the Raider.......2001-06-22

I just couldn't put this book down. I found it incredibly interesting, exciting and very sexy. This is a "must read" for all who love romance novels!!!!

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Stolen Love

Caroline and the Raider
L Miller
Manufacturer: Pocket Star Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000BD30HQ

Customer Reviews:

Stolen Love .......2007-04-11

This is LINDA LAEL MILLER'S book, CAROLINE AND THE RAIDER. A tale of love involving Caroline and her wild adventures with a man she seeks out for help. As with the other two Chalmer sisters, Caroline also set out to find her two sisters, all who were abandoned by their mother at a young age. Caroline has grown up and is now a schoolmistress in Wyoming. Caroline is engaged to be married and it is her fiance' who Caroline seeks help for. She turns to Guthrie Hayes, a man with a not so good past, a man who is shunned by what some term "nice society people." However, Caroline is desperate and feels she will do anything to save Seaton Flynn, the man she thinks she loves. When Caroline thinks anything, is she truly willing to do anything to save Flynn? Will that involve giving up a life with him, to do Guthrie's bidding. However, Caroline was not prepared when she gazed in Guthrie's face and feelings erupted that she had never felt before for Flynn or any other man. Is what Caroline feeling what true love is all about? Love, danger, and intrigue awaits Caroline. Also, there is a surprise in store for Caroline and her sisters when they finally complete their journey started so many years ago and are now reunited. This is the final book in the Orphan Train Triology about the Chalmers sisters. The first is "Lily and the Major" and the second is "Emma and the Outlaw." They can be read alone, but are great together.

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Caroline and the Raider
Linda Lael Miller
Manufacturer: Pocket Star Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O01Z00

COMPLETE Orphan Train Series: (1) Lily and the Major; (2) Emma and the Outlaw; (3) Caroline and the Raider

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COMPLETE Orphan Train Series: (1) Lily and the Major; (2) Emma and the Outlaw; (3) Caroline and the Raider
Linda Lael Miller
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Historical | Romance | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000VA2G10

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For the Love of an Outlaw

Emma and the Outlaw
Linda Lael Miller
Manufacturer: Pocket Book, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

ASIN: B000BCZ6V0

Product Description

Bookclub ed hardback. Part of the Orphan Train Trilogy.

Customer Reviews:

For the Love of an Outlaw.......2007-04-11

This is LINDA LAEL MILLER'S book, EMMA AND THE OUTLAW. A tale of love involving Emma, a young woman of 20, a librarian who has also set out to finding her two sisters, all who were abandoned by their mother at a young age. Emma places an ad offering a reward for information leading to the whereabouts of her sister. Emma is also engaged to marry a man she does not love, but feels obligated to marry anyway. All of this changes the day, Steven Fairfax, a man termed "an outlaw" comes into town and walks into Emma's life. From that day on Emma is a changed woman and when she takes on the duty of nursing Steven after he is injured, she becomes further aware of him and he of her. Emma forgets that she is an engaged woman when Steven's charms begin to work on her. Even though he has a checkered past, Emma cannot forget how she feels towards Steven. Also, Emma cannot forget her desire to locate Lily and Caroline Chalmers. Emma's life is an adventurous one of love and danger, of which love conquers all. This is the second book in the Orphan Train Triology about the Chalmers sisters. The first is "Lily and the Major" and the third is "Caroline and the Raider." They can be read alone, but are great together.

It was wonderful revisiting the spirited Emma and her sisters.

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Caroline and the Raider

Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000HXLQ6M

The fight of the clan;: A diary of 1865; being an account of how the Ellis family of South Carolina, together with their kinsmen, the De Loaches, Hays and Framptons fled before Sherman's raiders,

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The fight of the clan;: A diary of 1865; being an account of how the Ellis family of South Carolina, together with their kinsmen, the De Loaches, Hays and Framptons fled before Sherman's raiders,
Emily Caroline Searson Ellis
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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