Sidney Poitier's The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography, published in 2000, is his second book of memoirs. The first was called My Life, and was published in 1980. The Measure of a Man was on the New York Times Best Seller list for several weeks; the audio version, narrated by Poitier, won a Grammy award for best spoken album. The book combines memories of Poitier's childhood and thoughts about his religious faith, racism and family with stories about some of the plays and films he made, including A Raisin in the Sun, Lilies of the Field (which brought him the Academy Award for Best Actor) and The Defiant Ones.
In January 2007, Oprah Winfrey selected The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography as the 56th Oprah's Book Club pick. The book, which had ranked 288,000 on Amazon.com, jumped to a top-50 ranking within three hours of Oprah's announcement.
Last updated: January 29, 2007.
