SIDNEY POITIER: Blessings From 'The Almighty O'

By Karu F. Daniels, AOL Black Voices

Media maven Oprah Winfrey helped propell the out the gate success of Sidney Poitier's memoir 'Measure of a Man.' The book will debut in the #1 spot on The New York Times Bestsellers List on Feb. 11 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.