Cornel West talks to theGrio about his new memoir

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.