"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."
--Sidney 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 measure--as 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 limits--his own and the world's. A triumph of the spirit, The
Measure of a Man captures the essential Poitier.
