{"product_id":"the-measure-of-a-man-9780061357909","title":"The Measure of a Man","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"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.\"\u003cbr\u003e --Sidney Poitier\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePoitier 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePoitier 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHere 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, \u003cem\u003eThe Measure of a Man\u003c\/em\u003e captures the essential Poitier.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePoitier, Sidney:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003eSidney Poitier was the first black actor to win the Academy Award for best actor for his outstanding performance in \u003cem\u003eLilies of the Field\u003c\/em\u003e in 1963. His landmark films include \u003cem\u003eThe Defiant Ones\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eA Patch of Blue\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eGuess Who's Coming to Dinner\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eTo Sir, With Love\u003c\/em\u003e. He has starred in over forty films, directed nine, and written four. He is the author of two autobiographies: \u003cem\u003eThis Life\u003c\/em\u003e and the Oprah's Book Club pick and \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestseller \u003cem\u003eThe Measure of a Man\u003c\/em\u003e. Among many other accolades, Poitier has been awarded the Screen Actors Guild's highest honor, the Life Achievement Award, for an outstanding career and humanitarian accomplishment. He is married, has six daughters, four grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"HarperOne","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50641648058642,"sku":"9780061357909","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_a9e0023a-f956-480c-8bc0-746140ae03f6.jpg?v=1733027970","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-measure-of-a-man-9780061357909","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}