The First Part Last

Bibliography: Johnson, A. (2003). The first part last. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

ISBN: 978-1442403437

Genre: realistic fiction

Reading Level/Interest Age: 12+; 14+

Plot Summary: Then: Finding out that his girlfriend is pregnant is not the sixteenth birthday present Bobby expected. But he knows responsibility and he knows that he’s got to take care of her. He brings her food and rubs her swollen feet. He holds her hand and wipes her tears. He’s scared, but figures that Nia is probably even more so. Together they have to decide how they’re going cope with the situation. Now: Bobby has never felt a love as deep as what he feels for his daughter. But he’s also never felt exhaustion so completely or confusion so acutely. He struggles to find balance in being a teen and being a parent. How can the two ever become one? With little help from his family, Bobby figures out parenting, diaper changes, sleep schedules, formula amounts and day care coordination. If he can barely figure out today, how can he ever figure out the future?

Critical Evaluation: Angela Johnson does a fabulous job in using tone and dialect to portray teenage boys. Sentences are short. Thoughts are succinct. These help create a nest of realism that so many other books lack. Character development in Bobby is difficult, necessary and instinctive. The reader feels his confusion and his adoration. We feel his dismay and his exhaustion. Johnson builds upon all this and by the last couple chapters, Bobby's thoughts have deepened. He sees things with more clarity, describes them more fully, considers things with a heightened sense of awareness.

At its core, the premise of the book is as controversial for the readers and it is for the characters. Many people would feel that a teen boy raising a child alone is not in the best interest for that child. Teenagers, males especially, haven't yet developed the ability to fully analyze a situation; active parenting requires an unequivocal amount of mental strength and constant awareness of all possibilities of any given situation. Bobby and Nia's parents felt the same way. The book doesn't go into great detail of the parents' opinions, but does say when the two teens decided on adoption, "My mom and Nia's parents looked like they just got released from Oz, and not the one with the yellow brick road. I think Nia's dad took his first real breath since the first time he found out she was having a baby" (105). When Feather is born, though, the all-encompassing love Bobby felt for her changed not only his mind, but gave the reader hope that the strength of this love could carry him through the sacrifices required of parenting.

Johnson created a magical dance with her writing in The First Part Last. The back and forth format gave us snippets of Bobby's acclimation to parenthood while simultaneously providing background, almost memories that Bobby continues to mull. In every chapter, the reader is treated to a deep, careful and beautiful illustration of truly captivating writing.

Reader’s Annotation: Bobby is 16, smart and about to become a father. Is it possible to be a parent when he’s still a kid himself?

Author Information: Angela Johnson is the author of the Coretta Scott King Honor picture book When I Am Old with You; as well as A Sweet Smell of Roses, illustrated by Eric Velasquez; Just Like Josh Gibson, illustrated by Beth Peck; and I Dream of Trains, which was also illustrated by Loren Long. She has won three Coretta Scott King Awards, one each for her novels Heaven, Toning the Sweep, and The First Part Last. In recognition of her outstanding talent, Angela was named a 2003 MacArthur Fellow. She lives in Kent, Ohio.¹

More than 40 books later, Johnson is not only a writer, but an award-winning author who is hailed as a leading voice. From moving picture books that celebrate African-American families, history and relationships to stirring young adult novels, Johnson’s stories touch readers in ways that endure. Rich with memorable characters, lyricism and meaning, Johnson transports us to new places and keeps us there by exploring the threads that connect us.²

Curriculum ties: writing (using dialect in writing)

Booktalks: teenage fatherhood

Challenge issues: tagging; underage sex; teen parenting

Challenge resources (for usage in a challenge situation):

• Library Selection Policy

• Rationale explaining why the item was chosen for the collection
• Active listening skills
• Awards
• Reconsideration form (as a last resort)
• Illinois Library Association (Banned Books Listings)
• National Council of Teachers of English “Right to Read”
• Positive and negative reviews: expert, parent, student
• ALA Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials
• ALA Bill of Rights on Intellectual Freedom

• Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.
• Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.

Reasoning: The First Part Last takes a common theme--teen pregnancy--and turns it around into a completely unexpected storyline. Providing a unique perspective, author Angela Johnson helps readers understand that teen fathers are no less capable or less in need of support. She expands the genre of young adult literature into an unusual, but very much needed, avenue of perspective.

References

¹Angela Johnson Author Page. (n.d.). Retrieved October 11, 2015, from http://www.amazon.com/Angela-Johnson/e/B000APRUUI/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

²Johnson, A. (n.d.). Home | Angela Johnson. Retrieved December 3, 2015, from http://ajohnsonauthor.com/