The First Part Last

The First Part Last

Johnson, A. (2003). The first part last. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Growing up in the city, sixteen year old Bobby is a typical teenage boy with great friends, a girlfriend he is really into, and a family who loves and cares for him while teaching him the responsibilities of life until he finds out that his girlfriend, Nia, is pregnant.  Life comes crashing down almost immediately—his mom is angry, his friends seem alienated, Nia’s parents are judgmental and controlling, and Bobby is confused.  As the novel flashes back and forth between the time prior to “Feather” being born and the time after, we get a bird’s eye view of the complexity of Bobby’s thoughts and emotions as a young father-to-be/father.  Because of Feather’s traumatic birth which renders Nia incapacitated, Bobby is forced (literally by his and Nia’s family) to deal with his situation as an adult and then, eventually, leads him to move with Feather to a slower paced life with his brother and family.  The content of The First Part Last would not be emotionally appropriate for readers younger than 14 but would be a great source to use in a child development or health class as I think boys and girls alike could benefit from the angst and emotional twists and turns caused by the physical and emotional involvement of the characters in the book.