Cornel West talks to theGrio about his new memoir (VIDEO)

Cornel West calls his new memoir, "Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud," his "most unique work yet."

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

Cornel West calls his new memoir, Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud, his “most unique work yet.”

West, Princeton University professor and author of more than a dozen books, said he thinks his story can inspire younger generations.

”[My generation] had rage in the 60s, young folks got rage today,” West said. “I do think that [my] generation has something to say to the younger generation about the centrality of love, the centrality of struggle for justice [and] the centrality of education.”

West grew up in Sacramento, Calif., where he said his church, Shiloh Baptist, helped him turn his life around. He went from getting into fights as a young boy to fighting for social justice as a nationally renowned scholar.

West, 56, sat down with theGrio to discuss the potential impact of his latest book and the toll it took on him personally to write it.

Follow theGrio’s Todd Johnson on Twitter at @rantoddj

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