By Karu F. Daniels, AOL Black Voices
Like many screen legends before him, Sidney Poitier may have thought a self-penned memoir would be good idea for a historical record of his life and times.
But I'm sure The Academy Award winning thespian didn't imagine that the recently released 'Measure of a Man,' would be #1 on the 'New York Times' Bestsellers List.
On Feb. 11, the critically acclaimed tome will debut in the top spot on the prestigious list.
And a great debt of gratitude is owed to none other than media maven Oprah Winfrey, who christened the book as her 56th Book Club collection on Jan. 26 -- giving it a sales boost that is second to no other marketing machinery.
Yesterday, the book debuted in the #6 spot on the 'USA Today' bestseller list.
"Sales of [the book] soared across all sales channels over the weekend after the announcement on Friday," said Mark Tauber, the Vice President and Deputy Publisher of HarperSanFrancisco, who released the autobiography. "We are tracking #1 in many accounts for the week ending Saturday, even though we have just two days of sales. Being selected by Oprah's Book Club has done a great service in bringing this wonderful book first published in 2000 back to the attention of the American public. The ranking at amazon.com, for example, went from #288,958 to #2 within hours of the show airing on Friday, a result echoed in all accounts. We are very happy for Mr. Poitier."
Poitier, who was the first black man to win an Academy Award (as Best Actor in the 1963 film 'Lilies of the Field') is happy too.
"I am overwhelmed far beyond the point where words, alone, could fully express either my appreciation or my gratitude; so, I must depend on the quality of my deeds in the years ahead to get the job done properly," he said about the book being chosen for the book club.
"Meanwhile, I proudly accept this honor on behalf of the forces that brought it about: the love of my parents, the ever-present kindness of strangers, and the hidden mysteries of the universe and, of course, Oprah Winfrey," he continued.
Poitier's "Oprah Connection" continues during a one-on-one interview with recent black Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx for her primetime Oscar special, airing on Feb. 22 on ABC.
Comments: (86)
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By: Sandy on 2/25/2007 11:16PM
I don't know why any black american woman would want to promote the book of a man who ignores the greatest black america man that ever lived - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but applauds nelson mandela and even mahtma ghandi.
Furthermore he has done nothing but use black american women and now he's using her. And she calls him a great man. Sad Sad
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By: Annie on 2/07/2007 2:05AM
The man is great and articulate and if he writes as well as he speaks the book is great.He has been like with Joanna for years before marriage and now.When the times were lean and now.So what.Give the man his due
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By: S. McCall on 2/11/2007 9:56AM
The Measure of a Man is an excellent book choice. I hope people read it to learn from the message wrapped around it's pages and not ignore it because of what they personally preceive about the face attached to the message. Sometimes it takes controversy to bring attention to a message so powerful it can not be denied. I did!
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By: cynthia harleston on 2/10/2007 10:18PM
You must be born black and raised in America under the
Negroid and colored period to truly understand the likes
of Martin Luther king for if not for him and his kind
people of color negroid,colored in America. What has happened people like Sidney came to America and rode on the backs of the American born Blacks in this country
in their country they was nothing and came here and got
mislead about the American Black.
there would be no Sidney Poitier or his kind if not for
the sacrifices of Black Americans.
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By: Jamar on 2/10/2007 8:47AM
re:
"I don't know why any black american woman would want to promote the book of a man who ignores the greatest black america man that ever lived - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but applauds nelson mandela and even mahtma ghandi.
Furthermore he has done nothing but use black american women and now he's using her. And she calls him a great man. Sad Sad"
Wikipedia doesn't offer any reference to a rift between Dr. King and Poitier and lists only two marriages to the actor. Regardless, is it beyond thought to consider that Oprah recognizing Poitier's book on her club listing is perhaps reciprocal so far as "using" is concerned?
I'd say that Oprah gets just as much good will and limelight as Poitier for her seemingly generous action. Some might call it calculating. Oprah is a genius - no doubt and no argument there.
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By: Onaje Allan Gumbs on 2/10/2007 11:20AM
I applaud Oprah for giving a boost to literary authors. However she has done vitually nothing to promote a music that has been written into the Congressional Record. A music that spawned geniouses like Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Billy Strayhorn, Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole,Oscar Peterson Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter,Diane Reeves, the list is endless. It is a music known as JAZZ, which up to this very day has been treated like a stepchild. It is a music that is vital, accessible and passionate that can relate to everyone regardless of their tastes in music or life for that matter. She could be an instrument of change in attitudes towards this music as she has undoubtedly been an instrument of change in people's attitude towards reading. We have living legends in our midst, Billy Taylor, Roy Haynes, Nancy Wilson, Gerald Wilson who can give us first hand accounts of the history, past, present and future of this glorious music in addition to her ackowledging the young lions and younger lions who are keeping the torch burning bright. She can not under estimate the impact she can make with this regard.
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By: GUY MAYNARD on 2/10/2007 10:37AM
SIDNEY POITIER IS ONE OF THE VERY VERY BEST!! I HAD MEET HIM A FEW TIMES YEARS AGO HE WAS ALWAYS NICE HE SPOKE TO EVERYONE THAT PASSED BY.. MAY THE GOD'S BE ALWAYS GOOD TO HIM.. GUY MAYNARD
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By: corlette branch on 2/10/2007 11:10AM
no, comment.
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By: GUY MAYNARD on 2/10/2007 10:36AM
I READ HIS BOOK THIS LIFE MANY YEARS AGO HE IS A GREAT WRITER AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO READING THIS BOOK SIDNEY POITIER IS ONE OF THE GREATS I WISH HIM ALL THE BEST
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By: Alanthia on 2/10/2007 11:44AM
Um question. Did Oprah acknowledge the book " The Covenant In Action", by Tavis Smiley? Surely this would be a book to be recommended right. Today on C-SPAN, Tavis Smiley made a comment, his book made great reviews with out Oprahs book club. Huh... you read between the lines.
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