The First Part Last
Angela Johnson
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: December 28, 2004
Pages: 144
Source: read for class

Rating: 2 stars

Bobby’s a classic urban teenager. He’s restless. He’s impulsive. But the thing that makes him different is this: He’s going to be a father. His girlfriend, Nia, is pregnant, and their lives are about to change forever. Instead of spending time with friends, they’ll be spending time with doctors, and next, diapers. They have options: keeping the baby, adoption. They want to do the right thing.

If only it was clear what the right thing was.

I was not impressed with this book at all. I hadn’t even heard of it before my teacher told me we’d be reading it for class. I thought it would be good, after reading the description and knowing that it was told both from a guy’s POV and in then and now chapters. I found it to be a short, underdeveloped story with characters that I couldn’t connect with.

So the story is told in alternating chapters of then and now. Usually this type of book makes me super happy, as I love alternating chapters. The issue with it in this book was that the chapters were so short you’d barely get used to the then or now and then it’d be swithcing again. The plot never amounted to anything, and was plain confusing. I finished the book not knowing exactly what had happened.

The characters were very undeveloped. I never grew to know any of them, and they were as 2D as a piece of paper. Most of the them were simply names on the page. The one character I did like was Coco, the neighbor. She seemed like a lot of fun.

This was a fast read, but not one I particularly enjoyed. The book was over before I could get to know any of the characters or understand the story. I can’t even say that I like the cover, as I thought it’s a really awkward looking one.