Bibliographic Citation
Johnson,
A. (2003). The First Part Last. New
York, NY: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780689849220. 131 p.
Summary
On
his sixteenth birthday, Bobby is surprised with the news from his girlfriend,
Nia, that she is pregnant. They struggle to make the right decision for the
baby. Should they keep the baby or place her for adoption? Through a series of alternating
present day scenes and flashbacks, the reader quickly realizes Bobby keeps the
baby and takes care of her on his own. One is left to wonder until the end:
What happened to Nia?
Analysis
This
Printz Award and Coretta Scott King Award winning book hooks the reader by
alternating the chapters between “then” and “now.” “Now,” we see Bobby
struggling to care for his baby girl, Feather. Johnson paints Bobby’s feeling
for his baby clearly: he loves his baby girl more than anything, but there is sadness
in him as well. “Then,” we see Bobby and Nia during her pregnancy and Bobby’s
friends’ reaction to it. While the book did hook me, I felt it was lacking
dialogue between characters even though it is told through Bobby’s point of
view. It is short and I felt like it could’ve had more depth of story,
especially Bobby’s relationship with Nia. I felt as if I didn’t know her at
all. However, since Bobby’s character is known so intimately, I felt extreme
sadness when the plot twist at the end is revealed. I felt sadness for Bobby
and the baby, but not so much for Nia. I think this book would be a good
addition to a high school or even middle school library. It is a quick, easy
read and will resonate with boys especially.
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