Release Date: February 01, 2007
Born in the Bahamas in 1927, young Sidney Poitier encountered few white people and never "learned" to feel inferior. When his tomato-farmer parents lost their livelihood due to a Florida embargo, Poitier's family moved to the United State, staying first in Miami, and eventually moving to Harlem, where his father sold cigars and his mother broke rocks into gravel. His parents' hard-working ethic and his own sense of self-worth, mixed with anger at the prevalent racism and segregation of the period, made Poitier determined to succeed despite the forces arrayed against him. Throughout the 1950s and '60s, he continually broke down color barriers, and fought valiantly to depict black men in interesting roles with pride, dignity, and charm. THE MEASURE OF A MAN, his second volume of autobiography, an Oprah's Book Club selection in 2007, powerfully describes the challenges Poitier faced, and how the teaching of his parents and his spiritual faith helped him overcome and thrive. The book discusses his involvement i
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