Sidney Poitier (1927–2022)

A man with Sidney Poitier's chops is entitled to take himself seriously. With the subtitle "A Spiritual Biography", the reader is advised to expect nothing less. For the most part, Mr. Poitier managed to balance his seriousness with enough self-deprecation and light-heartedness to keep this from being a "preachy" sort of book. Occasionally, though, in spite of his marvelous voice and diction (and those fleeting Island cadences!), I did find myself drifting away as one may do in church, show more losing the thread of his discourse on some too familiar sermon topics, such as the overindulgence of a generation of children which led to the sex-drugs-rocknroll culture, and so on. When talking about his experiences as a child growing up in the Bahamas, or as a young black man determined to make his way with honor in the world of theater and movie-making at a difficult time, Poitier is mesmerizing. Hearing him reminiscence about what it took to make films like "The Defiant Ones" and "A Patch of Blue" makes me very grateful for his moral presence in the world, as much as for his artistic contributions. His narration ranges from an easy conversational style to something more dramatic, almost Shakespearean at times. Recommended if you admire his work. show less

Part autobiography and part philosophical treatise, Sidney Poitier appears to use the writing of this book to take stock of his entire life — to understand who he truly is, to evaluate his success as an Academy Award winning actor, to examine his roles as father and human being, and to come to terms with some of the big mysteries of life. It’s eloquently written, intelligent, thoughtful, and subtly encourages the reader toward his or her own self-exploration.

Here were some of the most show more interesting aspects of the read for me:
* The reflection on Poitier’s origins on a small island in the Bahamas. Both sheltered and protected in a primitive and economically poor environment, he credits the values instilled by hard-working parents and a childhood full of free exploration and requisite risk-taking for establishing his core internal strength.
* Full of imagination and aware of the limitations of life on a small island, Poitier gets shipped off to the U.S. at the age of 15 with little education and virtually no money. How he gets himself from Florida to Georgia to New York City and finally, to earning a regular income is a story of determination anyone would be proud to share.
* Born in 1927, Poitier’s life spans most of the civil rights milestones that define the 20th century in America. And he doesn’t shy away from relaying the blatant and even life-threatening discrimination he experienced. There was also a lot I didn’t know about the myriad ways minority performers were marginalized throughout the entertainment industry.
* Poitier maintained more control over his selection of roles than many of his contemporaries, particularly for an actor of color. And I found it fascinating to learn how he came to the iconic roles he is now so famous for (Think Lilies of the Field, The Defiant Ones, To Sir With Love, In the Heat of the Night, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner) and how he was able to influence these roles to keep then authentic to the African-American experience. Even against criticism from the minority community. In fact, many of his movies reflect the evolving story of racism in America during his lifetime.
* Poitier models a real commitment to introspection. Age 72 when he published this book, he is not simply content to sit back and enjoy his success and family. Instead he appears to have an fiery need to push toward deeper and deeper self-awareness — exposing his internal demons, trying to anchor himself in the cosmos, and struggling to understand the relationship between humanity and nature.

My thoughts are not ALL positive. Taken as a whole, the book doesn’t hang together all that well. Many times it felt much more like a series of discrete chapters in which Poitier shares some of his random thoughts. But, that wasn’t much of a distraction. And at the end of the book, I came away more impressed with Poitier than I began. (I have ALWAYS been a big fan of his performances.) I came away with admiration for him as a human being.

See more of my reviews at www.tobyasmith.com show less

Part autobiography and part philosophical treatise, Sidney Poitier appears to use the writing of this book to take stock of his entire life — to understand who he truly is, to evaluate his success as an Academy Award winning actor, to examine his roles as father and human being, and to come to terms with some of the big mysteries of life. It’s eloquently written, intelligent, thoughtful, and subtly encourages the reader toward his or her own self-exploration.

Here were some of the most show more interesting aspects of the read for me:
* The reflection on Poitier’s origins on a small island in the Bahamas. Both sheltered and protected in a primitive and economically poor environment, he credits the values instilled by hard-working parents and a childhood full of free exploration and requisite risk-taking for establishing his core internal strength.
* Full of imagination and aware of the limitations of life on a small island, Poitier gets shipped off to the U.S. at the age of 15 with little education and virtually no money. How he gets himself from Florida to Georgia to New York City and finally, to earning a regular income is a story of determination anyone would be proud to share.
* Born in 1927, Poitier’s life spans most of the civil rights milestones that define the 20th century in America. And he doesn’t shy away from relaying the blatant and even life-threatening discrimination he experienced. There was also a lot I didn’t know about the myriad ways minority performers were marginalized throughout the entertainment industry.
* Poitier maintained more control over his selection of roles than many of his contemporaries, particularly for an actor of color. And I found it fascinating to learn how he came to the iconic roles he is now so famous for (Think Lilies of the Field, The Defiant Ones, To Sir With Love, In the Heat of the Night, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner) and how he was able to influence these roles to keep then authentic to the African-American experience. Even against criticism from the minority community. In fact, many of his movies reflect the evolving story of racism in America during his lifetime.
* Poitier models a real commitment to introspection. Age 72 when he published this book, he is not simply content to sit back and enjoy his success and family. Instead he appears to have an fiery need to push toward deeper and deeper self-awareness — exposing his internal demons, trying to anchor himself in the cosmos, and struggling to understand the relationship between humanity and nature.

My thoughts are not ALL positive. Taken as a whole, the book doesn’t hang together all that well. Many times it felt much more like a series of discrete chapters in which Poitier shares some of his random thoughts. But, that wasn’t much of a distraction. And at the end of the book, I came away more impressed with Poitier than I began. (I have ALWAYS been a big fan of his performances.) I came away with admiration for him as a human being.

See more of my reviews at www.tobyasmith.com show less

"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 PoitierIn this luminous memoir, a true American icon looks back on his celebrated life show more 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. show less