The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography
- Downloads：9726
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-01-13 00:20:59
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Sidney Poitier
- ISBN：0061357901
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Jan
，
Listening to Mr。 Poitier read his autobiography aloud， I've been struck over and again by his remarkable voice and charisma， making these words poetry and the whole memoir a form of theater。 I began this about two weeks ago in the first days of 2022; working in my home， developing my work， or writing to friends， I listened to each chapter over and again， enjoying each and every story。 When I was midway in this book， we all lost this remarkable person; the beautiful words continued， yet I felt a Listening to Mr。 Poitier read his autobiography aloud， I've been struck over and again by his remarkable voice and charisma， making these words poetry and the whole memoir a form of theater。 I began this about two weeks ago in the first days of 2022; working in my home， developing my work， or writing to friends， I listened to each chapter over and again， enjoying each and every story。 When I was midway in this book， we all lost this remarkable person; the beautiful words continued， yet I felt a bit wistful。 We have lost so much during these difficult years， and we -- well， at least I -- don't want to say goodbye to those who bring such brightness to our lives。 Ultimately， however， my wistfulness in listening to these memories and lessons told in such distinguished， resonant tones transformed to wonder and hope。 Here you'll find direct descriptions of affirming home， creating a family， seeking education， creating a truly remarkable career， and cultivating a life that inspired people throughout the world。 。。。more
Paromita Bardoloi
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This book inspired as well as made me wiser。Thank you Sir for your legacy。
Kathy
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I was unfortunately disappointed in this book。 I always respected Sidney Poitier for his acting and his integrity as a human being。 I had this book on my “to read” shelf for a number of years and was inspired to start reading it when I heard about his recent passing。 The subtitle of this book states that it is a spiritual autobiography but to me it is more a book about an older man reflecting on his life and waxing philosophically。 Unfortunately， I didn’t find it very compelling and the writing I was unfortunately disappointed in this book。 I always respected Sidney Poitier for his acting and his integrity as a human being。 I had this book on my “to read” shelf for a number of years and was inspired to start reading it when I heard about his recent passing。 The subtitle of this book states that it is a spiritual autobiography but to me it is more a book about an older man reflecting on his life and waxing philosophically。 Unfortunately， I didn’t find it very compelling and the writing in inconsistent。 At times， the prose is beautifully eloquent but at others it’s long-winded and poorly edited。 I kept thinking that two different people wrote this book。 The first third of the book is very interesting in terms of Mr。 Poitier’s primitive childhood on Cat Island and then Nassau， as well as his struggles once he comes to the States。 I also appreciated his humility， his honest remorse about his failings （e。g。， his infidelity towards his first wife） and his integrity in the roles that he chose to play。 He also had many engaging opinions on Hollywood at the time and society in general， his struggles as an outsider and racism。 Unfortunately， I found much of his other philosophical reflections rather simplistic on very complex matters。 He was a great actor and a beautiful human with a lot of integrity who I’ve always had a lot of respect for。 However， I wish I hadn’t read this book。 。。。more
Ahmed
，
Life’s Great LessonsMr Sidney died few days ago， while i was reading his book。。 Sad news without a doubt， but fairly enough， We learn from Sidney life that everything is relative， and Death complete our existence。。 It’s a Fact not a delusion。 We should live stick to Nature， to The true human values。。Good bye Mr Poitier。。
Angela M。 Artis
，
I've always loved to hear him speak ！！！ This was more than I thought it was going to be。 He spoke about his childhood， beginning， acting， civil rights， and family。 He never wanted to dishonor his parents， thus reasons why there were roles/parts he wouldn't take regardless of the pay even if his family was in need at that moment。 While including incidents of being in black， during his rise to fame， it's unbelievable how this is still going on in 2022。RIP Mr。 Poitier I've always loved to hear him speak ！！！ This was more than I thought it was going to be。 He spoke about his childhood， beginning， acting， civil rights， and family。 He never wanted to dishonor his parents， thus reasons why there were roles/parts he wouldn't take regardless of the pay even if his family was in need at that moment。 While including incidents of being in black， during his rise to fame， it's unbelievable how this is still going on in 2022。RIP Mr。 Poitier 。。。more
Jean
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5⭐️Rest in Peace Sydney。
Jenine Corneal
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I stumbled upon this book in a bookstore almost a decade ago and it's officially one of my favorites。 An entertaining look inside the life of a legendary， groundbreaking actor who stole the hearts of many with his elegant demeanor as well as his gift for embracing passionate roles。 Sidney Poitier is a part of the history of our culture as well as a gift to the acting community as a whole。His achievements include being the 1st Black actor to win the Academy Award for best actor for his outstandi I stumbled upon this book in a bookstore almost a decade ago and it's officially one of my favorites。 An entertaining look inside the life of a legendary， groundbreaking actor who stole the hearts of many with his elegant demeanor as well as his gift for embracing passionate roles。 Sidney Poitier is a part of the history of our culture as well as a gift to the acting community as a whole。His achievements include being the 1st Black actor to win the Academy Award for best actor for his outstanding performance in Lilies of the Field in 1963。 In 1995， he became a Kennedy Center honoree and in 2002， he won an honorary lifetime achievement Oscar the same night that Denzel Washington won his first lead actor Oscar。 Denzel acknowledged Sidney Poitier by stating “ I’ll always be chasing you Sidney。 I’ll always be following in your footsteps。 There’s nothing I would rather do， sir。” A beautiful autobiography by and about someone whom I've admired since childhood。。。A life well lived。。RIP Sidney Poitier 。。。more
Pankaj
，
The movie roles he portrayed and the life he lived are a testament to the high bar he set for himself and "measured" up to。A fine actor and a wonderful man。 Reminds me of Dilip Kumar， across the geographic divide， as men who go above and beyond to promote basic， human values and relations。 The movie roles he portrayed and the life he lived are a testament to the high bar he set for himself and "measured" up to。A fine actor and a wonderful man。 Reminds me of Dilip Kumar， across the geographic divide， as men who go above and beyond to promote basic， human values and relations。 。。。more
🕊Faloni © arr 💰🏃♀️🥗✈️
，
🌹💖 🧡🧡🌹🤍🤍 🌹💖🤍 🌹 💝🌹 🕊 🕊 🎁 🎁 😘 @ and @。🗝🤍 🌹 Random Daily Inspiration 📩 🌹❤️ 🌹 💕💕 🤍🌹🤍 🌹🤍💕💕 🌹🤍💕💕 🤍 ❤️ 🌹Forget what you have done for others and remember what 🧡❤️🤍🧡🧡they have done 🧡❤️🤍💗for you。 Lord， a gift is given🧡🧡💕💕 freely with no expectation。 ？May I become a truly giving person。 🤍🌹❤️ 🌹 📚 📚 📚 ？🤍🌹🤍 🌹🤍💕💕 ❤️🌹❤️ 🎁 🧡🎁 🧡🎁 ❤️❤️💕💕🌹💖💘🤍🤍 🎁 ❤️💕💕🎁 🤍🧡❤️📚 ❤️🧡📚 🧡
Ashley
，
One of my all-time favorites。
Rhuddem Gwelin
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'In the Heat of the Night'， A Patch of Blue'， 'To Sir with Love'， how could any book written by the man who made these films such a big part of my life not be interesting？ And interesting it is。 In a conversational， contemplative tone Poitier reflects upon his life and career， upon life in general， upon society and values。 It's a lovely book。 'In the Heat of the Night'， A Patch of Blue'， 'To Sir with Love'， how could any book written by the man who made these films such a big part of my life not be interesting？ And interesting it is。 In a conversational， contemplative tone Poitier reflects upon his life and career， upon life in general， upon society and values。 It's a lovely book。 。。。more
Kian。ting
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Love it and he gave words to the troubles I face and also a point of view on how to think about them and deal with them。 He didn’t put him self on a high pedestal but is down to earth about his own flaws as a man。 Like his view “The measure of a man Is how well he provides for his family”， providing doesn’t just mean monetary or physical things， but it also means being there emotionally for them。 The struggles he face is the same during his time and even now in the 20th century。 Recommended read Love it and he gave words to the troubles I face and also a point of view on how to think about them and deal with them。 He didn’t put him self on a high pedestal but is down to earth about his own flaws as a man。 Like his view “The measure of a man Is how well he provides for his family”， providing doesn’t just mean monetary or physical things， but it also means being there emotionally for them。 The struggles he face is the same during his time and even now in the 20th century。 Recommended read about a man’s journey through life and we can learn from his triumph and his mistakes。 。。。more
Frederick
，
This autobiography of a great film actor who actually made meaningful movies and avoiding making much trash is pretty good。 The first half is especially interesting about his background， childhood， and first struggles in acting。 The second half not so much as it gets a little bogged down in his humanistic， I-was-a-friend-of-Carl-Sagan personal philosophy。 He closes the book with a failure which I thought was interesting as a more egotistical actor would have finished with a flair to show how gre This autobiography of a great film actor who actually made meaningful movies and avoiding making much trash is pretty good。 The first half is especially interesting about his background， childhood， and first struggles in acting。 The second half not so much as it gets a little bogged down in his humanistic， I-was-a-friend-of-Carl-Sagan personal philosophy。 He closes the book with a failure which I thought was interesting as a more egotistical actor would have finished with a flair to show how great they thought they were。 But， the actor that gave us important acting in The Defiant Ones， A Raisin in the Sun， A Patch of Blue， Guess Who's Coming to Dinner， To Sir With Love， In the Heat of the Night， and his Oscar winning Lilies of the Field is worth giving a read。 。。。more
TheQueensBooksII
，
This is a valuable memoir。 Poitier’s life story enabled me to understand how he came to be the man and actor that he was。 I always admired his powerful voice and presence， even as a little kid when I watched his movies。 Unfortunately， he also gravitated towards socialism， but that was not his overarching commitment in life。
LeeTravelGoddess
，
I understand why O picked this book… the depth and lack thereof makes for a continued wonderment while also satisfying some questions that initially led me to pick up the book。 It’s worth a read and I truly understand some of what he was laying down— wow！！！
A。G。 Fleury
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"An exceptional autobiography。 The story of a man who came from poverty and earned his way into Hollywood movies。 An encouraging story altogether。" A。 G。 Fleury， author of Kill Per View "An exceptional autobiography。 The story of a man who came from poverty and earned his way into Hollywood movies。 An encouraging story altogether。" A。 G。 Fleury， author of Kill Per View 。。。more
Julie
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This is what it says it is--a spiritual autobiography。 He accounts how he has grown in understanding of himself and others。 Disappointed at first （expecting a movielogue full of stories）， I grew with the book enjoying the journey with him。
Shiv
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I really enjoyed reading about Poitier's life。 It was really thought-provoking and well written。 The book is very philosophical at times but in a way you can understand and make sense of。 The last two chapters felt a bit good and out of place to me though。 Those chapters didn't fit with the rest of the book but still a good read overall。 I really enjoyed reading about Poitier's life。 It was really thought-provoking and well written。 The book is very philosophical at times but in a way you can understand and make sense of。 The last two chapters felt a bit good and out of place to me though。 Those chapters didn't fit with the rest of the book but still a good read overall。 。。。more
Eli Pollack
，
It started off interestingly enough but slowly and then picked up tremendous emotional power through the middle of the book。His childhood was uplifting to listen to， his career amazing if only because how serendipitously it occurred， but the real power of the book is his life as a proud Black man。
Vicky
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I enjoyed this look into the history of a great actor。 He talks about his childhood in poverty， struggling as a young man， and the decisions （and luck） that led him to become the legendary actor。 Many parts are sad， but he is able to tell them lightly， even laughing。 Somehow managing not to complain about the abuse he suffered and not becoming resentful about it。 Such a pleasure to hear in his own voice。
Stevedieleman
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Interesting personal account for the life and times of Sideny Poitier。 Through the book， the author probes the development of his mind， decision making process and character。 Fascinating story of his childhood， adolescence and young adult life。 Most unique insights to the development of his career and the making of his famous movies。 Worthwhile reading。 Some of his "lessons learned" can become repetitive。 Enjoy。 Interesting personal account for the life and times of Sideny Poitier。 Through the book， the author probes the development of his mind， decision making process and character。 Fascinating story of his childhood， adolescence and young adult life。 Most unique insights to the development of his career and the making of his famous movies。 Worthwhile reading。 Some of his "lessons learned" can become repetitive。 Enjoy。 。。。more
Glenna
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Parts of it were interesting， but he rambled so much that it was a bit disjointed and didn't retain my attention。 I had to work at finishing it。 Parts of it were interesting， but he rambled so much that it was a bit disjointed and didn't retain my attention。 I had to work at finishing it。 。。。more
Jennifer Owens
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loved it。 very insightful and much wisdom， for men or women。 it’s like it takes you into the mind of Sidney。
Stuart Mutsonziwa
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Inspiring autobiography。 It's one of those books that has all these interesting bits and pieces that you just keep remembering over the years as you live your own life。 Inspiring autobiography。 It's one of those books that has all these interesting bits and pieces that you just keep remembering over the years as you live your own life。 。。。more
Lynn Bingaman
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I have always appreciated Sidney Poitier movies， but now I have even more respect for the man after reading his spiritual autobiography。 I amazed me to find out about his background and his philosophy of life。 The last two chapters seemed a little strange to me， but I still enjoyed the book。
Kathleen
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At the age of 72， actor and director Sidney Poitier wrote this autobiography of his personal and work life。 He was one of the first leading Black men in films and on the stage。Poitier had a carefree childhood on Cat Island in the Bahamas。 It was very unlike the parent controlled childhoods of kids growing up today。 He could wander off all day and his parents did not need to be especially concerned about his safety。 He says it was a “semi-primitive society。” When he was 10 he lost that easy freed At the age of 72， actor and director Sidney Poitier wrote this autobiography of his personal and work life。 He was one of the first leading Black men in films and on the stage。Poitier had a carefree childhood on Cat Island in the Bahamas。 It was very unlike the parent controlled childhoods of kids growing up today。 He could wander off all day and his parents did not need to be especially concerned about his safety。 He says it was a “semi-primitive society。” When he was 10 he lost that easy freedom when his family moved to Nassau because his father’s tomato farming business was no longer thriving。 When he was fifteen he left the Bahamas for Miami to live with his brother and soon after he ran away， finally finding himself in Harlem， searching for any work to survive。 His year in the army was not good and after returning to Harlem he tried a Black actor’s training program on a whim。 Finally he had found his calling。In this autobiography， Poitier describes his acting work and his experiences being a Black man in a White world。 He also writes about his political， social and personal philosophy。 No matter the topic， he keeps returning to his childhood on Cat Island and the lessons his parents taught him。Poitier’s father said that the measure of a man depends on how he supports his family – thus the title for this book。I wonder why Poitier found it necessary to include so many foul words in his story。 They really weren’t needed to express his outrage at life。It has been many years since I watched one of Poitier’s films。 Now that I know more about the man， and am reminded of his films， I would like to rewatch a few of them。 I listened to the audio book which Poitier excellently self narrates。 Oprah selected it for her book club in 2007。 It also won a Grammy award for the Best Spoken Word Album in 2000。 Poitier’s Life Beyond Measure: Letters to My Great-Granddaughter was nominated for the same award in 2008。 。。。more
Gregory Rhoden
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I really enjoyed reading this book about the life of Sydney Poitier。 Funny， dramatic， profound。 Great read about a man who came from little and made a mane for himself。 A true boot strapper。
Krys
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Measure of a Man reads more like philosophical musings of an aged actor。 If you were expecting more in depth biographical info you might find youself dissapointed。 The writing quality is really poor。 I feel like his ghost writer came to his house with tape recorder and then simply typed it out word by word without edit or styling。 You can tell by the causual language that breaks the narrative。 For example， he asks the readers if they agree or if we understand？ He swears ALOT in casual conversati Measure of a Man reads more like philosophical musings of an aged actor。 If you were expecting more in depth biographical info you might find youself dissapointed。 The writing quality is really poor。 I feel like his ghost writer came to his house with tape recorder and then simply typed it out word by word without edit or styling。 You can tell by the causual language that breaks the narrative。 For example， he asks the readers if they agree or if we understand？ He swears ALOT in casual conversation which again feels more casual than a book and more just a written conversation。 Maybe the ghost writer wanted it to feel more authentically his words？ I have no idea。 Measure of a Man discusses Sidney's beliefs and thoughts about his life。 There is still much he does not tell us。 He comes off as one of those old people that romanticisize their generation。 He talks about his parents giving out punishment。 I understand him explaining his parents reasonings for it and the different time he lived in but he makes his dad sound like a hero for whipping the shit out of his sister！ And then goes on a tangent about how kids today are lazy， and unrespectful。 He romanticises his dangerous childhood adventures in the jungle and then goes on tangent about kids being plopped down in front of TVs。 But there are alot of interesting tidbits about his life， about race， and vintage Hollywood。 I would not call this book a waste， I still enjoyed it。 I bought this book at discounted price and am glad cause no way would I pay full price for it。 。。。more
Jeff Wells
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Interesting childhood adventures and early Hollywood experiences。
Rightontime
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