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Title details for The First Part Last by Angela Johnson - Available

The First Part Last

#2 in series

by Angela Johnson
Khalipa Oldjohn
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
Bobby is a typical urban New York City teenager—impulsive, eager, restless. For his sixteenth birthday he cuts school with his two best buddies, grabs a couple of slices at his favorite pizza joint, catches a flick at a nearby multiplex, and gets some news from his girlfriend, Nia, that changes his life forever: He's going to be a father. Suddenly things like school and house parties and fun times with friends are replaced by visits to Nia's pediatrician and countless social workers who all say that the only way for Nia and Bobby to lead a normal life is to put their baby up for adoption. Then tragedy strikes Nia, and Bobby finds himself in the role of single, teenage father. Because his child—their child—is all that remains of his lost love.
With powerful language and keen insight, Johnson tells the story of a young man's struggle to figure out what the "right thing" is and then to do it. The result is a gripping portrayal of single teenage parenthood from the point of view of a youth on the threshold of becoming a man.

  • Creators

  • Series

    Heaven Trilogy

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    August 24, 2004

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780739345115
      • File size: 48979 KB
      • Duration: 01:42:02

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • ATOS Level: 4.7
    • Lexile® Measure: 790
    • Interest Level: 9-12(UG)
    • Text Difficulty: 3-4

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Rarely do we see teen pregnancy from the father's perspective. Narrator Khalipa Oldjohn gives realistic insight into the consequences of unexpected parenthood on one teenaged father. Alternating between "then," when Nia told him on his sixteenth birthday that he was going to be a father, and "now," as he struggles to raise his daughter alone, we witness Bobby coming to grips with responsibility as he struggles to do the right thing. The back-and-forth between past and present requires close attention to the narration to understand why Bobby gave up the adoption option in favor of fatherhood. N.E.M. 2005 YALSA Selection (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from June 16, 2003
      In this companion novel, Johnson's fans learn just how Bobby, the single father for whom Marley baby-sits in Heaven, landed in that small town in Ohio. Beginning his story when his daughter, Feather, is just 11 days old, 16-year-old Bobby tells his story in chapters that alternate between the present and the bittersweet past that has brought him to the point of single parenthood. Each nuanced chapter feels like a poem in its economy and imagery; yet the characters—Bobby and the mother of his child, Nia, particularly, but also their parents and friends, and even newborn Feather—emerge fully formed. Bobby tells his parents about the baby ("Not moving and still quiet, my pops just starts to cry") and contrasts his father's reaction with that of Nia's father ("He looks straight ahead like he's watching a movie outside the loft windows"). The way he describes Nia and stands by her throughout the pregnancy conveys to readers what a loving and trustworthy father he promises to be. The only misstep is a chapter from Nia's point of view, which takes readers out of Bobby's capable hands. But as the past and present threads join in the final chapter, readers will only clamor for more about this memorable father-daughter duo—and an author who so skillfully relates the hope in the midst of pain. Ages 12-up.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      January 3, 2005
      A 16-year-old tells the story of how he became a single dad.In a starred review of this companion to Heaven
      , PW
      said, "The author skillfully relates the hope in the midst of pain." Ages 12-up.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:4.7
  • Lexile® Measure:790
  • Interest Level:9-12(UG)
  • Text Difficulty:3-4

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