I Am Not Sidney Poitier

I Am Not Sidney Poitier is a hilarious and irresistible take on race, class and identity.

The sudden death of Not Sidney Poitier’s mother orphans him at age eleven. He is left with a name no one understands, an uncanny resemblance to an Oscar winning actor, and serious amount of shares in the Turner Corporation.

Percival Everett's novel follows Not Sidney's tumultuous life, as the social hierarchy scrambles to balance his skin colour with his fabulous wealth. Maturing under the less-than watchful eye of his adopted foster father, Ted Turner, Not Sidney learns to navigate a world that doesn’t know what to do with him.

This novel ranks as one of the greatest achievements of Percival Everett, an overlooked master of American storytelling.

‘A scandalously under-recognized contemporary master.’ – The Wall Street Journal

‘Not only is the novel smart and without a trace of pretentiousness, it shows Everett as a novelist at the height of his narrative and satirical powers.’ – Publishers Weekly

‘One of the funniest, most original stories to be published in years.’ – NPR