The First Part Last

This review submitted on behalf of my daughter Bo-Ashley. She loved the book ...THE FIRST PART LAST by: Angela JohnsonPublished By: Simon Pulse in 2003Summary: During this inspiring novel Bobby, a sixteen year old high school kid living in New York City, experiences a heart breaking event in which his beloved girl Nia falls pregnant and ends up in a coma following the birth of their daughter Feather. In one chapter of the book Bobby tells us he had been covering the alley walls with graffiti. In his art Bobby had created a familiar figure, he saw Nia within this baby but he could not "find" her face as if he was loosing her and could never find her. As Bobby explains his hardships and the events leading up to his loss he finds that Feather is the only thing he has that is left of Nia and can not bear the thought of giving her up to those happy smiling families on the wall, Feather was his and he was hers. And as Nia slowly slipped further and further from her surroundings, Bobby told Feather all about a place called heaven and how he imagined the place to be, the place where he knew Nia had gone.Problem: Bobby and Nia have to decide weather to keep Feather or Give her up for adoption. And if they do give her to one of those smiling families on the wall which one will she go to?Favorites: Bobby is my favorite character in this novel because he shows so much love toward Feather. Bobby also cares for and respects his girl Nia. Although stupid to have had a child at such a young age, Bobby finds himself with mixed emotions which he expresses withstrength and meaning.Quote: " Nia: WHEN I WAS FIVE I wanted to be a firefighter. All my uniforms would have Nia on them, and I would speed through the city in the lightning trucks. I wanted the ladders to rise high into the sky and have me on them. I wanted my hands to pull people from fires and disasters. I wanted my arms to be the arms that carried out babies and kids, safe. I wanted my feet to be the ones that ran up endless flights of stairs and brought everybody back alive. But by the time I was ten I wanted to be a balloonIst, and fly up high everybody, and that's what it feels like I'm doing now.I'm flying up high over everybody; way over the city and even myself. I'm flying over Bobby and my parents, and the park with all my friends in it. I guess this is what it must feel like to be dying. Alkl I want to do is lie here and sleep, even though I see the blood and it shouldn't be where it is. And it was just a minute ago Bobby was singing a shampoo commercial, but he's gone now. But that's okay because all I want to do is fly."This was the random out of place chapter that has so much meaning for this is when Nia slips into the coma. That was the last time she heard her love Bobby. It made me cry." I can tell you how it feels sitting in the window with Feather pointing out the creeks that rolls past our backyard. I can tell you how it is to feel as brand new as my daughter even though I don't know what comes next in this place called Heaven."And this quote was the last paragraph when Bobby was explaining Heaven to Feather and how he knew that Nia had gone there. This also touched my heart and made me cry.THE FIRST PART LAST was about thee best novel I have ever read. The message it sends across to the reader is so beautiful and strong, at the risk of sounding cheesy this novel actually touched upon my view of my surrounds and changed the way I think about life itself. I believe anyone who has a soul and an open mind and an imagination that's soars, one who is always asking questions will enjoy this outstanding novel. I for one know I shall read it again and soon...

I just finished reading The First Part Last by Angela Johnson. I have read multiple books by Angela Johnson before so I thought it would be a good read for me. The basic plot of the book was that teenage Bobby was forced to take on becoming a father and raising a child, Feather, all on his own after the baby’s mother, Nia, falls into a coma after birth. Although he struggles with caring for a child while in school and still wanting to be a kid, he loves Feather more than anything in the world. He struggles to decide whether to put Feather up for adoption or not, because he becomes so attached to her. He must learn to live without Nia as well as she slips away into a coma. The main themes of this book are teen pregnancy and growing up too fast. In the book, Bobby struggles with what to do with his life and his baby. He wants what is best for Feather, but he isn’t sure what the answer is. He must learn to cope with losing Nia, who he loved immensely, as well as being on his own and making adult decisions as a child. This book holds a strong deeper meaning of how precious life is and how attached people become to those they love. It shows how difficult it is to let go of those who you care for the most. One of the most touching moments in the book is when Bobby tells Feather about how Nia is going to heaven. I would definitely recommend this book to people. It is beautifully written and definitely eye opening. Upon my first reading of it, I found it to be rudimentary and simple, but after further inspection, I saw the deeper meaning of the piece and the power that it held. This book really speaks to human connection and the importance of life. It is truly an amazing novel.

I "read" the audio version of this book and wondered about Mia, the teenage mother throughout most of the book. I would recommend it to any teenager, particularly males, from Grade 8 and up.With one exception, this story is told and performed exclusively by Khalipa Oldjohn. He gives an excellent performance of Bobbie - a 16 year old lower middle class boy, who is trying to raise his newborn daughter, Feather, virtually by himself. At the same time, Bobbie's continuing to attend school and trying to find some time for his friends in his sleep-deprived life.I had only one issue with Oldjohn's performance. His acting didn't match the image of Bobbie suggested by the cover art. Oldjohn's voice, tone, and performance was well done. But, he sounded younger, more naive and innocent than the young man in the cover picture. It sounds silly, but I found this distracting and wished they had used changed the cover art. It is also the only reason I gave it four stars, rather than five. If I could, I would have given it a four and three/quarters.Otherwise, it is a great, realistic, and vivid performance of the book. I particularly like the one scene where Mia finally "speaks." The actress protraying her was just as I imagined and it was probably my favorite scene and performance.Particularly helpful were the transitional announcements at the beginning of the scenes (chapters): "Now" - indicating that the scene took place in the present; and "Then" - flashbacks to Bobbie's his previous life, including the pregnancy and birth of Feather.Initially, Bobby's ambivalence about his newfound fatherhood and the related struggles and benefits don't seem very unexpected. The exception was that it is the teenager father, not the upper class mother Mia, who is raising the child. Is this just a predictable tale of how one simple judgment error changed a teen's entire life?No!!! What makes this teenage pregnancy tale so unique and rewarding is the mystery surrounding the teenage mother that is finally revealed toward the end. When the mystery about the teenage mother is finally revealed in the en - ambiguity/mystery until the end. Only then, does everything make sense.