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Who Was . . . ? Series
Who Was Ernest Hemingway?
Find out how a journalist and sportsman became one of the most famous American novelists of the twentieth century in this new addition to the #1 New York Times bestselling series!
Ernest Hemingway wasn't just a novelist. He was a hunter and a fisherman; he became an ambulance officer in Paris, France, during World War I; and he worked as a reporter during the civil war in Spain in the 1930s. All of these experiences had such an important impact on Ernest's life that he used them as inspiration for some of his most notable works of fiction, including The Sun Also Rises , A Farewell to Arms , and For Whom the Bell Tolls .
He wrote short stories, novels, and articles in an understated, direct style, that is still beloved by readers today. Hemingway is remembered as much for his fiction as he is for his adventurous lifestyle.
Ernest Hemingway wasn't just a novelist. He was a hunter and a fisherman; he became an ambulance officer in Paris, France, during World War I; and he worked as a reporter during the civil war in Spain in the 1930s. All of these experiences had such an important impact on Ernest's life that he used them as inspiration for some of his most notable works of fiction, including The Sun Also Rises , A Farewell to Arms , and For Whom the Bell Tolls .
He wrote short stories, novels, and articles in an understated, direct style, that is still beloved by readers today. Hemingway is remembered as much for his fiction as he is for his adventurous lifestyle.
112 pages, Paperback
Published March 1, 2022
15 people are currently reading
112 people want to read
About the author
Jim Gigliotti
154 books25 followersJim Gigliotti is a freelance writer who lives in Southern California with his wife and two children. A former editor at the National Football League, he has written more than two dozen books, mostly for young readers.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
May 11, 2022
Another version might be titled:
Who Were Hemingway's Four Wives? Strong, interesting women themselves, they contributed to much of his success. I'm glad Martha Gellhorn got her own breakout pages.
Compared with others from the series, I think this Who biography is well done. Hemingway is a complicated subject, as are alcoholism and suicide, particularly when writing for a young audience.
The text captures Hemingway the writer, the macho man and adventurer, the young boy to the old man.
The illustrations are fantastic and lifelike.
"You invent fiction, but what you invent it out of is what counts. True fiction must come from everything you've ever known, ever seen, ever felt, ever learned." -Ernest Hemingway
Love him or not, old Hem certainly knew, saw, felt and learned a great many things in his lifetime.
Who Were Hemingway's Four Wives? Strong, interesting women themselves, they contributed to much of his success. I'm glad Martha Gellhorn got her own breakout pages.
Compared with others from the series, I think this Who biography is well done. Hemingway is a complicated subject, as are alcoholism and suicide, particularly when writing for a young audience.
The text captures Hemingway the writer, the macho man and adventurer, the young boy to the old man.
The illustrations are fantastic and lifelike.
"You invent fiction, but what you invent it out of is what counts. True fiction must come from everything you've ever known, ever seen, ever felt, ever learned." -Ernest Hemingway
Love him or not, old Hem certainly knew, saw, felt and learned a great many things in his lifetime.
April 8, 2023
I used to devour these books as a kid and so when I stumbled across this one while in the stacks, I figured I might as well grab it. Hemingway was a fascinating person and this makes for a great introduction to him and his works. I also liked that Gigliotti included a suicide hotline's number at the end of the book, given that Hemingway himself passed away from suicide.
October 8, 2025
I really enjoyed learning so much about Ernest Hemingway. I have never read any of his books before, but this book makes me want to read A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and The Old Man and the Sea. I also want to visit his home in Key West. This was a really good, informative, little book.
July 11, 2023
page 4
"In all, he wrote more than twenty books and more than fifty short stories."
page 6
"Ernest wrote in a new way, with short sentences that got right to the point. He didn’t use many adjectives to describe things. And he often didn’t choose to use big words."
page 8
"Ernest was born on July 21, 1899, in Oak Park, Illinois, not far from the city of Chicago."
page 11
"Grace had been hoping for another daughter. She wanted to have two little girls whom she could dress alike. And even though Ernest turned out to be a boy, that didn’t stop Grace. She dressed Ernest like a girl……
Grace sometimes still had Ernest wear girls’ clothes up until he was almost six years old."
page 28
"Like many young men his age, Ernest was eager to join the war effort. But when he went to sign up for the Army, he was turned down. His eyesight was bad.
Still, Ernest wanted to do his part for his country. In 1918, he joined the American Red Cross, which helped bring supplies and medical services to soldiers. Ernest volunteered to drive ambulances in Italy for the Red Cross."
page 34
"Ernest returned to Oak Park. He had been one of the first Americans injured in Italy in the war. He also had been given a medal for bravery with the Red Cross, and the people of his hometown greeted him as a hero. Ernest loved the attention."
page 74
"In 1935, he went deep-sea fishing to Bimini, the Bahamas. But along the way, Ernest accidentally shot himself in both legs while trying to get a shark he had hooked onto the boat."
page 96
"The Old Man and the Sea won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1953. The next year, Ernest was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature."
page 100
“If I can’t exist on my own terms, then existence is impossible,” he said late in his life. ….. On the morning of July 2, 1961, Ernest died by suicide in Ketchum."
page 103
"His homes in Oak Park, Florida, and Cuba have been turned into museums."
page 104
“You invent fiction,” he once said, “but what you invent it out of is what counts. True fiction must come from everything you’ve ever known, ever seen, ever felt, ever learned.”"
page 105
"1-800-273-TALK (8255)
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline"
"In all, he wrote more than twenty books and more than fifty short stories."
page 6
"Ernest wrote in a new way, with short sentences that got right to the point. He didn’t use many adjectives to describe things. And he often didn’t choose to use big words."
page 8
"Ernest was born on July 21, 1899, in Oak Park, Illinois, not far from the city of Chicago."
page 11
"Grace had been hoping for another daughter. She wanted to have two little girls whom she could dress alike. And even though Ernest turned out to be a boy, that didn’t stop Grace. She dressed Ernest like a girl……
Grace sometimes still had Ernest wear girls’ clothes up until he was almost six years old."
page 28
"Like many young men his age, Ernest was eager to join the war effort. But when he went to sign up for the Army, he was turned down. His eyesight was bad.
Still, Ernest wanted to do his part for his country. In 1918, he joined the American Red Cross, which helped bring supplies and medical services to soldiers. Ernest volunteered to drive ambulances in Italy for the Red Cross."
page 34
"Ernest returned to Oak Park. He had been one of the first Americans injured in Italy in the war. He also had been given a medal for bravery with the Red Cross, and the people of his hometown greeted him as a hero. Ernest loved the attention."
page 74
"In 1935, he went deep-sea fishing to Bimini, the Bahamas. But along the way, Ernest accidentally shot himself in both legs while trying to get a shark he had hooked onto the boat."
page 96
"The Old Man and the Sea won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1953. The next year, Ernest was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature."
page 100
“If I can’t exist on my own terms, then existence is impossible,” he said late in his life. ….. On the morning of July 2, 1961, Ernest died by suicide in Ketchum."
page 103
"His homes in Oak Park, Florida, and Cuba have been turned into museums."
page 104
“You invent fiction,” he once said, “but what you invent it out of is what counts. True fiction must come from everything you’ve ever known, ever seen, ever felt, ever learned.”"
page 105
"1-800-273-TALK (8255)
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline"
December 26, 2023
Finished the book with the boys, adding another one of these to the list for this year. Hemingway's life story was one i was interested to share with them, given its complexities, and moral challenges at times. The book concludes with Hemingway's health decline and death in the last few chapters. Provoked a great conversation about how much he was still loved and cherished, even when he couldn't see it or believe it. It was an important reminder to them that even if they feel like they are beyond hope or help, there are folks in their lives who love them and want to care for them... and that there is always something left to live for. An interesting conversation to focus on, to be sure, but I appreciate that the book didn't shy away from it or not look at the love others felt for Hemingway in the wake of his death.
May 22, 2023
I never liked Hemingway as an author, but this book showed me how his style of writing would influence the book world for decades. I still do not like him (in fact, if possible, dislike him more), but I always find it interesting how the time shape the man/author and how the man/author shapes the times. While that aged 8 to 10 might not appreciate some of his lesser qualities, it is still a good book.
Read
December 27, 2023Although the book was targeted for younger audiences, it was a good overview of the life of Ernest Hemingway. I was headed to Key West and wanted to get a biographical sketch of Hemingway.
He was an adventurous man that lived life on his own terms. Unfortunately I think this contributed to his inability to have a lasting marriage or productive relationship with his sons. Almost all of his fiction stems from some real life experience.
He was an adventurous man that lived life on his own terms. Unfortunately I think this contributed to his inability to have a lasting marriage or productive relationship with his sons. Almost all of his fiction stems from some real life experience.
August 20, 2025
I didn’t really know anything about Ernest Hemingway prior to reading this. I thought this was interesting, and some of his books sound interesting as well. This biography is very honest and doesn’t shy away from the less than pleasant aspects of Ernest Hemingway’s life and behaviors. It has some good, useful advice (for writers or for life in general) as well, and did well at explaining history and how certain things were more normalized at the time of the subject’s life.
March 25, 2022
I have not actually read anything Hemingway. Maybe a short-story as a teen. I have heard about him and his family members, especially his famous granddaughters in the film industry. This man was adventurous and selfish. He had at least 4 wives! His life was definitely what one would call colorful. As authors often do, his works come straight from his experiences.
March 12, 2023
This entire series is pretty great, but I particularly enjoy this book about Ernest Hemingway. So much so that I ended up starting to read some of his more famous novels such as A Farewell To Arms. Once you read this book, you can appreciate his writing style even more.
August 27, 2024
Good, concise biography of a great writer but a poor husband and pretty selfish individual. Four wives sad suicide. It is too bad that this biography series selected Ernest who was such a good example of a successful author professionally but a negative example of decision-making in life.
April 9, 2022
Informative children's book, we enjoyed learning about this
November 26, 2022
Adventurous, selfish guy
February 7, 2023
I Love Florida
March 20, 2023
I appreciate this series to get quick, accessible summaries of authors I enjoy. This one about Hemmingway was just right.
April 12, 2023
The book was good. It seems like he wasn't a very nice guy though, which I find to be sad.
April 12, 2023
Audiobook was good
September 28, 2023
Very factual and short. It was just kinda interesting.
January 1, 2024
Had no idea of the life of this great author. All I knew of him otherwise, he was an alcoholic who committed suicide. He led an interesting but sad life. CathyR
March 14, 2024
I learned a lot about "Papa" Hemingway. Like he named himself "Papa" and that he himself said he wasn't a very good father.
Worth a read to learn more about the writer.
Worth a read to learn more about the writer.
July 1, 2024
This book tells it like it was for Ernest Hemingway. Lots of adventures in his life and also lots of wives. His book are still classics and highly regarded.
September 28, 2024
6/10, maybe 7/10
March 21, 2022
Hey look, I'm the first written review!
January 8, 2024
Since Goodreads no longer allows me to make an entry for a new edition, I am putting the review for the audiobook here. As with other books in the series, it was written for kids, so a lot of what was written was softened. But the hard parts were not eliminated. I have to respect that. Kids are able to handle truth.
December 26, 2024
Born 1899, we learn that Hemingway was a hunter and a fisherman, an ambulance officer in Paris, France, during World War I. Whatever he did with reason and purpose, as a reporter for example. during the civil war in Spain in the 1930s to understand war from a grass roots perspective. We learn how he used these experiences and exaggerated narratives to build his fiction, including The Sun Also Rises , A Farewell to Arms , and For Whom the Bell Tolls .
At 21, he married 29-year old Pauline Hadley. In those times, he associated with F. Scott Fitzgerald and other authors. Working for The Toronto Star, he traveled and wrote articles but also many short stories.
This is a short and interesting biography. The author is encouraging and captivating.
He summarises Hemingway's novels and so created good memories if you've read any of his books.
At 21, he married 29-year old Pauline Hadley. In those times, he associated with F. Scott Fitzgerald and other authors. Working for The Toronto Star, he traveled and wrote articles but also many short stories.
This is a short and interesting biography. The author is encouraging and captivating.
He summarises Hemingway's novels and so created good memories if you've read any of his books.
January 13, 2024
I love the Who Was books!
they give a great overview of what you need to learn and do a great job of summing up the life of famous historical figures without making you fall to sleep:)
I have never read Ernest Hemingway but plan to now!
they give a great overview of what you need to learn and do a great job of summing up the life of famous historical figures without making you fall to sleep:)
I have never read Ernest Hemingway but plan to now!
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews