Communities In Schools Founder and Vice Chairman Bill Milliken

Today’s blog post is by Communities In Schools Associate Director of Movement Building Sally DeLuca and Legislative Affairs Intern Cate Auerbach.

Communities In Schools Founder and Vice Chairman Bill Milliken reflects on 50 years of serving challenged youth in his most recent book, From the Rearview Mirror. This intensely personal memoir chronicles his journey from troubled teenager to national leader, detailing both his growing pains and successes along the way. From stories of tough love to long-lasting friendship, painful family struggles to undying faith, From the Rearview Mirror provides an insider’s view of a man and his mission to make a lasting impact on our nation’s most vulnerable students.

In the June edition of Inside CIS, we spoke with Communities In Schools Founder and Vice Chairman Bill Milliken about his new book.

Inside CIS: From the Rearview Mirror sounds like a memoir. Is this the story of your life?

Milliken: Yes and no. I do share some personal things about my own challenges growing up, but it’s really the backdrop to The Last Dropout, my book about Communities In Schools. This isn’t just about the events in my life; it’s also about the lessons I learned and how they have contributed to the Communities In Schools movement.

Inside CIS: Why did you decide to write this book?

Milliken: When I celebrated my 70th birthday and 50th anniversary of youth advocacy work, I spent time reflecting on what I’ve been through and what I’ve learned. I thought it might be useful to share this with others and maybe help them make sense of their journeys, too.

Inside CIS: Who should read it?

Milliken: Several groups. First, the Communities In Schools network (and other youth workers) can relate to the experiences with underserved young people; members of the faith community can understand the challenges I faced in reconciling certain spiritual principles in my life; the learning challenged community can appreciate the struggle to address my own learning differences; and advocates for social justice will trace many of the social movements that emerged during and after the 1960s, right up to the present.

From the Rearview Mirror is available on Amazon.

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