Winfrey Chooses Sidney Poitier Memoir
Oprah Winfrey turned to an old acquaintance for her first new book club choice since the James Frey scandal a year ago, announcing Friday that she had selected Sidney Poitier's "The Measure of a Man."
Poitier's "spiritual autobiography," published in 2000, combines memories of such plays and films as "A Raisin in the Sun" and "The Defiant Ones" with observations about the Academy Award-winning actor's childhood, his religious faith, his thoughts on racism and the influence of such world leaders as Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi.
"The Measure of a Man" spent several weeks on The New York Times' list of best sellers, and the audio edition, narrated by Poitier, won a Grammy Award for best spoken word album. Poitier wrote a previous memoir, "This Life," released in 1980.
Winfrey has spoken with Poitier before. An interview appeared in her own "O" magazine in 2000, when the two discussed his life and career, a meeting which Winfrey acknowledged left her feeling like a star-struck fan.Photos: Oprah's School In Africa
"Poitier and I are sitting across from each other at the Bel-Air hotel in Los Angeles — and I'm admiring that, at 73, this man still personifies grace, ease, strength and courage," Winfrey wrote at the time. "He is a gentleman in every sense of the word. In my more than 25 years as an interviewer, I've talked to hundreds of people — yet today, I'm giddy."