The First Part Last

Heaven #2

by Angela Johnson

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.

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Teen, Contemporary, African American, Coming Of Age

3 pages, Audio CD

First published June 1, 2003

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Angela Johnson is the author of the Coretta Scott King Honor picture book When I Am Old with You; as well as A Sweet Smell of Roses, illustrated by Eric Velasquez; Just Like Josh Gibson, illustrated by Beth Peck; and I Dream of Trains, which was also illustrated by Loren Long. She has won three Coretta Scott King Awards, one each for her novels Heaven, Toning the Sweep, and The First Part Last. In recognition of her outstanding talent, Angela was named a 2003 MacArthur Fellow. She lives in Kent, Ohio.

Reviews

[Zoë]

Angie Thomas and Nic Stone recommended this book in a recent Instagram live, so of course I picked it up.
When I started this, I was naïve in thinking that such a short book would not have much of an impact. I'm happy to report that it totally did. (I teared up multiple times.)
Our main character, Bobby, is a teenage single father - a perspective I've never read from. There are no stereotypes or stigma placed on him. Instead, this is a tenderhearted look into his life before and after his daughter is born.
It's told non-chronologically (as you could probably decipher from the title), switching between before and after the birth. This allows us to see Bobby's internal battle of wanting to stay a carefree kid but also wanting to be there for his baby, whom he has come to fiercely love.
I love that this young father's relationship with his child was at the forefront, but we were still given snapshots of the rest of his life. This was a perfect example of showing the important aspects rather than telling.
I feel really satisfied after reading this book, which doesn't often happen. Recommend!

[-;'MrSz.MyRiAh';- · Rating 5 out of 5]

The First Part Last

This book is about a boy name Bobby and his girlfriend Nia. Bobby is about to be a father and dosen't know what to do. I would recommend this book to any teen mothers or teen fathers that are struggling through this world. My favorite character is Bobby because he stood up to take care of his daughter but even though he wasn't prepared to be a father, he stayed strong through it all. My leasrt favorite character was nobody because I could basically relate to everybody in the book. I think the author wrote this book or her intentions were to inform young teens out there about teen pregenacy and since it wasn't such a powerful book, her intentions were to teach kids a lesson and learn there mistakes in life. The portion of the book that capitivated my attention was when Nia found out that she was pregant. What kept me reading this book was because it was interesting and would help me out in life. I wasn't able to predict out the ending because I never figured Bobby would end up having to raise Feather on his own, staying with his father, and Nia having to live in a nursing home for the rest of her life. If this book was made into a movie, the actors I would choose would be for Bobby,Evan Ross, and for Nia would be Keke Palmer. The emotions I would have to say about me while reading this book would be split personailty because some of the things in the story I could relate to and some I couldn't. My favorite line from the story was "I can tell you how it is to feel as brand new as my daughter even though I dont know what comes next in this place called Heaven."

[Kapila · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a bit of Benjamin Button at the very start of this book: "I figure if the world were really right, humans would live life backward and do the first part last. They'd be all knowing in the beginning and all innocent in the end."

I think that's when I had decided that I would like this story. I listened to the book, and I'm sure that this made a big difference as well. There was something very sincere and very true about Khalipa Oldjohn's rendition of the story. He embodied the narrator and the story quite perfectly - with just the right pauses, just the right intonations, and a perfect empathy.

As for the storytelling itself - this short novel is somehow able to keep perfect balance between the tumult of a teen-aged father having to care for his newborn infant, named Feather, and the way things were, which begins with Bobby and Nia finding out that they are pregnant. That aspect of looking back feels a bit slower, feels a bit meditative, and yet there is no sentimentality - in the past or the present. There is a sense that despite Bobby's desperation and the ups and downs he feels, he will find a way to make things work. His and Feather's "happy endings" have to do with being together and living from one day to the next, making things work in an imperfect world. Some part of me wished that certain aspects of the story could have been fleshed out a little more - Bobby's relationship with teachers at school, or that of his friends or family. However, the brevity of this novel does focus your attention on Bobby's story, and the sharply new path his life has taken with Feather.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The First Part Last by Angela Johnson, is a great book about a boy named Bobby. He and his girlfriend Nia are having a baby and they’re only 16 years old. They are confused about what to do with the baby. They don’t know whether to keep the baby or put it up for adoption. In the story bobby is the one keeping Feather, their baby girl. This fiction tale goes back and forth between Bobby’s present and his past. So there sort of telling the story in a different way. The mood or theme of this book is sort of not really sad but something in-between sad, happy, and. Well lets just say that it could be a emotional book for some people. The setting takes place in New York City and e the main characters are Bobby, Nia, Feather, K-boy, and J.L.
The overall purpose or authors purpose in writing this book is to inform teenagers on what can happen if they do not use protection or things like that. Lately many teens are getting pregnant and don’t realize how having a kid can hurt you. Besides being in school how are you going to take care of the baby during the day? If you drop out of school how will you get a job. What about the rest of your teenage life will be messed up because of a baby. This book shows what Bobby did and how you could handle something like that. This book is really powerful in informing teens about this kind of stuff. Explaining, sort of, what your life will be like after having a baby or something. This book isn’t really like anything I’ve read before and I really liked it. Many teenagers, female and male, should read this book. The strengths of this book is that it’s very informative about what going on in the book and similar things like that. The weakness is that it goes back and forth from now and then so much that it can be a little confusing at times for me but other than that the book was great. I am definitely going to read another book by this author in the near future.

[Jessica Hanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book because one of my students had talked about wanting to read it. It was also on many of the literature award posters I have in my classroom, so I knew that it came highly rated. The book comes from the perspective of a teen father raising his newborn daughter on his own. The plot is delievered in flashbacks, which are labled as "then" and "now", and this style really drives the intensity of the situation and the decisions that help shape whether or not Bobby and his girlfriend are going to keep their baby. I think this book is an important read because it takes on an angle that isn't seen in most teen books. The inner anguish that Bobby deals with, and the language Johnson uses to describe this with really makes this book worthy of the attention it has received.

[Taquisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ABSOLUTLEY LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!! This book is great it took me all of 24 hours to read it, and it kept me hanging of the edge of my seat every time i picked it up to read. Angela johnson did a great job mixing a love story with a problem that two teenagers had to face in their lives,(A BABY)!!!!!! This book has such a great story line because it's something that really happens in everyday life. It teaches you that when you make a mistake most of the time there is going to be consequences. READ IT, READ IT, READ IT. . ITS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I'VE EVER READ.

[Jay DeMoir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a well written short book. Seeing a young boy becoming a father all while dealing with traumatic issues touched my heart and pulled at my heart strings. In some alternate reality out there, this would've been my reality, and I relate to it to so much.

[Shaunda · Rating 5 out of 5]

The First Part Last is a very inspiring and thoughtful story. It's about a teenage boy named Bobby who gets a girl named Nia pregnant. He struggles between giving his baby up for adoption or keeping it. When Nia goes into a coma during her labor, he decides to keep it to have a part of her with him. But he still remains stressed.
I think that this story teaches kids that it isn't as easy as some may think to raise a child when you're young. Bobby still had to go to school and try to make money. This is a problem that many teens and young adults struggle with now a days. It's a reality for many, but some can just imagine.
I also think that this story would be a good story for anyone who has lost a loved one. It's inspiring to see that Bobby still tries hard to take care of his daughter and to make a life for himself even though he misses Nia. I think that no matter how hurt you are by something, if you have another person in your life to take care of, you should try and put that behind you for the time being. Especially if it's an infant. They have more needs. I think Bobby will be a good parent in the long run. It just takes time.

[Jeff Stauter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is NOT about how having a baby before graduating high school can ruin your life. For many kids living in this country today, however, having a baby that early can be a severe detriment to accomplishing one's goals and I certainly want my own kids to be married and have stable jobs before they even think of having kids. That being said, I think our society does liken early parenthood to a kiss of death so to speak and children are told horror stories of irresponsible teens that couldn't control their carnal urges in some attempt to stop them altogether from having sex. Johnson doesn't completely break from this paradigm (Feather's crying does keep Bobby up many nights which in turn affects his mood and schoolwork), but she does offer us an alternative to the life-ending view of early parenthood. She focuses on some truly beautiful moments of parent-child bonding and the benefits of a supportive family in unexpected child-rearing, and she pulls it off in a brief and engaging narrative. Again I'm not promoting high school kids getting pregnant, but at the same time there is something that bothers me about society's complete condemnation of birthing children at an early age.

[Mahrya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Johnson, Angela. The First Part Last, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 131 pages, urban fiction chapter book, Printz Award and Coretta Scott King Award winner.

Description: A teenaged boy named Bobby comes to terms with the fact that he is now a father. His girlfriend and the mother of his child is in a vegetative state, leaving him to raise their daughter alone.

Review: The First Part Last offers a glimpse inside the world of a young father, who is hurled into manhood with the birth of his daughter, Feather. The book handles the pregnancy, as well as Bobby's relationships with his girlfriend, baby and parents in a way that is both touching and totally unvarnished. The obvious absence of Feather's mother throughout most of the book creates a point of tension that is resolved in the book's heartbreaking, but beautiful conclusion. Older readers will appreciate this book for its honest treatment of teen pregnancy, the complex portrayal of the characters, as well as the unique style of the narrative.

The First Part Last is told in a scattered, stream of conscious fashion, moving forward and backward through time and place. Some readers may have difficulty following this fractured chronology. Many more readers, though, will appreciate how closely this style mimics the way that real thoughts unfold.

Professional Reviews:
School Library Journal, October 2005.
This review praises the complex structure of the story and observes that the book would make a good centerpiece for class discussions. I agree that this book could be used as a point of departure for discussing both social issues and literature.

Jemtegaard, Kristi Elle. Horn Book Magazine, March/April, 2005.
This review also focuses on the complex structure of the narrative and its alternating between "now" and "then." The structure is a main feature of this book because there is such a stark contrast between life for Bobby before and after Feather.

[Aiyana Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

The First Part last was a very touching book that I never imagined ever reading. Seeing the perspective of a young boy becoming a father dealing with horrific and traumatic issues I never thought a young father would experienced touched my heart. As I started reading the book I could not keep up with the way the book was laid out like going from now to then, back and fourth. I got confused in some parts of the book but I was able to see the connection of why they put it like that way in the book. I was a little sad that the mother Nia only spoke once in the book, I was hoping to see from her perspective but I guess the reason behind her not being so involved in the story was due to the issues that happened in the end. Seeing the side of the male figure in a young pregnancy and young parenthood was a nice new fresh way of seeing something different. I always see the side of girls getting pregnant at a young age and dealing with the consequences later. But seeing the father and looking at the experiences and challenges he went through was something I did not expect to see or even tell through him. Throughout the book when he would mention nia loved this or nia always did that, I questioned myself and took notes on why kept reminiscing on what his girlfriend did or loved. It felt like it was foreshadowing to her passing away but in the end to him it was like her dying or losing her for good. I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever had a friend or family member deal with young pregnancy and parenthood. I was moved emotionally and mentally from this book by giving me a new perspective to look at.

[a · Rating 3 out of 5]

The First Part Last was a pretty short and simple book about a teenage boy trying to raise his newborn daughter. It had quite a bit of self-reflection and purple prose, but it was still mildly interesting.

The story alternates between the past, when the main character Bobby finds out that his girlfriend Nia is pregnant; and the present, where Bobby is attempting to raise Feather, his daughter, with some help from his family. I noticed a couple of punctuation/grammatical errors through the book, but they didn't really impede my ability to understand what was going on. Though, they were a little distracting.

Honestly, most of the book was Bobby thinking about how tired he was, and wishing people would let him be some, and learning how to be a better parent-- there's really nothing more to it. Unfortunately, I couldn't really connect to the characters, but it was interesting reading about the usual teen pregnancy story from the father's perspective.

I'm not sure I would have remotely enjoyed this book if I hadn't been so tired and utterly bored when I read it, but it was okay. Not great, but not bad, either.

This review (and others) can be found on my blog.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Umm...

I read this book at work today, so it's obviously a quick read. I was definitely underwhelmed. It's a Printz award winner, but that must be for the concept because I didn't find the actual story or writing to be very compelling.

The novel is told from the point of view of a teen dad, but it's completely superficial and I found no real depth to it. Bobby, the father, is doing the responsible thing by "raising" his infant daughter after his girlfriend goes into a permanent vegetative coma during labor--but this book lacks insight that I think it would have had if it were told by a female narrator. Essentially, all the reader sees is him hold the baby and change diapers. The story barely touches the surface as to how his life has changed after becoming a father other than to comment several times that he is tired or looks tired.

Meh.

I DO think that female tweens and teens would like this book, but not so sure that a male reader would be all that interested. Definitely high interested low level. I'd recommend accordingly.

[Shayne Bauer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, cute read. The reader wonders why Bobby, at age 16, has chosen to raise his newborn daughter on his own. The answer is revealed through a series of happenings that switch from present day to past, and that answer is quite heartwarming. It is perhaps unrealistic, but Bobby is certainly a likable character, and a specific demographic would likely enjoy this book because it is so simplistic. At only 132 pages, it will not intimidate reluctant readers.

[Nia Forrester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing, lyrical, quiet writing, that conveyed so much emotion in so few words. Highly recommended. A short, impactful read. The kind of writing that I most enjoy, and would love to read more of. Thank goodness this writer has lots of other work out there.

I especially enjoyed that Bobby, the main character defied just about every stereotype of young, Black fathers. Reading about him both hurt and healed my heart.

[Yz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I love how it makes me think. This is one book I don't want to forget. I hope to reread this one many times to come.
I've read a couple teen pregnancy books but none of them have been in the point of the boy. I am so glad this one was in the point of view of the guy.
Don't think that this is one of those books that you read and then forget about.

[Kelly A · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was fine, I guess. I appreciated hearing the same teen pregnancy story we've all heard a dozen times from the perspective of the male, for once.

[Tamala Love Everett · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! I would have given it 6 Stars, if I could.
Rachel The Librarian recommended this book to me.
Now, I must read more books by this author.
Everyone needs a friend like Rachel The Librarian!

[mytaakeonit · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book destroyed me. In the best way.

[Megan :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

If there was a 3.5 I would give it to this book. It was pretty solid but nothing phenomenal. The emotions were pretty good and I felt bad about the situation the character was in but I just didn’t get invested in the book

[Imani · Rating 5 out of 5]

The First Part Last Book Review
I read the book, The First Part Last by Angela Johnson. The book was about was about a teenage boy named Bobby who had to make a lot of big decisions that were life changing. Bobby learned the meaning of what is meant to ,follow your heart, duty, having masculinity, love,faith,and family. As quoted Mulan ll “My duty is to my heart.” Bobby heard all the pros and cons of having a child during your teenage years throughout and yet Bobby still decided to take care of the baby. Bobby and his girlfriend Nia named the babygirl Feather. Nia didn’t make it after she had the baby. Nia was so young her body didn’t respond well to the baby Nia ended up getting eclampsia, a life-threatening complication, which leaves her in a permanent coma. After bobby found out that she didn't make it he knew that it was his duty to take care of Feather and give her a good life and not give her up for adoption.

The book is called the The First Part Last because of the way the book is written . Each “chapter “ is either now or then. The first chapter starts with Feather laying on Bobby still a newborn. The next chapter is the past just talking about what happened before Feather was born. So the book was named after the way the book was written.I recommend writing stickies with question and observations when reading the book because of the way it was written. In the beginning you will have a lot of questions you might be confused this is when stickies will come in . Another reason why I recommend writing a lot of stickies is so that when big event happen or if you just need to process what going on or back track to something you can just write it down and refer back to it when you need to.The whole story is base on the Bobby the teenage father ninety-nine percent of the book is written in his point of view. The reason why I said that ninety- nine percent of the book was in Bobby’s point of view (first person) is because there is one “chapter” in Nia’s point of view just so that we know what happened when she was going to have the baby.

The book The First Part Last takes place in New York City. At the end of the book Bobby decides to move to Ohio to give his new baby Feather a good life. I think that the author
Angela Johnson picked this New York as setting so that the reader would understand the troubles that the character ,in this case bobby, went through.The author's way of foreshadowing is the way the book is made, Present (now) and past (then) so when I found out that Bobby and Nia were debating on what to do with the baby. I knew that they were going to keep the baby although I didn't know as quick that Nia died the beginning made me think that she just left him. but as the book went on I began to ask a lot of questions because it started to seem like she didn't just leave.The book has many emotions Bobby had to deal with parent and his young pregnant girlfriend. This book is very emotional it actually got me a little stressed because of how well Angela wrote Bobby’s situation I felt like I was in his shoes.I had a connection to the book because my mom was a teen mom. Reading this book made me ask questions on my moms journey of being pregnant. I believe that the reason why the book is so stressful is because being a teen father or mother is really tough on them. Having a baby young dose / can change your future.

I recommend this book to fifth graders and up because fifth grade is when kids start maturing and if they are mature enough and are able to take in the reality not fairy tales then this book would be a easy book to read but a little bit of a challenge to understand what going on. This book is a great short read and I loved this book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Urban fiction is not usually my bag, but I was emotionally invested in this the entire time I listened (which was only about 2 hours, as it's a super short story). It's a bit different from the standard teen pregnancy storyline, in that it's told from the father's point of view. Still, absolutely worth reading for anyone who wants a short, emotional narrative (but be warned, the last 10 minutes are brutal, so prepare to pull over on your way to work and cry about it for a while).

[711jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is just one of the most amazing books that I have ever read. It was very deep and emotional. Some cursing but it was from the school so they must have known. This book just brought out the sadness in me and brought out what I wanted to happen in my life and what I didn't want to happen in my life. Most of the things that happened in the book happened because it was deep and meaningful towards the book. I loved this book and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to cry while reading and loves to read books with deep emotions. This book will definitely show you to be careful and not to be too crazy because well it could lead to something that you might not want like a baby when you are too young. I can tell that Bobby wanted this baby but I could also tell that he wished that maybe if he had the baby when he was just a bit older he might appreciate what has happened to him because he still hasn't had all of the experiences that he should. He is still only in high school. I wonder if he was/would go to college even though he and his girlfriend had the baby. I also think that maybe he would have wanted the baby if his girlfriend maybe as being nicer and not moody but she was pregnant and maybe if they were married or if it was with someone else. I also think that Bobby just was not sure and was not ready for any of this to happen and he just was NOT ready for this to happen and it just kind of happened. They didn't know it would happen like this but it did. I feel bad for what happened but kind of not because they really should have not been doing what they did in the first place but they did. It was wrong of them to do what they did and I get that they wish that they had not done what they did, but now I know it’s just a book but this could happen in real life because you never know. You could just make a really bad mistake just like Bobby did with his girlfriend. You just never know and anything could happen even when you don't know it could. I just know to think before I do because you never know what one thing could lead to and I have learned that from this book. If you are reading this and you do not read the book then you have made a big mistake because this book is just absolutely amazing and you should definitely read this because it’s emotional and just amazing without everything else.

[Rosey Sams · Rating 4 out of 5]

The First Part Last, by Angela Johnson, is a story told through the eyes of 16 year old Bobby as he learns how to raise a child when he is not yet and adult himself. On Bobby’s 16th birthday, his girlfriend, Nia, brought him a red balloon and told him she was pregnant. In the nine months or Nia’s pregnancy, she and Bobby stay together and eventually come the agreement that their child will be adopted because at their age they know that neither of them can support a child. It wasn't an easy decision for either of them but they felt it was the best option. When the baby was born something went wrong while Nia was giving birth and she ended up in a persistent vegetative state meaning she was unconscious and wouldn't wake up. This meant Bobby was on his own with his new daughter. He named her Feather. With Nia not there to help him sign the adoption paperwork, Bobby couldn't do it and decided to keep his daughter because she was the only piece of Feather he had left. You don’t find all of this out until the end of the book though because it is told in chapters of “now” and “then” so it goes back and forth between what’s happening currently and everything that happened leading up to the day of Feather’s birth. In the “now” part of the book, you learn about the struggles Bobby is going through to take care of feather and go to school and do things he needs to do for himself. I like that is does the back and forth because it isn't how books are normally written so the difference is cool. The chapters and book as a whole are really short and easy to read but in that short amount of writing there is a really good story and it’s definitely worth a read.

[Karrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teen pregnancy is a fairly common theme in young adult literature, dating back in my memory to Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones. Traditionally the stories are from the point of view of the mother; The First Part Last provides a different perspective in the voice of the expectant father. So often society is focused on how an unwanted pregnancy impacts the mother's life and forgets that an unwanted pregnancy affects the father's life more than placing blame on him. There are young men out there who are opposed to abortion, who would step up and take responsibility for their baby. This is a tender, sweet story about a young man named Bobby who does just that -- takes on the responsibility of raising his illegitimate daughter when his ex-girlfriend, Nia, wants to give her up for adoption. This is a story of accepting responsibility, caring for family, doing the right thing, and facing difficulties head on. Bobby is very believable as a sixteen-year-old struggling with his position in the world, and now having to rethink where his life is headed. It is heart-warming to see this young man become a man while he is tenderly caring for his daughter.
I cried buckets when I read this book, and was impressed at how gracefully Johnson handled this issue.
This book would provide a good book discussion amongst teens. The teens I know who read it wanted to talk about it, so it seems like a natural launching pad to remind boys and girls that no matter how careful they are, accidents happen and there are alternatives to seek out.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ten pages into the book and the poetry of this book is so good, in particular the line about the main character Bobby holding his eleven-day old baby daughter on his chest and how humans should be "knowing in the beginning and innocent in the end." He then says "Then everyone could end their life on their mama or daddy's stomach in a warm room, waiting for the soft morning's light."

The book is basically about Bobby and Nia, two sixteen year olds who have a child together. The book is interesting b/c it keeps going back and forth between then (before the baby is born) and now (after the baby is born and living with her dad). Bobby is in school and trying to deal with a newborn who keeps him up all the time and for most of the book you just assume that the mother just left or didn't want the child. It's only at the end of the book that you learn the truth and I will say it surprised me. It was interesting for me b/c when I was reading it, I kept thinking that this boy could be any of the ones I used to watch playing basketball at the rec center, when I worked there. I really enjoyed this book and I honestly will say that I didn't think I would when I was reading the description of the book online.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just read & reviewed Sweet, Hereafter, a sequel of sorts to this book and to their mutual inspiration, Heaven, which is a beautiful story of identity and friendship featuring the memorable Marley, a young black teenager in small-town Ohio. So I thought I should mention that The First Part Last, the story of Marley's friend and mentor-of-sorts, Bobby, and his baby daughter Feather, is one of my favorite books, period. It's a fine if slightly dewy look at teenage fatherhood, driven by a thoroughly likable and yet compelling protagonist. And the first chapter is gorgeous, especially Bobby's thought about the progress of life that gives the book its title. And Bobby's thought about Pennsylvania in the last chapter, which I won't describe because it is possibly a slight spoiler for those who haven't read Heaven, validates (with apologies to Pennsylvania, truly a fine state), my deep-down feeling about that state ever since I moved to Ohio. You will just have to read and learn.

[Kate McCartney · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING!! This was a book I had been meaning to read, but now that i have a commute for work I decided to listen to it. I started crying with in the first hour and the tears came several more times. I think the book would have been moving but it was such an incredible expierence to hear the book in Bobby's voice. Angela Johnson gave a voice to a character, to a young man who choses to parent, but the narrator Khalipa Oldjohn give Bobby life.

As a parent I could relate to so much that Bobby feels for his daughter, and as a parent I could laugh at the somewhat simple way that he sees his relationship with his daughter. Bobby is realistic he knows it will be hard but he is still so naive to just how difficult the job is. Bobby never loses sight of the fact that he is still really a child himself. This was beautifully written and amazingly read.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a boy named Bobby who is a teenager that is going to be a father.He has to make a very tough decision whether he wants to keep his baby or give her up for adoption.He really cares for the mother of his baby and in the book he says "shouldn't I go with you the first time",hes talking about going to a doctors appointment with his girlfriend and it surprises her.He also says "my bones ache tired,but I'm still wide awake",hes talking about being so tired but he still gets up and takes responsibility for his child who needs him.This book really makes me think different about fathers who are teenagers, you always think of the mother who has most the the responsibility's for the baby, but in this book it is really touching to know there are fathers that will take on full responsibility and be there for their child.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ms. Johnson wrote this book in response to reader interest about Bobby from the first book, "Heaven". Her publisher told her to write it, and she agreed.

In "Heaven" the reader is introduced to Bobby, but there are huge gaps in knowledge about him. This book tells the story of Bobby before he moved to Heaven, OH.

A regular teenage boy with a girlfriend that he adored, Bobby was shocked to find out she was pregnant. Struggling with his place in the decision-making process about abortion or adoption or keeping the child, he felt powerless and scared. Through a difficult experience with the birth of his daughter, Feather, Bobby becomes a man and learns what responsibility and sacrifice is. This was an extraordinary story that I would offer to any child dealing with teen pregnancy, or any that I know isn't thinking of the consequences of their actions.