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Summary: As impressive as the man himself.
Review: I read Poitier's latest autobiography in one sitting. I was as enchanted with his real life story as I have been by the characters he's played on film and the stage. It's a cliche, to be sure, but Poitier's parents gave him a great gift: roots and wings. As a child growing up on Cat Island, in the Bahamas, he gained the self-confidence and security he would have to call upon time and again during his adult life. He never strayed too far from the values he learned so early on, and even though he livesin a world very far removed from the one he was born into, the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. I enjoyed the book and will probably read it again. Thank you, Mr. Poitier, for your grace, strength,incredible talent, and for sharing your life with us. Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Read
Review: All in all a good read. Poiter does an effective job of telling how his youth rooted in values like family and self esteem served him well many years later. The book is a fast read with lots of wonderful stories about Poiter. It only gets boring when he digresses into a debate about "religion" and does not offer any practical advice to the reader. Read it. You'll like it.
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Summary: A great book by a great actor...
Review: I didn't know that Sidney Poitier had written a book until I saw the commercial for the "Oprah" show. I decided to tune in to see the interview, and found that Mr. Poitier was a very wise person. So, I decided to get the book, and I was not disappointed. Poitier's prose is very much like a friend having a discussion with you over a cup of coffee -- more like a conversation with an intimate friend, rather than just a written record of his life and career. There is much wisdom here -- from his early beginnings on a small island in the Bahamas, he learned quite a bit about life and living. He has carried this knowledge throughout his life, and he now shares it with us. It's hard to know a person just from the movies he makes. Mr. Poitier's body of work speaks volumes -- and so does this excellent book.
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Summary: POITIER SURPASSES THE MEASURE OF A MAN...BY MILES!
Review: I first became interested in Sydney Poitier when he starred in one of my all time favourite movies, "To Sir with Love." After that, I avidly followed his career, but as the years passed, less and less was written about him. I was elated when this book appeared and was not disappointed upon it's conclusion. Everything about this book only confirmed what a beautiful and spiritually enlightened person Mr. Poitier truly is. In spite of his lucrative movie career and fame, Mr. Poitier has clearly never lost sight of where he came from or what is important in life. He did not abandon his personal values, beliefs and integrity in search of fame and fortune. His love for humanity and family, and the happiness, peace and contentment he has found within himself, is evident on almost each and every page of his extremely well-written book. He is the ultimate example of refinement, culture and class. Mr. Poitier is the type of man one would love to sit down with under a shady tree, over a cup of tea, and share his joys, tribulations and deep spiritual philosophies on life. He is an astoundingly charismatic gentleman as one will discover through his autobiography. If you only read one autobiography in a lifetime, let it be this one - the reader will definitely not be disappointed. If simplicity, faith, integrity, humbleness and inner peace are the "measure of a man", then Mr. Poitier's shoes would be very difficult to fill. The book is deserving of an entire universe of stars.
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Summary: Before there were Buppies, there was Poitier
Review: I knew of Sidney Poitier, but always saw him as a clean cut Buppie. In listening to the audiotape, it was like he was sitting in my home discussing his life story with me. The first 10 years of his life shaped a level of pride and self respect that is seldom seen among African-Americans of any age. His back bone lead to a string of movies where he was able to show the rest of America that black men are three dimensional beings that just happen to be black. Without his portrayal of men of dignity, the the black movement in the 50's, 60's and early 70's, would of been delayed by many, many years. Those of us that remember when TV and Movies were less colorful, will appreciate this work on a deeply emotional level. This is one of the most emotional and educational tapes that I have the pleasure to experience. A must read, or better yet, listen.
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Summary: Highly recommended for all Poitier fans
Review: Legendary actor Sidney Poitier here provides an unusual autobiography which covers his own life and controversies. Poitier grew up amid poverty in the Bahamas, but with strong values and a drive to succeed. Highly recommended for all Poitier fans, Measure Of A Man covers his professional career and its changes.
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Summary: The Measure of a Man, a literary addition to Poitier's life
Review: Sidney Poitier fans are not hard to come by and would thoroughly enjoy this book, seeing as how the tone of the book is exemplary of Poitier's signature calm and confident demeanor. _The Measure of a Man_ is organized into eleven sections that take the reader sequentially through the main lessons of Poitier's life with insights by the author looking back. Each section contains several stories from Poitier's life, each flowing seamlessly into the next. For example, under the chapter title, 'Life in Black and White' Poitier recalls the Harlem, New York that he loved. He opens with the politics of the area, including the fact that blacks were expected to go into New York City to work, but once the day was over, they were expected to stay far away from downtown, which segways into Poitier recalling the great nightlife of Harlem which in turn leads to a story of a specific man who was able to stay in Harlem as a hot item for one week annually. The man saved his money all year to spend on himself and others in the city in seven days before returning to Poitier's home place, Cat Island. These examples, along with many others support the overall lesson of this section; that the author was faced with discrimination many times, but he did not accept it into his beliefs and was happier with himself and his lifestyle. The highlight of the book for me was understanding how Poitier's beginnings and upbringing support the life of an actor so well. Poitier never comes out and states, "this is what happened when I was a kid and at this moment on stage I drew from it," rather it is left to the reader to make the connections which I rather enjoyed. Any aspiring actor or speaker can take note from Poitier's examples and apply them to their own situation. Anyone faced with adversity can respect and draw strength from Poitier's firm beliefs that had to be proven over and over again. His upbringing comes in to play in this aspect because he was raised in the 1940s but was unaware of racial segregation for the majority of his childhood. Being raised on an island where everyone was black with the exception of two people was helpful for Poitier because he developed his sense of self without the concept of prejudice. When this was introduced to him in his early teens, Poitier was already developed enough to feel confident enough to reject bigotry. I have read other reviews that found tones of "black anger" in Poitier's story and I have found none. I believe he tells his story from his point of view and it is a viewpoint of equality for all men and a view of high self-respect, containing no notable tones of "black anger." Some less enjoyable moments of _The Measure of a Man_ are the times Poitier drops names like a novice at a networking luncheon. Anyone who writes an autobiography thinks enough of himself or his story that he expects others to be interested. Poitier, for the most part does this unpretentiously and without excessiveness. Unfortunately, that makes the few times he does preach all the more noticeable. When recalling a filming, an integral meeting, or a high stakes encounter, Poitier drops a lot of names. Reading through the lists five or six lines long full of names becomes a bit tedious. Another aspect to be aware of is that where as this is a great book for anyone looking to know more about Poitier's career, but anyone questioning about his family or personal life will be disappointed. Sidney Poitier's _The Measure of a Man_, published by Harper SanFransisco is the literary addition to Poitier's life, and is not to be missed by those who respect his work.
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Summary: review of measure
Review: The measure of a man is a story of integrity and character,anyone who would like to know something about the true man Poitier is should read this selection, but not just who Poitier is but also anyone who's looking for questions about themselves. Questions of life discipline, integrity. I also recommend it to a person who is open to a broad band of religion and isn't set on one particular religion, but open to a broad christianity. Sidney tells us of religion, but he never tells us of a particular one or group he belongs to, instead he takes things from many religions and kind of lumps all of their values and aspects into one form of his own particular standards and beliefs, he takes us on a journey through time, the trials and tribulations of his own life. The book also tackles the very controversial issue of race and segregation, and breaking through the race barrier, through pure determination. The book starts of with Sidney watching T.V. and not being able to find anything on the television. He's frustrated with the fact that there are 97 channels on the television, but nothing to watch on them. He says he starts to think of "...images of a time in my life when things were so much simpler, when my options for entertainment couldn't be counted on a scale from 1 to 97." From this point the rest of the book is a continual flashback, structured into main points of the authors life from growing up on Cat Island to making movies, and to dealing with international stardom, a journey through time if you will. Its written in a very conversational style of writing, making you believe that your sitting right in front of Poitier himself, watching him tell his story and interacting with him with either disbelief, joy, or laughter. The book is well written from front to back, and because of this and his conversational style of writing, the events he describes, his actions, his feelings and his thoughts, are greatly illustrated. After reading a measure, you don't just feel as if you meet a man, you feel as if you lived with a man, through his struggles and through his success. I enjoyed the book thouroghly, he says in his introduction he didn't want to write a book about his life, instead he "wanted to write a book about life. Just life itself." I think he accomplishes this throughout his book. He doesn't make the focus on his particular life, instead he uses his life as an example to others. He doesn't make it a standard he makes it a lesson, for all to read and all to learn from. It's an intriguing tail of a man who came from nowhere and wasn't given anything or any special treatment, but fought his way to the top, all by himself. It is an inspiring tail of self determination and tells a story everyone can learn from.
Rating:
Summary: Sidney Poitier is an American treasure
Review: This book reveals a man of depth,integrity and intelligence. Written in a very personal, conversational style, it is like sitting down with the man himself to talk about Life. Poitier explores our current culture, the importance of family and never forgetting where one comes from, his groundbreaking career (which has been defined by his own principles and morality), racism, and yes, his view of the meaning of life itself. What a moving, beautiful book this is! Perhaps Mr. Poitier should consider a run for President? We certainly need him, and the world would certainly benefit from more people like him. Read this book!
Rating: 
Summary: Mistakes are to be found in this book!
Review: When I began reading this book (audio), I didn't truly know what to expect but to learn a bit more about this man who has appeared in so many fine motion pictures. In the eight hours of listening, I came to see Poitier as a man of character and integrity, something missing in so many men and women in the theatre today. It was fascinating to learn of his background in Jamaica, a background that most would view as one of poverty but one which was rich in building character. In his own words Poitier describes his journey from poor kid to a man of honor in the entertainment business. The audio book conveys the slight voicings of words which can not be done with simply the printed page; these add color to the presentation. Someone wishing to know a bit more of the background of his movies will find this book a welcome addition. In my opinion he might have spent a bit more time explaining his educational experience. Hearing his voice and knowing the words are his, makes a person wonder how this all came to be.
The latter moments of this work includes pages of Poitier trying to explain his worldview, his religion. It is, my opinion, a confused view, combining elements of Roman Catholicism (not the same as Christianity), spiritualism (from his days in Jamaica), the atheism/naturalism of Carl Sagan (a friend), idealism, and an acceptance of evolutionism. That he would go to this area of his experience was not unexpected, given the book's subtitle. To be fair, understanding this realm of his thinking will contribute to anyone's appreciation of Poitier as an actor as well as a man.
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