Praise for Sidney Poitier, Man, Actor, Icon
Top Ten Biographies and Top Ten African American Books in 2004, Booklist Poitier has been revered as the first black superstar and criticized for his saintly, sexless and sentimentalized screen image. In this intriguing biography, Goudsouzian . . .thoughtfully depicts the actor's efforts to handle both praise and damnation. Goudsouzian understands the dynamics behind Poitier's pictures, and carefully analyzes Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, A Patch of Blue and To Sir, with Love. Intense anecdotes highlighting Poitier's temper, occasional womanizing and insecurities keep him from appearing as a distant icon.- Publisher’s Weekly Sidney Poitier, Man, Actor, Icon is the definitive biography of Hollywood’s first black actor to achieve stardom solely for his dramatic talents. . . . The author’s documentation of Poitier’s performances in sixty-nine feature films, documentary films, television dramas and specials, Broadway Plays, and Spoken-Word Albums is impressive. Moreover, Goudsouzian’s citation of his sources throughout the book is equally reassuring. This book is likely to become the all-time enduring definitive Poitier biography. - Dunbar on Black Books In Aram Goudsouzian's restrained, capable biography of Hollywood icon Sidney Poitier, he doesn't peel away the emotional or psychological layers of the African-American screen star. Instead he tracks the highs and lows of a pioneering career. . . . Goudsouzian frames Poitier as a man of his times, weighing the actor's compromises and triumphs equally. He does not traffic in sleaze or unsubstantiated rumors, a refreshing rarity where celebrity journalism is concerned. - Washington Post Book World Lots of celebrity bios are cranked out every year, but few are written with the serious scholarly intent of Goudsouzian's study of actor, director, and role model Poitier. Borrowing a page from many great literary biographers of the past half century (Deirdre Bair, Peter Ackroyd, Michael Holroyd), Goudsouzian chronicles Poitier's time and places him within it. . . . Goudsouzian's willingness to consider all aspects of Poitier's life and image accounts for why this biography reads like a well-written, highly addictive novel. - Booklist, *Starred Review* Goudsouzian offers the reader an engaging and fully rounded portrait of Sidney Poitier that not only cuts through his subject's famous guardedness but also places him not on a pedestal but in the midst of the American racial landscape in all its complexity. - Thomas Cripps, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Morgan State University The book illuminates the breadth of Poitier's impact on film and culture, but within the subtitle's themes, delineates the very personal consequences of one man's decisions through decades of social unrest. . . . A well-written, invaluable resource for devotees of film and social history, the book recalls the courage of many of the actor's peers and mentors. . . . Though his life is a compelling story of a talented actor with drive, ambition and a sense of dignity, Goudsouzian's analysis shows us how a career fortuitously intersected with and benefited from the demands of African Americans to level legal and social barriers. It also was a career propelled by screen roles that satisfied Americas need to believe the best about itself. - Black Issues Book Review Poitier deserves a full, perceptive biography [and] . . . Goudsouzian provides just that. . . . [He] is an excellent guide. - ForeWord In his scrupulously researched, wide-ranging biography of Sidney Poitier, history professor Aram Goudsouzian offers the reader an intimate portrait dealing with all facets of this black superstar's life. - Sanford Herald Goudsouzian provides a comprehensive overview of Sidney Poitier's Hollywood persona and shows how he became a symbol of the emerging civil rights consciousness in America. The story moves from Poitier's inauspicious beginnings on the Bahamian island of Nassau to the New York theater scene and then to Hollywood. There, through his roles in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and In the Heat of the Night, Poitier was able to embody the hope and future of African Americans both in his success as a movie star and in the characters he played. However, there were limits to the roles he won, owing more to his being black than to a lack of range, and he also attracted criticism from leaders of the black power movement. In the end, this book effectively weaves the story of race relations in mid-20th-century America with the individual story of America's greatest black actor. - Library Journal |
