The First Part Last by Angela Johnson

In this amazing book by Angela Johnson, we meet Bobby Morris and his infant daughter Feather. Throughout this book, we follow Bobby as he tries to balance the struggles of raising a daughter and the struggles of being a teen in high school. Each chapter bounces between the "now," and "then." Powerful emotions are felt as Bobby, and his girlfriend Nia, tell their parents and deal with the concerns of getting ready to have a baby.

During the "now" sections, Johnson introduces us to Bobby's support system which includes his divorced parents, and his boys, K-Boy and J.L. In some rather emotional scenes, the reader can see Bobby struggling with his child while raising it on his own, despite the objections and concerns of his parents, and Nia's parents.

I cried when I finished this book. Honestly, my wife was wondering why I was crying. Then she read it, and she started to cry too. Not only is this book great, it has an amazinly shocking ending. This is one of the best books I have ever read!

Reading Strategies Used:

Inference: Throughout the reading of this book, I had to infer why Nia was not in the "now" parts.

Prediction: I found myself trying to predict how the book was going to end. Also, when Bobby had his breakdowns, I found myself trying to predict what will happen to Feather.

Envisionment: Johnson did a great job painting a vivid picture of city life. I could see Bobby's apartment in my head, and well as see myself in the scenes when bobby is hanging out with his boys.