Instructify

July 31, 2008

As the author of some of the shortest works on high school reading lists, Ernest Hemingway is probably a frequent feature of your students’ book reports. Give those students who are trying to get away with a little less a little more to do by sending them over to the Hemingway Resource Center.

At first, I took issue with this site for what seems to me to be an insidious mixing of content and advertising (for example, throughout the pages there are offers for Hemingway memorabilia on ebay). Upon closer inspection, however, I was impressed by the lengthy biography, the hard-hitting FAQ, and, most of all, the surprisingly active discussion forums. The site’s contributors respond to visitors’ questions thoughtfully, and encourage them to look deeper into issues when it seems they might have been seeking easy answers.

Conclusion: the Hemingway Resource Center is the place to go, whether you’re looking for scholarship or for an Ernest Hemingway King Leather Sleigh Bed Headboard. -MARIELLE PRINCE