#30 The Measure of a Man

by Sidney Poitier
This is an autobiography about the life of Sidney Poitier. I listened to it on CD and Sidney himself was the reader. Most of the book felt more like Sidney just sat down and told his story, rather than him reading it from the book.

Sidney lived on a small island in the Bahamas until the age of 11 or 12. Cat Island had no electricity and no running water. His parents were tomato farmers, but after an embargo on tomatoes the family moved to Nassau. Sidney started getting into trouble, so his parents sent him to Miami at the age of 15 to live with his older brother. In Miami, Sidney first felt the full effects of racism. At 17 years old, he left Miami and ended up in Harlem, NY where he worked at menial jobs until he joined the Army.

He and the Army didn't mesh well, so he went back to Harlem and decided to try his hand at acting. His accent and lack of skill in acting landed him back on the street. After being humiliated by a director, he was determined to become a talented actor. He studied acting for 6 months before landing the lead in a Broadway play. This was the launch of his career. He tells about the roles that were major stepping stones to his success, and also about most of his more well-known roles. He also tells about many roles he turned down because he didn't agree with their message; he refused to play any part that portrayed him in a way contrary to his character. He often accepted controversial roles for his time period.

Some of the more controversial roles he talked about were: A cop from Philadelphia who is pulled into a murder investigation in a small Southern town in the movie In The Heat of the Night; the friend of a blind white woman in A Patch of Blue, and the fiance of the daughter of a prominent and rich white couple in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. He was the first black man to win an Academy Award for best actor; he won for his role in Lilies of the Field.

Throughout the book he refers back to the many lessons he learned growing up, and from the example of his parents. He has a wonderful way of describing his experiences and making the reader understand the effects these experiences had on him. I enjoyed the book so much that I rented In the Heat of the Night and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. I would recommend both of these movies and the book. I also plan on watching many more Sidney Poitier movies in the future.