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The First Part Last

by Johnson, Angela
The First Part Last

  • Comment on this title
  • Synopses & Reviews
  • Award Excerpt

ISBN13: 9780689849237
ISBN10: 0689849230
Condition: Standard


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Awards

Winner of the 2004 Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Literature for Young Adults

Winner of the 2004 Coretta Scott King Award for Best African-American Children's Writer


Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments


"This little thing with the perfect face and hands doing nothing but counting on me. And me wanting nothing else but to run crying into my own mom's room and have her do the whole thing.
It's not going to happen...."

Bobby is your classic urban teenaged boy — impulsive, eager, restless. On his sixteenth birthday he gets some news from his girlfriend, Nia, that changes his life forever. She's pregnant. Bobby's going to be a father. Suddenly things like school and house parties and hanging with friends no longer seem important as they're replaced by visits to Nia's obstetrician and a social worker who says that the only way for Nia and Bobby to lead a normal life is to put their baby up for adoption.

With powerful language and keen insight, Johnson looks at the male side of teen pregnancy as she delves into one young man's struggle to figure out what "the right thing" is and then to do it. No matter what the cost.

Review

"Brief, poetic, and absolutely riveting, this gem of a novel tells the story of a young father struggling to raise an infant." School Library Journal

Review

"Johnson makes poetry with the simplest words in short, spare sentences that teens will read again and again." Booklist

Synopsis

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.


About the Author

Angela Johnson has won three Coretta Scott King Awards, one each for her novels The First Part Last, Heaven, and Toning the Sweep. The First Part Last was also the recipient of the Michael L. Printz Award. She has written numerous books for younger readers, including the Coretta Scott King Honor Book When I Am Old with You, illustrated by David Soman; Wind Flyers and I Dream of Trains, both illustrated by Loren Long; A Sweet Smell of Roses, illustrated by Eric Velasquez; and Lottie Paris Lives Here, illustrated by Scott M. Fischer. In recognition of her outstanding talent, Angela was named a 2003 MacArthur Fellow. She lives in Kent, Ohio.

4.5 8

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating 4.5 (8 comments)

`
juliasandoval59 , April 09, 2014
Set in 1990’s New York, Angela Johnson’s Story The First Part Last is about a young teenager named Bobby whos is trying to do the right thing no matter what the cost. Nia, Bobby’s pregnant girlfriend will make decisions about whether or not to keep the baby neither teen planned for. before Nia was pregnant, Bobby was just living the life of a careless teen. He’s an artist at heart that shares the images in his mind with the world through graffiti. In one part of the story he describes how he feels while he’s painting, “I’m always the pale white ghost boy beside the brown girl who is always looking away.” in another part of the story, Nia and Bobby are in the doctor’s office discussing the different options that might be best for their situation. The entire time they were there, Bobby did not speak because he knew that Nia’s parents would never let Nia keep the baby no matter what he said. At this point in the story you are not sure if Bobby will ever have a voice when it comes to his child. will art be his only way of communication? As a writer, Angela Johnson tries to demonstrate responsibility for what are “just in the moment” acts. As a teenager, this book really put it into perspective that every decision we make has a consequence and we have to be able to deal with it.

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`
emmejo , August 25, 2010 (view all comments by emmejo)
Bobby was a classic city boy. He spent his time playing basketball, hanging with his friends, and trying not to get caught graffitiing. All that changes when his girlfriend Nia tells him that she's pregnant. Bobby is determined to do the right thing for his kid and his girl, but how does a 16 year old, who can't even figure out what to do with himself, figure out how to make those kinds of choices? This short book is a very compelling read. It alternates between what happens after the baby, named Feather, is born and while Nia is pregnant. It doesn't come off preachy or as a morality tale of why teen pregnancy is evil. Bobby's no nonsense, "just the facts" attitude is conveyed well, but so is the fact that he really cares for his daughter and her mother.

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`
evitacheng , February 09, 2008
This book is really good. I have 100,000 girlfriends that are 10 years old that have babies and are adapting to their new lifestyle.

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`
cidrapr95 , November 26, 2007
To begin with i had first seen this book and i love it and for me a 9th grader im gonna start to read it becuase these are things that could happen to me

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`
leedamoon , March 21, 2007
I L-O-V-E this book I read it once in the ninth grade and ever since I've looked everywhere for it until I found it. I just love the way Ms. Johnson wrote this book and I look foward to reading more of her books.

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`
Rebekahb , October 17, 2006
this is one of the most moving, page turning, gripping, teaching, a.m.a.z.i.n.g. books i have read in a very long time. I hated that it ended! a good book has the ability to change the thinking of the reader.. and it did. this book included incredible insights and enough soulfood to last me a while. Johnson provides a lot to think about. I deeply admire her work and aspire to capture at least some of her ability in my own stories. She is truly talented, and i hope she continues to write for a very long time.

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`
jaehning , September 05, 2006
I thought this book was great! This book has a very good moral lesson. I've learned that it's hard to take care of a baby if you're so young. I recommend this book to teenagers.

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`
Desiree-Leigh , May 15, 2006
This book is amaizng. It shows teens that even if they make a bad mistake its gunna be hard but you really need to make the right decision afterwards. The author did a great job on how she set up the book.. Desiree-Leigh<33>

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Product Details

ISBN:
9780689849237
Binding:
Mass Market
Publication date:
01/01/2005
Publisher:
SIMON & SCHUSTER TRADE
Series info:
heaven
Pages:
144
Height:
.41IN
Width:
4.16IN
Thickness:
.50
Series:
heaven
Age Range:
12 to 17
Grade Range:
7 to 12
Number of Units:
1
Illustration:
Yes
Copyright Year:
2005
UPC Code:
2800689849239
Author:
Angela Johnson
Author:
Angela Johnson
Subject:
Children s Young Adult-Social Issue Fiction
Subject:
Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General
Subject:
Children s Young Adult-Social Issue Fiction-General

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