Rating: 
Summary: A lot like "Hanging Onto Max"
Review:
This is a short book (131 pages), but is worth the few hours of reading time.
Bobby is 16 and has a baby daughter named Feather. Mostly he takes care of her himself, only dropping her off at a baby sitter's for the time he has to go to school. Bobby has an extremely hard time taking care of Feather and going to school, after getting no sleep every night. Nia, Feather's mother, does not really come into the book until almost the end of the book.
This book is sad and good. I gave it 4 stars because I don't think I'd ever want to read it again, but it is still worth reading.
I recommend "Hanging Onto Max" more than this book.
~Atalanta
Rating: 
Summary: first part last
Review: "Then she was all dark hair, hands in fists, Nia's nose and mouth. She came to me so slow, it was just like somebody brushed the air witha feather." the first part last by Angela Johnson.
I just finished reading the book "the first part last." It is an absolutely incredible story. The book is a fairly quick read but definitely not light reading. Angela Johnson's book, which won the Michael Prinz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature, is the moving story of a teenage dad. The story alternates between then, when Bobby's girlfriend Nia was pregnant and now, after the baby is born. The book leaves the reader with the mixed feelings of sadness and joy as Bobby makes the decisions that he believes will benefit his daughter, Feather, the most. I recommend this thought provoking book for more mature 14 and 15 year-olds and older.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: An beutifully written novel that shows a side of the story that is not often explored in a postive light, teenage fatherhood. This story follows the young mans everyday life, exploring how difficult it is to know what to do whats right for a child when you don't even know what to do for yourself yet.
Rating:
Summary: A Long Awaited Perspective-Teenage Fatherhood
Review: Bobby describes "Just Frank", a man from his neighborhood who always asks when Bobby is going to be a man, as a joke. When "Just Frank" dies saving a young girl, Bobby begins to respect "Just Frank" and understand what it would take for him to be a responsible young father. Bobby quickly learns that parenting is not an easy job. Angela Johnson gives a clear and accurate description of how totally exhausted new parents get. Bobby is on his own with no one making his experience easier for him. Bobby is by no means perfect, but he grows as his experiences as a new father change and change him every day. There is nothing false in this book. Bobby's life is not an easy one, and at times he wants to run away from the stress his situation is causing him. All in all, Bobby unselfishly makes choices to do what is right for the baby. At times, he does consider just running away from it all, as all new parents do. This book is worthy of its accolades and I can't say enough good things about it. Read this book and suggest it to others. Anyone can enjoy this truthful look at the ability of one small baby to completely change your life, your goals, your perspectives, and your sleep schedule. Wouldn't it be nice if we could live our lives backward and experience the first part last? I think it would.
Rating:
Summary: A Teenage Boy Becomes of Age.
Review: Bobby just found out he is going to be a father. Here lies the beginning of a wonderful story written by Angela Johnson. The book is in two parts. They are title Now and Then. The author takes you to before and after the arrival of the baby Feather. Bobby is a teenage boy who found out his girlfriend Nia is expecting. The book describes Bobby, Nia and their family feelings on the baby. The book to me is a wondeful take on the reality of teen pregnancy. On a sad not the readers find out that Nia is in a form of coma where she is in a vegative state for the rest of her life after giving birth to the baby. Wonderful read for teens who are intimate with one another. They could read this and comprehend somewhat the huge responsibility of having a baby as a teen.
Rating:
Summary: A reality check
Review: Bringing a child into the world is a decision that should be made after much thought and conversation with one's spouse. Even the most level-headed adult can be overwhelmed with the responsibilities associated with the well-being of a baby, no matter how old they are. But, imagine being a teenager, suddenly thrown into the role of expectant father and then fatherhood. It is not something discussed often enough in our society, yet author Angela Johnson has focused on this subject in the book THE FIRST PART LAST, narrated by sixteen-year-old Bobby Morris.
Bobby Morris is like most other teenage guys in his neighborhood. He likes to play basketball, hang out with his friends, and skip school on occasion. All of this changes when his girlfriend becomes pregnant. Determined to do the right thing and support her decision to have the baby and then give it up for adoption, he's there to comfort her and assure her all will be well. His childhood is immediately taken from him as things don't work out quite as planned and he finds himself with his daughter Feather relying solely on him. Feather is his first priority and though he lives with his mother, she's stepped back in order for him to step up to be the man necessary to raise his child. From the amazement of having his own child, to the look of adoration on her face, Bobby must make the journey of fatherhood and deal with growing up faster than planned.
THE FIRST PART LAST is a reality check for many teenagers who are participating in sexual activities and should be required reading in schools across the country. Johnson uses chapters entitled "Now" and "Then" to back-track from the past (before the baby is born) to the present (after the baby is born) of Bobby's young life. It is a touching story of a boy struggling with his feelings of fatherhood and all things necessary to ensure his daughter's well-being. While I did enjoy the story, I often felt as if I was in a game of Red Light, Green Light in which you stop and go depending on the leader's directions. I didn't like the format of switching from past and present in alternating chapters as it took some of the intensity away from the story. However, the book did paint a very realistic view of teenage pregnancy and the joys, fears, and thoughts of parenthood.
Reviewed by Tee C. Royal
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers
Rating:
Summary: Very Compelling
Review: I picked up this novel today at the library and I just finished it.I had always wondered how it was from the guy's point of view when it came to teenage pregnancy. Now I know. It was a great read. Bobby is the kind of guy you'd want your teenage daughter to get pregnant by if she had to get pregnant at all.
It was sad that him and Nia didn't get together at the end of the story,but I'm glad that he decided to keep Feather.
I've got to check this author out more often!
Rating:
Summary: A Powerful "Must-Read" For Teens
Review: I read the opening pages aloud to my 8th grade English Language Arts class the other day and then gave a brief synopsis of the book's plot. I then offered my book as a loaner. Several students took me up on the offer (1 got the book and the rest are on the waiting list.)
This story explores the fear and yes, excitement, of pregnancy from the male teen perspective which is refreshing. I felt the book could have used more tension, but the message itself was powerful enough and the story written well enough to sustain interest.
If you are a pregnant teen or KNOW a pregnant teen, this is a must-read book. I almost hope my "loaner" copy of the book doesn't come back to me. That would mean one of my students loved it enough to keep it and read it again.
Rating:
Summary: Pumpkin's Review
Review: In the First Part Last by Angela Johnson the main character is an African American boy named Bobby. Bobby is a 16-year-old teenager who is a single parent who has friends who made bad decisions and good decisions. In the beginning, he wants his parents to help him with his baby Feather. Now he knows that he has to make decisions on his own. Bobby is a good person who tries to work hard for him and his baby. In this book, you can learn a lot about being a father and how babies can be a lot of work. Bobby can be a role model for people who are going through what he is going through. Teens 12-17 can relate to this book. The "now" and "then" chapters go back as flash backs to what happened before he had the baby.
This book grabs my attention. I enjoy this book because it's talking about teens my age and about parenting. Another reason I like the book is the cover that shows a boy and a baby, this made the book interesting. The book shows that Bobby and Nia made a mistake and then they had to deal with the consequences. The reason for reading this book is so that teens can know that it is more work to a baby that they think. This is a quote in the book that might get you into reading this book:
"I stay there for a long time warming my face on her swollen belly. She sighs and holds my head. I closed my eyes and want to stay there.
`Is it too early for the baby to move?'
She giggles. `Yeah I think so.'" {Page 48}
I think that this will make other people read because it's showing that someone's pregnant and who ever is pregnant as a teen should read this book. And they can relate to Nia and Bobby about raising a child. In fact, anyone can read this book because they can know that as a teen you could make bad decisions that would affect your life.
Rating:
Summary: Best Book!!
Review: This poignant, jarringly realistic account of teenage fatherhood won both the Coretta Scott King Author Award and the American Library Association's Printz Honor Book Award. It's a gritty tale of a young man who is forced to grow up all too early to raise a child. The child's mother, we later learn, is unable to help with this daunting task, which makes it all the more difficult for young Bobby.
The book is divided into episodic vignettes, simply entitled Then and Now. Nearly all of the story is told in the first person, from Bobby's perspective. In each of the chapters we meet members of one of the young people's families, nearly all of whom are directly effected by this development.
The book is not without some strong language; it is a book for young adults, not children, and the fact that Johnson doesn't edit her young characters language adds to the authenticity of this story. This book should be required reading for young adults as it will remind them that no actions can be taken without a wider consequence. But unlike academic accounts of the birds and bees, it will do so in a language that they can understand.
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