Module 6 Book Reviews: Young Adult

The First Part Last by Angela Johnson
Winner of the 2004 Michael L. Printz Award
Winner of the 2004 Coretta Scott King Award

1. Bibliography
Johnson, Angela. 2003. The First Part Last. New York, NY: Simon Pulse. ISBN 0689849222.

2. Plot Summary
This story is very cleverly told by alternating chapters of the past with chapters of the present and ends with the two sequential storylines converging into the present, all through the eyes of Bobby, the teenage father. The chapters reflecting on the past relate the difficulties and choices the teenage couple must negotiate when Nia becomes pregnant. The chapters telling of the present reveal the challenges and rewards of raising a baby as a single teenage father. It is not until the end of the book that many of the reader's questions are answered. The end is also when the father, Bobby, is finally able to fully accept the idea that parenthood means leaving his childhood behind.

3. Critical Analysis
This story is exceptional at exposing the difficult decisions regarding adoption, the trials of raising a child as a single adult parent, and the uncertainties of pregnancy. It avoids teaching the reader which decisions are best, rather it presents choices.
Even when the most direct of "lessons" appear, it comes from Bobby's parents and from Nia's parents and is very informal in nature. It is never directed at the reader - it is always directed at Bobby and Nia. The information is shared through Bobby's rebellious voice as he recounts his parents first reaction, "And didn't we go together and get me condoms? What the hell about those pamphlets Mary put beside my bed about STD's and teenage pregnancy?"
The story is objective in its presentation of the choices available to pregnant teens. Readers observe the decision making processes through Bobby and Nia's visits to the doctor's office. The teens are informed of parental rights, waiting periods, counseling, and traditional or open adoption - all by an objective social worker Bobby refers to as "woman," because he cannot remember her name. The adoption decision that the two must make requires them to either forego parental responsibilities in order go to college for the college experience and to please all parents except for one, or to accept the responsibilities of parenthood and disappoint all parents except for one. Ultimately, it is Bobby and Nia's informed decision to make. Bobby comments on the plan to give the baby for adoption, "I'm freakin' and in shock when everybody says I should be relieved and throwing a party. The hard part is that they're right and I should be happy. Right?" In this manner, multiple sides of the adoption issue are presented, avoiding didacticism.
Regarding Bobby's responsibilities in raising a child, his dad has these words for him after a particulary hard day, "There'll be no sleep for you. There's ten pounds of I need daddy, a pissed-off mother, and a disappointed neighbor waiting at home. You ready to deal?"
Teens often feel invincible, but the truth is stark and very present toward the end. In Bobby's words, "I can't ever be a knight or brave, so I ask nothing about brain death or eclampsia or why the girl who had a thousand pair of sunglasses and my baby inside her won't ever walk, talk, or smile again...And I feel like a three-year-old when I walk out the room between my parents while they hold my hands."
This is a great story for presenting to teens the ups and downs and choices that come with pregancy. In the end it is the reader who draws his/her own conclusions about teenage pregnancy, not the author drawing them for the reader.

4. Review Excerpts
BOOKLIST: "Johnson makes poetry with the simplest words in short, spare sentences that teens will read again and again."
BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN'S BOOKS: "...They'll find the book well worthy of the cover's promise."

5. Connections
Teenagers face multiple serious decisions when the life of a baby is at stake. For other books that expose questions and the struggle to make decisions, check out the following:
Bechard, Margaret. HANGING ONTO MAX. ISBN 0689862687.
McDaniel, Lurlene. BRIANNA'S GIFT. ISBN 0385731604.