Friday, August 1, 2008

the first part last

Bibliography: Johnson, Angela. (2003). The First Part Last. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. 131 pps.

Genre: Teenage parents/father, fiction, African-American, coming-of-age

Awards:
Coretta Scott King Author Award
Michael L. Printz Award

Synopsis:
Bobby is 16. He is doing well in high school, he has great friends, his parents care about him and have always taken care of him, he has traveled around the world... and he is a new father. Not only is Bobby a new father, he is a single father. Through a "then" and "now" perspective, Johnson relates Bobby's story of how he came to be the single parent to his daughter, Feather; his relationship with his parents; his relationship with his girlfriend, Nia, and her parents; and his relationship with his friends, now that he is a father. While Bobby's parents are very supportive, they refuse to take over of parent. They hold Bobby to his responsibilities. Bobby struggles to meet the demands of being a parent, a high school student, and a friend to his buddies. The reader is gradually taken step-by-step through the story through Bobby's eyes, and learns how it is that Bobby has come to his present situation, and eventually of the tragic story of what has happened to Nia, Feather's mother.

Review:
Johnson does a wonderful job of illustrating the reality of parenthood - especially teen-parenthood. Johnson also does well to dispel stereotypes of teenage parents - in particular African-American teenage parents - African-American families, and African-American boys. The First Part Last deals with a lot of tough issues that some teens may be struggling with. I would recommend this book for the tenth grade and above because of this content. A younger student who is familiar with the issues raised would also be a clear candidate. If this book were to be used in a class, I suggest using it as small-group or individual reading

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