A distinguished author returned to his hometown of Plainfield to share his life story with students.

Dr. Amir Whitaker's new autobiography entitled "Escaping the Trap" deals with his youth and the tough time he faced growing up in Plainfield.

The former New Jersey resident got expelled from school when he was 15. He was sent into the juvenile justice system, but went on to attend college and received five degrees.

Whitaker spoke at Hubbard Middle School, Maxson Middle School and Barack Obama Academy for the Academic and Civic Development. He is now a writer, world traveler and lawyer for the ACLU in Los Angeles