The First Part Last by Angela Johnson

a. Bibliographic data
Johnson, Angela. 2003. THE FIRST PART LAST. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0756939259

b. Brief plot summary
On Bobby’s sixteenth birthday, he discovers that his girlfriend Nia is pregnant. Bobby struggles with the idea of being a father throughout Nia’s pregnancy but ultimately ends up being baby Feather’s sole guardian once she is born. Although he still feels like a kid himself, a very sleep deprived Bobby tries to balance high school, raising a baby and having a social life as best he can.

c. Critical analysis
This emotional story of young Bobby has the ability to transcend cultural boundaries and reach a wide audience of young adult readers. The voice of the main character is authentic to a teenage boy who is adjusting to life as a parent, and although author Angela Johnson describes Bobby as an African American teen, any reader can relate to the experience.

While Johnson never states that the characters are African American, the descriptions of the characters, particularly baby Feather (caramel skin and dark, curly hair) and her mother Nia paint of picture of the African American culture. Johnson does an excellent job of portraying the life of teens in New York City. The sights and sounds of living in the city are well documented throughout the novel and add character and personality to the setting.

d. Reviews/Awards
• Printz Award (2004)
• Coretta Scott King Award (Author, 2004)
• ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2004)
• From SLJ: “Brief, poetic, and absolutely riveting, this gem of a novel tells the story of a young father struggling to raise an infant.”
• From Booklist: “From the first page, readers feel the physical reality of Bobby's new world: what it's like to hold Feather on his stomach, smell her skin, touch her clenched fists, feel her shiver, and kiss the top of her curly head. Johnson makes poetry with the simplest words in short, spare sentences that teens will read again and again.”

e. Connections
• Read some of Johnson’s other novels and picture books
o Heaven
o When I am Old With You
o Looking for Red
o I Dream of Trains
o Violet’s Music
o Toning the Sweep
• Use a book club selection with middle or high school students. This novel can open up a lot of discussion among older students about the consequences of being sexually active and will definitely make them think.