Book Details

From the Rearview Mirror

Bill Milliken

Empowerment, Inspirational

978-1-4019-3790-4

From the Rearview Mirror is the story of Bill Milliken's journey from an affluent Pittsburgh suburb to the streets of Harlem and the Lower East Side of New York City in the 1960s, on to communal living in Georgia in the 1970s, to working with multiple presidential administrations in Washington, D.C.

He struggled with an undiagnosed learning disability in school, believing he was dumb and had nowhere to go. After connecting with the Young Life outreach program at the age of 17, however, he found his calling doing street work with homeless, addicted, and other at-risk teens in the turbulent '60s. Bill and his colleagues founded what grew into Communities In Schools, a highly effective organization working to bring services to young people and prevent them from dropping out of school. Along the way, Bill struggled with bringing his personal life into alignment with his ideals, coming to terms with organized religion and his own spiritual path, and creating the family and community he'd always longed for.

Book Reviews
Sep 26, 2012 Moving My Spirit
“From the Rearview Mirror”, by Bill Milliken, is his own true story of a man with a vision and passion to back it up. Many personal and professional obstacles stood in his during his journey but his desire to help children withstood them all. His journey begins in Harlem in the 60’s and has many stops along the way, including the White House. I really enjoyed how he interwove his inner journey that coincided with the outer journey. Growing up he struggled with a learning disability, despite being very bright. This helped him to understand, and want to help, other children struggling with school. Another aspect of the book I respected was his honesty about his spiritual path. He details how he was inspired, then disillusioned, depressed, unsure, and re-inspired ( something many of us have experienced). He details the pain of being caught between two worlds, never feeling like he fit in either, something I have personally experienced. This pain drives him to create a family and community for himself. .At times, as he explains at the beginning of his book, his lack of linear thinking can get confusing. These are minor and do not affect the overall experience of the book. This is an excellent read for anyone, in particular those who enjoy memoirs or stories of overcoming great obstacles in order to achieve greatness. His years of dedication to his beliefs and drive to help children are an inspiration to us all.

I was not financially compensated for this post. I received the book from Hay House for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.
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