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    The First Part Last
    The First Part Last
    The First Part Last
    Ebook98 pages1 hour

    The First Part Last

    By Angela Johnson

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Bobby's a classic urban teenager. He's restless. He's impulsive. But the thing that makes him different is this: He's going to be a father. His girlfriend, Nia, is pregnant, and their lives are about to change forever. Instead of spending time with friends, they'll be spending time with doctors, and next, diapers. They have options: keeping the baby, adoption. They want to do the right thing.
    If only it was clear what the right thing was.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
    Release dateMay 11, 2010
    ISBN9781439106587
    The First Part Last

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    Reviews for The First Part Last

    4/5

    574 ratings61 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I highly recommend this book for middle school and high school readers. The story is not only heartwarming but it bears the truth about the difficult realities that a teenage single father must face. I liked “hearing” this story through the heart and mind of a teenage father. The author doesn’t pander to some peoples’ stereotypic image of young men being uncaring and absentee fathers. This book is authentic in giving the reader a glimpse into a reality that exists whether they want to believe it or not. The overriding message is that love conquers all. Angela Johnson is a master at being able to keep the reader engaged no matter what reading level they are at. This book is particularly useful for low level high school aged readers because it’s subject matter is not only useful but of interest to many. It should be in every library’s collection.
    • 5/5
      3.Bobby, a 16 year old high school student, describes the difficulty of being a father to his 11 day old daughter, Feather, while still wanting to be the same carefree guy he was before. Despite the hardships and a few mishaps (such as leaving Feather for a few minutes) Bobby is a very good father who loves his daughter very much. Told from Bobby’s viewpoint, the chapters alternate between the past where he describes dating Nia and their decision to give the baby up for adoption, and the present where Feather is being cared for by Bobby. Bobby is a realistic teen who is torn between his old carefree life and his desire to be a good father. Bobby’s friends, while supportive, cannot and do not fully understand what he is going through. Bobby’s mother was especially well portrayed. She clearly loves both Bobby and Feather, but also makes it clear to Bobby that Feather is entirely his responsibility. While the tone of the book is one of hardship the overall feeling is optimistic, Bobby and Feather will be all right in the future.
    • 5/5
      This Printz winner packs a powerful punch for being so slim. 16 year old Bobby is a new father and is struggling with how to balance school, fatherhood and being a teenager. When tragedy strikes, he realizes that his own needs aren't so important anymore.I read it in approximately an hour and found that I couldn't put it down. The teens' language is realistic and the parents' reactions are genuine and unexpected. Highly recommended to teens and adults.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this story of a 16-year-old boy who takes on the responsibility of raising his baby daughter. It's rough, and sad but one of those books I think should be taught in schools, to start a discussion about how this decision to have 'fun' has changed a young man's entire future. Interestingly, one of my personal book groups read and discussed this one, and none of them felt that the main character, Bobby, was realistic. They all agreed that a boy willing to take on this responsibility was completely fictional.A quick, low-level, high-interest book - Recommended!
    • 4/5
      This book was a reallyyyy fast and easy to read. It was interesting to read about teenage pregnancy from the father's perspective.
    • 5/5
      Bobby, a teenage father, comes to grips with being a parent and struggles with issues relating to his baby’s mother, friends, and parents.
    • 3/5
      The First Part Last by Angela Johnson is a well written book about a teenage boy dealing with his girlfriend's teenage pregnancy. One thing that is refreshing about this novel is that it is told from the young man's point of view and shows his dilema's. All along, Bobby's voice, which narrates the story, wavers between great love for his daughter and panic at his situation, but the emotional heart of the story never falters
    • 4/5
      It gives nothing about this book away to say up front that it's about a single father in high school raising his brand new daughter. Johnson alternates the action forward and backward from the birth of the child, showing Bobby's struggles caring for an infant, and also giving brief glimpses of how things went when Nia was pregnant.By itself, it's a touching but realistic story of two students with promising futures that suddenly give way to parenthood because of one mistake. But for me, the story really came down to the question of why Bobby was raising the baby. This question is answered toward the end of the book, and to reveal that really would give the whole thing away.
    • 5/5
      In this thrilling book, 16-year-old Bobby is quickly thrust into the responsibilities of adulthood when his girlfriend, Nia, has a baby and Bobby is expected to raise the baby without much assistance. This book is fast-paced and easy to read as well as compelling and enlightening. It is an especially effective hi-lo (high interest, low reading level) book for struggling young adult readers. However, all readers should find it equally readable and riveting. Told through the perspective of Bobby, the chapters in the book alternate between “now” and “then,” with Bobby alternating descriptions of his current situation with flashbacks to the story of Nia’s pregnancy. Author Angela Johnson has painted such a realistic portrait of Bobby and his struggles that readers will be caught up in his emotions and thoughts and feel for him as the story moves along. Many readers will be able to relate to the book’s themes of family, responsibility, and coming of age. This book could be used to teach older middle school/high school students about teenage pregnancy, its consequences, and how to protect against it.
    • 4/5
      For me, this book misses the mark a bit. It's a story about teen pregnancy from the father's point of view. Bobby is taking care of his infant daughter. It's a genuine story (not preachy), but I thought the way the author closed the story on the infant's mother seemed too contrived. I also thought there were times when Bobby's descriptions seemed more like those of an adult woman that the words of a teenage boy-- a little too flowery or poetic or something. Not a bad book but not fabulous.
    • 5/5
      The First Part Last by Angela Johnson is one of my favorite young adult books. Although teen pregnancy is a somewhat common topic in young adult literature, Johnson covers it in a very unique, captivating way in The First Part Last. The two defining features of this novel for me are the male protagonist and the setting alternating between present (now) and past (then) throughout the story. I appreciated the male protagonist because it seems to me that it is uncommon in literature about teen pregnancy. I think it is good especially for young men to see another male take responsiblity and really want to be an active parent even though it means making many sacrifices. Too often in literature and news the single parent home is run by the mother. So I am thankful Johnson created such a strong, passionate male protagonist. Normally when I am reading alternating time frames, I end up wanting to read all of one time frame at a time. However in this book, I was captivated from start to finish. Each chapter felt like just enough time spent in that setting before switching. It was a unique way to present a common theme and I definitely enjoyed it. Overall I think this is a wonderful book not only for recreational reading, but high school classrooms covering teen issues.
    • 4/5
      Personal Response:I most enjoyed how this story began after the birth of Feather, and worked backwards to explain how Bobby got to where he was, much like most people do when they examine their lives. As Bobby laments early in the story, "But I figure if the world were really right, humans would live life backward and do the first part last. They'd be all knowing in the beginning and innocent in the end."Curricular Connections:I would include this book in a book group on realistic fiction about teens making tough decisions or teen parenthood.
    • 4/5
      This story is about two teenagers getting pregnant and having to deal with their families after breaking the news to them. The plot of this story takes a turn when the mother, become ill and is pronounced brain dead during the birth of their child. This life changing experience forces Bobby to become a single father trying to balance having a new baby in the house, school and dealing with Nia's condition. Through the story Bobby who is narrating the entire story goes back and forth telling stories about what his life is like now with a baby and the different life events leading up to the birth of his daughter. This book is a great book for adolescents to read. It could be use to teach about responsibility. Bobby had to step up and on up to his responsibility and take care of his daughter as single father. Another lesson that this book could be use to teach is the consequences behind your actions are real. In the book Bobby and Nia have to deal with the teenage pregnancy as a consequence to them having sex. I absolute loved this book. This book really looks at a real life situation from a unique point of view. When teen pregnancy is mention most people won't think about the father becoming a single parent, but this book shows that side. I love how the author created a lot of flashbacks throughout the story, I think that the flashback helps the readers get to know the different charters in the book. This is a book that I would recommend anyone to read.
    • 5/5
      This thin volume is beautifully written and explores the life of a new teen father. The chapters alternate between then (in the days before parenthood when his girlfriend is pregnant) and now (when he is a father). Feather has changed sixteen-year-old Bobby's life. It has challenged his family and friends, although they remain incredibly supportive. Nia, the baby's mother, is only in the story during the then sections. Although toward the end of the book, there is a short chapter from her point of view before the story recounts what has happened to her. The volume captures Bobby's exhausting, longing to be a normal teen again, and his love for his daughter.
    • 5/5
      Hard hitting view of sometimes harsh realities of teenage love. What captivates the reader is the story is told from the perspective of a teenage boy who becomes a father. Insightful and awakening for any young adult to read--the transition from high school seniors to parents facing adult decisions and roles is told in a no-nonsense story that includes love, family relationships and courage.
    • 5/5
      Sixteen-year old Bobby gets quite a surprise on his birthday. He finds out his girlfriend, Nia, is expecting their child. Bobby must learn how to balance school, his girlfriend and his friends, and his daughter, Feather. The couple must also decide if they want to raise their daughter or put her up for adoption and allow her to be raised by happy, smiling people. Bobby also must deal with a devastating loss that could impair his decision. He is forced to grow up way too fast and become the man that everyone knows he can.This book is somewhat necessary, in my opinion, to teach to adolescents. With the teenage pregnancy rates so high, and with the media seemingly sensationalizing the trend, it is refreshing to see a real stance on the subject. Students would see the hardships and the sacrifices that Bobby had to make to raise his daughter in a way that he felt right. There is no more hanging out all day; there are only diapers and formula to take care of. I think this is a great story to help teens be more aware of the dangers of unprotected sex.I loved the story. Having it all from Bobby’s perspective and the flashbacks helped me understand more about his life. I felt a sense of sympathy for him because it seemed like he was very smart (he was preparing to graduate from high school at age sixteen), but he just made a couple of bad decisions when it came to sex. Reading about how he wanted better for Feather and how determined he was to be her everything made me all the more endeared to Bobby. He owned up to what he had done and he was determined not to let Feather down. I don’t think a lot of teenage boys would have went the route Bobby chose to (especially with Nia’s condition), I believe most guys would not have been able to handle the stress and strain of raising a child all on their own. I want a part two to read more about their journey in Heaven, Ohio!
    • 4/5
      A teen father must raise his daughter, Feather, alone after an accident occurs with the teen mother, Nia. The book portrays a good teen dad as he struggles with teen pregnancy and caring for a child. Companion to "Heaven."
    • 5/5
      Since middle school, I feel as if film, literature, television, and even music has been--for whatever reason--forcing the reoccurring topic of "the plight of teenage parents" down the collective throat of my generation and subsequent generations. It has become less of a way to draw attention to the adversities faced by adolescent parents and more of a "hot topic" to incorporate into any medium that wants to appear "edgy." With that being said, I think it is unfortunate that I honestly dreaded reading Angela Johnson's The First Part Last. Again; all I had known about Johnson's book was that it centered on teen pregnancy. However, I realized this initial feeling of reluctance was born from the over-exposure to the topic of teen pregnancy throughout the years. In other words--to be frank--I was literally judging a book by its cover--but I'd like to think it was justified. Once I finally got down to actually reading the book, I was immediately thrown a curve ball. Generally speaking, most tales about teenage pregnancy focus on the female parent. In contrast, Johnson's largely focuses on the story of the teenage father. Treading on mostly uncharted territory, the author approaches the--unfortunately--trite topic of teen pregnancy from a new angle. It is with this change in focus that Johnson successfully hooks readers into the heart of the story.Readers will find the book to be a brief but emotional ride. As the story alternates between the past and present, Johnson keenly presents choices and their often distressing consequences to readers. The author honestly and unapologetically presents the decisions that the teenage couple of Nia and Bobby had to face when they discovered that they were to become parents and then flash forwards to the present time when Bobby cares for his infant daughter, Feather, by himself. Like most modern-day, successful, adolescent works of literature, Johnson's work does not hide the facts from its readers. She keeps the story based in the often harsh reality of the real world and gives readers a true sense of what it is like to be a teenage parent by including all of the raw emotions and thoughts of her main character. It is through this realistic portrayal of the teenager that high school students may be able to connect to their own thoughts and feeling to the text. Teachers could couple this book with other books where the main character breaks gender stereotypes as examples of the reversals of gender roles. Obviously, this is a book to be taught only when a teacher is sure that all students can handle such a heavy topic. Though, I believe that Johnson's book should be--at the very least--introduced to students; because, like me, some students will be reluctant to read this book. And like me, they will not know the power of this book until they hold it in their hands, read the words on the page, and feel what the characters are feeling.
    • 4/5
      A young teenage boy has become a single father. He's not ready for it and struggles to maintain his schooling and raise his daughter and is strained to the point of extreme exhaustion. But throughout there is no doubt that he loves his little girl and he will do anything for her, if he can. It's wonderfully moving and worth a read.
    • 4/5
      The First Part Last By: Angela Johnson. This book makes it feel like real life. Bobby just a normal teen boy living high school years. But he soon finds out that him and his girlfriend Nia will have there life's changed in 9 months by a baby girl named Feather. They soon have to take responsibilities of parenthood, especially Bobby, he soon realizes this baby he will be raising on his own. This book didn't have chapters it went like "now" and "then". What was happening now he had flashbacks to when Nia was pregnant. This book I loved because it really showed how Bobby stepped up and became the father he needed to be for Feather and then he found out Nia was ill and pronounced brain dead during the pregnancy, then he knew he would have to raise this child on his own. Bobby is a great father and the love he has for his daughter is unconditional. This book I recommend reading because it really does show life lessons and it is a great book to explain teen pregnancy. Bobby had his life change with a baby girl, school and Nia condition but he made it through and was the father he was suppose to be. I was very impressed with this book.
    • 5/5
      Okay, I cried my eyes out in this book. This is a tender, sweet story about a young man who takes on the responsibility of raising his illegitimate daughter after his ex-girlfriend wants to give the baby up for adoption. It is so heart-warming to see this young man become a grown man in the face of doing the right thing. I promise you though, you're going to cry.
    • 5/5
      The First Part Last, by Angela Johnson, tells the story of a 16 year old boy named Bobby who is struggling with raising his young daughter Feather. The plot is revealed slowly using the natural language of a sixteen year old. Gradually we are made aware that the mother is not in either Bobby or Feather's life. Eventually, we realize that she lapsed into a coma while giving birth.This book highlights the love that a child can bring into a father's life but does not sugarcoat the amount of responsibility it takes to raise a child. I would ultimately recommend this book to middle and high school students because it does not seem to paint an unrealistic picture of having a child at such a young age. Bobby struggles a lot throughout the book. His daughter is presented as adding to his emotional life but making all other aspects of his life a lot more difficult. I think that this is an endearing book about a situation that has the possibility of affecting teens who do not protect themselves during sexual intercourse. The First Part Last is the winner of the 2004 Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature and the 2004 Coretta Scott King Awared.
    • 4/5
      Short and sweet, but never saccharine. The book frankly explores a teenage boy's experiences as a new father, as well as his sense of personal alienation as his entire lifestyle is turned upside down. Johnson's language is gorgeous and lyrical without ever feeling extraneous.
    • 5/5
      It is an exceptionally rare book that travels through the straw vote and the final vote for Best Books for Young Adults without a single no vote. First Part Last is the only book to do that so far this year—with good reason. Bobby is a typical teenage boy, with the typical teenage boy interests: sex and girls topping the list. Like many urban tales, this one includes a young girl getting pregnant. When Nia gives Bobby the news of their pregnancy, Bobby is celebrating his sweet sixteenth birthday. Nia’s news changes Bobby’s life, but in a surprising, unique way. Fear not! Bobby does not stop being a knuckleheaded, impulsive teenager who does dumb things. Like many teenage boys, however, Bobby takes responsibility for his actions. Johnson has written a story about a young, Black man who becomes a single parent despite a society, a community, two families, and several friends that tell him he cannot. Told in then and now flashbacks, we see Bobby agonize with his decision to do what is right for his child. We see him struggle, make mistakes, and live past them, despite the fact that Johnson does not romanticize fatherhood and the hard work caring for babies. First Part Last is perhaps the only book featuring a young, black single father. This book should be ordered by every high school in the country; teachers and librarians should promote it every chance they get. This book also has the advantage of one of the very best covers to ever grace a young adult book.
    • 4/5
      Kearsten says: I enjoyed this story of a 16-year-old boy who takes on the responsibility of raising his baby daughter. It's rough and sad, but one of those books I think should be taught in schools, if only to start a discussion about how this decision to have 'fun' has changed a young man's entire future. Interestingly, one of my personal book groups read and discussed this, and none of them felt that the main character, Bobby, was realistic. They all agreed that a boy willing to take on this responsibility was completely fictional - I'd love to discuss this with some teens and get their thoughts!A quick, low-level, high-interest book - Recommended!
    • 5/5
      Bobby tries to explain how he got to where he is now: a sixteen-year-old single father in New York City, with a baby girl he loves more than anything.
    • 4/5
      Strong, spare and scary tale of a sixteen-year-old father who has total responsibility for his tiny daughter. Told in alternating 'now' and 'then' chapters, it's a powerful and moving account of how a baby changes a life. Especially if one is not quite grown. I especially liked that it was from the father's POV. Nicely done.
    • 5/5
      This book is meant for a more mature group of readers as it deals with teen pregnancy. First Part Last is told through the eyes of the young father who is suddenly thrown into the role of a dad. Why he has custody of the baby we do not know at first--but that's the beauty of the book. Reading this, I tried to put myself in his shoes as he attempted to be a regular high school student, with the usual issues of friends, classes, girlfriend, and family--all the while discovering what it was going to take to be a father and responsible for another human being.
    • 5/5
      A beautiful story about a teenage father just trying to survive and take care of his child.
    • 5/5
      I was lucky enough to have the subsequent book, Heaven, recommended to me as a great book for middle grade readers, so I was more than happy to have a look at this one. It was interesting to learn about things that were mentioned as having happened in the second book and see how they actually played out in Johnson’s mind. Characters are strong and developed over the course of the book; I appreciate this sort of exposition and have had rewarding discussions with my students about how this is loved or hated by different readers.

    Book preview

    The First Part Last - Angela Johnson

    part I

    now

    MY MOM SAYS that I didn’t sleep through the night until I was eight years old. It didn’t make any difference to her ’cause she was up too, listening to the city. She says she used to come into my room, sit cross-legged on the floor by my bed, and play with my Game Boy in the dark.

    We never talked.

    I guess I thought she needed to be there. And she must have thought her being there made everything all better for me.

    Yeah.

    I get it now. I really get it.

    We didn’t need to say it. We didn’t have to look at each other or even let the other one know we saw each other in the glow of the Game Boy.

    So last week when it looked like Feather probably wasn’t ever going to sleep through the night, I lay her on my stomach and breathed her in. My daughter is eleven days old.

    And that sweet new baby smell … the smell of baby shampoo, formula, and my mom’s perfume. It made me cry like I hadn’t since I was a little kid.

    It scared the hell out of me. Then, when Feather moved on my stomach like one of those mechanical dolls in the store windows at Christmas, the tears dried up. Like that.

    I thought about laying her in the middle of my bed and going off to find my old Game Boy, but I didn’t.

    Things have to change.

    I’ve been thinking about it. Everything. And when Feather opens her eyes and looks up at me, I already know there’s change. But I figure if the world were really right, humans would live life backward and do the first part last. They’d be all knowing in the beginning and innocent in the end.

    Then everybody could end their life on their momma or daddy’s stomach in a warm room, waiting for the soft morning light.

    then

    AND THIS IS how I turned sixteen.…

    Skipped school with my running buddies, K-Boy and J. L., and went to Mineo’s for a couple of slices. Hit a matinee and threw as much popcorn at each other as we ate. Then went to the top of the Empire State Building ’cause I never had before.

    I said what everybody who’d ever been up there says.

    Everybody looks like ants.

    Yeah, right.…

    Later on that night my pops, Fred, made my favorite meal—cheese fries and ribs—at his restaurant. I caught the subway home and walked real slow ‘cause I knew my mom had a big-ass cake for me when I got there, and I was still full. (In my family, special days mean nonstop food.)

    I never had any cake though ’cause my girlfriend Nia was waiting on our stoop for me with a red balloon. Just sittin’ there with a balloon, looking all lost. I’ll never forget that look and how her voice shook when she said, Bobby, I’ve got something to tell you.

    Then she handed me the balloon.

    now

    I USED TO LAUGH when this old dude, Just Frank from the corner, used to ask me if I was being a man. He never seemed to ask anybody else if they were being men; at least I never heard him. I laughed ‘cause I didn’t consider him much of one, a man, hangin’ on the corner, drinking forties at ten in the morning. Hell, he was a joke. Always had been.

    Two days after I brought Feather home, Just Frank got killed trying to save a girl in the neighborhood from being dragged into an alley by some nut job.

    Didn’t have any family. Didn’t have any money, Just Frank. So the block got together to pay for his funeral, or the city was going to bury him in Potter’s Field. I went to his funeral at Zion AME, then walked home and held Feather for the rest of the night, wondering if I would be a man, a good man.

    •  •  •

    Feather sleeps like these kittens I saw once at a farm my summer camp went to. They were all curled up in an old crate, sleeping with paws on their brothers and sisters. Sleeping safe and with family.

    I haven’t been able to put her in her own bed at night, which used to be mine, since she came home from the hospital.

    Mary, my mom, says I’m going to pay.

    Put that baby down, Bobby. I swear she’s going to think the whole world is your face. She’s going to be scared out of her mind when she turns about six and you haven’t put her down long enough to see any of it.

    Or …

    Bobby, you could have let your Aunt Victoria hold the baby for more than the thirty seconds it took for you to go to the bathroom. You are going to pay when she starts walking and won’t let you out of her sight. You’ll pay.

    I wonder if somebody threatened her that one day I’d love her and want to be with her all the time. Some threat.

    •  •  •

    K-Boy and J. L. stand over Feather’s bed, making faces and loud noises at her.

    She screams.

    They shake a rattle at her and tickle her feet.

    She screams again.

    I dive across my bed and put my Walkman on and watch them, laughing. Yeah, you two are real good with her. If I was a baby I’d stop crying if a couple of tall men made scary faces at me and shook loud rattling sticks at my head.

    J. L. picks her up like she’s a football and walks her to the bedroom window. Hey, man, my sister’s got a baby, and I always get him to stop crying.

    He starts to rock back and forth on his heels, humming something that I really can’t hear. After about a minute she’s

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