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Local Author Shares Love Of Reading As Catalyst For 'Boys To Books'

DETROIT (WWJ) - A local author is giving back to the community by mentoring and teaching leadership skills to other young men -- a mission he embarked on after overcoming stage 4 cancer.

Eddie Connor tells WWJ's Terri Lee that he uses his love for books to help other young men find success in life.

"There is a direct connection between illiteracy and incarnation - they are so interconnected and so literacy has been a love of mine to really influence young males positively," said Connor.

Eddie Connor

As the author of several books ... he travels the world delivering straight talk with steps to help young people unlock their potential.

"So many people can be depressed or lonely over the holidays and think about the past - but I'm a witness that you can overcome the obstacle," Connor said.

Eighteen-year-old Jordan Causey, a freshman at Eastern Michigan University, says because of Connor ... he, too, believes in the power of mentoring.

"If I can give back to the community by helping younger black males get into reading and give them a more positive role model to look up to ...," said Causey.

Year-round Connor mentors young men through his foundation Boys To Books.

"The two most important dates in your life are number one; the day that you were born, secondly, the day that you realize why you were born," stressed Connor. "'Why' symbolizes purpose, everybody has a purpose, everybody has a gift - the tragedy is to life to exist but never to live."

"Walking in the spirit of the recently departed Nelson Mandela," he says he'll be in South Africa in 2014 working through his foundation.

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