Hannah Beachy

April 20, 2016

The First Part Last Critical Essay
It ruins your life. You have to get an abortion. You have to do the right thing. You
have to grow up now. No more being a kid. I guess now you cannot finish school or go to
college. These phrases, along with many others, are what victims of teenage pregnancy find
themselves ringing through their ears. Although calling soon-to-be parents victims is quite
harsh, it is suitable for how most of these young adults are treated. Most of the time, teenage
pregnancy is not a celebration of new life, but the ending of another. Pregnant teens receive
innumerable dirty looks or pity stares. Although this is a common occurrence in the United States
today, it is rare to find a book or story that shows this phenomenon from the perspective of a
new, teenage father.
Angela Johnson uses her beautiful language to create the life of Bobby and Feather.
Bobby is a fifteen year old boy who is un-extraordinary is almost every sense. He hangs out with
his friends after school, and has a beautiful girlfriend. His parents are divorced, but he is used to
the separation. On his sixteenth birthday, Bobbys world is thrown off its axis. Nia, his girlfriend
is pregnant. The reader is able to peer inside the mind and emotional thoughts of Bobby leading
up to, and after the birth of his baby girl. The story is written in flashbacks, with one chapter
from the present perspective and the next from the past perspective. Throughout the story, the
reader can see Bobby alone with his baby girl, but the author does not mention where Nia is until
the end of the book. The First Part Last is a gripping story that takes on the tough issues of
friendship, teenage pregnancy, growing up, family relationships, and learning how to move on.

Although it is not one of the main focuses of the book, The First Part Last of references
and examples of true friendship. Bobby has two best friends, K-boy and J.L. These three boys
had been friends for years. Their parents knew each other, and they knew each other completely.
They often hung out after school and talked about girls and whatever else teenage boys talk
about. What was most interesting about the dynamic of their friendship was the way K-boy and
J.L. handled the news of Bobbys baby.
At first, both of the boys laughed a little at Bobby and poked fun at him. They knew it
was a stupid mistake, but at the same time, they knew it could have happened to either one of
them. Because of this, and because of their strong friendship ties, the boys stuck by Bobbys side.
They encouraged him in whatever decision he and Nia made regarding the baby. Even though Kboy and J.L. still stood by Bobby and his decisions, it is beyond them to understand the love
Bobby has for his daughter before she is even born. Bobby was forced to grow up while the other
two boys were still daydreaming about the future and hanging out after school. There are some
aspects of life that separate people from their friends, even if they do not want it to happen. In
this case, while Bobby was still friends with K-boy and J.L., there was a friendship tie that broke
between them when Feather was born, and Bobby had to learn to overcome that.
Arguably the greatest issue in this story is teenage pregnancy. Teenage pregnancy is not a
new concept by any means. There have been numerous movies, books, and articles regarding the
topic, but very few of them are from the perspective of the father, or more appropriately in many
cases, the baby daddy. The First Part Last is influential because it is from a fresh perspective.
It is clear early on in the book that Bobby cares about Nias pregnancy. He does not blow
it off or disregard it as an accident that can be fixed as many would like to think of a teenage boy.
Bobby is heartbroken for Nia and himself. The difference of Bobbys perspective is in his actions

leading up to the birth of his daughter. It is clear that Nia is struggling through the pregnancy, as
most women do, but Bobby is still out after school, hanging out with his friends, seemingly
unchanged by the news. His real change happens when Feather is born and he is her sole
guardian. Bobby immediately takes the role of a father. He stops hanging out with K-boy and
J.L. unless they come to him. He is also responsible for taking care of Feathers feedings, diaper
changings, and trips to and from daycare. Even though he has one mental break down day,
Bobby is overall a seemingly good father.
The question this book brings to mind is would Bobby have acted in the same way if Nia
was still functioning? Would he have taken care of feather so fervently? Would he have stayed up
with her into the night? Would he have stopped hanging out with his friends? Although the male
perspective on teenage pregnancy is refreshing, it seems almost unsatisfying that the mother is
not present in the story. It begs the question of whether the fatherly role would have been
assumed in any case or if a boy would remain a boy if he were not forced to become a man.
Becoming a man or merely growing up is another large issue addressed in this book.
Throughout the story, Bobby was questioning himself and asking whether he was a man or not.
He knew at the beginning of the book he was not, but near the end, he was confident that he had
become a man even though the book is in the span of one year. Bobby new he had become a man
because he accepted his responsibility. He also did what was right regardless of the hardships
that would follow. He knew he needed to take care of Feather when she was born. Even though
he knew he would have to do it alone, and it would be extremely difficult, he made his choice.
Even if the choice is not between keeping a baby or not, Angela Johnson is encouraging her
readers to make decisions based on morality and the right choice rather than the easiest choice.
That is what makes a man.

Finally, The First Part Last takes an interesting perspective on the family dynamic.
Bobbys parents were divorced since he was a young boy. He had lived with his father some, and
in most of the story he lived with his mother. When Feather is born, Bobbys mother does not
help in many ways. She forces Bobby to take sole responsibility and care for her by himself. She
does not allow him any excuses. Bobbys dad on the other hand, is extremely sensitive and loves
Feather and Bobby quite obviously. He takes them in with open arms, and even leaves his door
open at night so he may hear Feather cry and help Bobby take care of her. These parent styles
could not be more opposite, but they are both necessary. A family works best when it has all of
its functioning parts. Bobby would not have learned as much about responsibility if his mother
would not have made him, and he would not have learned as much about love if it were not for
his father. Angela Johnson shows how the family works together in many different ways.
This book is connected to transformative education because it shows how important it is
to understand situations from different perspectives. Especially if this book is read in a high
school, students will know at least one peer who either was pregnant or who got a girl pregnant.
It is so easy to jump to conclusions in these situations and form nasty opinions quickly. Angela
Johnson forces her readers to have sympathy. She wants readers to take a deeper look and learn
from others mistakes and even show how to grow in tough situations. Students need this in
school, especially with bullying running so rampant in every hallway. Students need to consider
multiple perspectives before forming an opinion of others around them, and especially offering
those people grace. Everyone has a unique story with different hardships. Peers and people
should not be preyed on based upon their shortcomings or unfortunate situations.
The First Part Last was an eye-opening story that forced a new perspective. People who
read this book cannot simply move on and look at others the same, especially those involved in

teenage pregnancy. People cannot be pigeonholed. They are complex and beautiful. They make
mistakes, but that gives them more opportunities to grow. People should be loved. Angela
Johnson her readers to learn to love better.