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American Hagwon
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At last, the National Book Award finalist and NYT bestselling author of Pachinko returns with a breathtaking contemporary epic: Min Jin Lee has written a masterpiece by turns sweeping and intimate, one that reckons with ambition and moderation, lust and loyalty, personal dreams and familial duty.
In schools and churches, hotel rooms and nail salons, law firms and fried-fish shops; in cramped, dingy apartments and luxury, gated communities, the men, women, and children in American Hagwon struggle to find satisfaction and meaning in a world that seems to grow less forgiving with each passing year.
Once comfortably middle class in Korea, John and Helen Koh and their three children—Bo, DH, and Mido—find their lives upended, first by a shocking betrayal by John’s oldest friend, then by the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Desperately striving to regain their footing, they leave Seoul for Sydney and eventually settle in Southern California—where new vistas of opportunity open up for the children as their parents, strangers in a strange land, must adjust to a new life in which their experience and education mean little, and they set their sights on whatever it takes to provide for their children’s futures.
The Kohs, their friends, relatives, and even their foes move in and out of each other’s lives as they navigate new courses across the years, always nursing the almost all-consuming faith that education will lead the next generation to success and security. In American Hagwon, Min Jin Lee has crafted an unforgettable, panoramic novel where the smallest of gestures can have enormous repercussions, where the bonds of family and of memory twist and fray but rarely break, and where willful self-sacrifice—for the benefit of loved ones and even strangers—is a kind of prayer.
In schools and churches, hotel rooms and nail salons, law firms and fried-fish shops; in cramped, dingy apartments and luxury, gated communities, the men, women, and children in American Hagwon struggle to find satisfaction and meaning in a world that seems to grow less forgiving with each passing year.
Once comfortably middle class in Korea, John and Helen Koh and their three children—Bo, DH, and Mido—find their lives upended, first by a shocking betrayal by John’s oldest friend, then by the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Desperately striving to regain their footing, they leave Seoul for Sydney and eventually settle in Southern California—where new vistas of opportunity open up for the children as their parents, strangers in a strange land, must adjust to a new life in which their experience and education mean little, and they set their sights on whatever it takes to provide for their children’s futures.
The Kohs, their friends, relatives, and even their foes move in and out of each other’s lives as they navigate new courses across the years, always nursing the almost all-consuming faith that education will lead the next generation to success and security. In American Hagwon, Min Jin Lee has crafted an unforgettable, panoramic novel where the smallest of gestures can have enormous repercussions, where the bonds of family and of memory twist and fray but rarely break, and where willful self-sacrifice—for the benefit of loved ones and even strangers—is a kind of prayer.
656 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication September 29, 2026
About the author
Min Jin Lee
14 books9,261 followersMin Jin Lee’s novel Pachinko (Feb 2017) is a national bestseller, a New York Times Editor’s Choice and an American Booksellers Association’s Indie Next Great Reads. Lee’s debut novel Free Food for Millionaires (May 2007) was a No. 1 Book Sense Pick, a New York Times Editor’s Choice, a Wall Street Journal Juggle Book Club selection, and a national bestseller; it was a Top 10 Novels of the Year for The Times of London, NPR’s Fresh Air and USA Today.
Min Jin went to Yale College where she was awarded both the Henry Wright Prize for Nonfiction and the James Ashmun Veech Prize for Fiction. She attended law school at Georgetown University and worked as a lawyer for several years in New York prior to writing full time.
She has received the NYFA Fellowship for Fiction, the Peden Prize from The Missouri Review for Best Story, and the Narrative Prize for New and Emerging Writer. Her fiction has been featured on NPR’s Selected Shorts and has appeared most recently in One Story. Her writings about books, travel and food have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New York Times Book Review, The Times Literary Supplement, Conde Nast Traveler, The Times of London, Vogue (US), Travel + Leisure (SEA), Wall Street Journal and Food & Wine. Her personal essays have been anthologized in To Be Real, Breeder, The Mark Twain Anthology: Great Writers on His Life and Work, One Big Happy Family, Sugar in My Bowl, and The Global and the Intimate: Feminism in Our Time. She served three consecutive seasons as a Morning Forum columnist of the Chosun Ilbo of South Korea.
Lee has spoken about writing, politics, film and literature at various institutions including Columbia University, French Institute Alliance Francaise, The Center for Fiction, Tufts, Loyola Marymount University, Stanford, Johns Hopkins (SAIS), University of Connecticut, Boston College, Hamilton College, Hunter College of New York, Harvard Law School, Yale University, Ewha University, Waseda University, the American School in Japan, World Women’s Forum, Korean Community Center (NJ), the Hay Literary Festival (UK), the Tokyo American Center of the U.S. Embassy, the Asia House (UK), and the Asia Society in New York, San Francisco and Hong Kong. In 2017, she won the Literary Death Match (Brooklyn/Episode 8), and she is a proud alumna of Women of Letters (Public Theater).
From 2007 to 2011, Min Jin lived in Tokyo where she researched and wrote Pachinko. She lives in New York with her family.
Min Jin went to Yale College where she was awarded both the Henry Wright Prize for Nonfiction and the James Ashmun Veech Prize for Fiction. She attended law school at Georgetown University and worked as a lawyer for several years in New York prior to writing full time.
She has received the NYFA Fellowship for Fiction, the Peden Prize from The Missouri Review for Best Story, and the Narrative Prize for New and Emerging Writer. Her fiction has been featured on NPR’s Selected Shorts and has appeared most recently in One Story. Her writings about books, travel and food have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New York Times Book Review, The Times Literary Supplement, Conde Nast Traveler, The Times of London, Vogue (US), Travel + Leisure (SEA), Wall Street Journal and Food & Wine. Her personal essays have been anthologized in To Be Real, Breeder, The Mark Twain Anthology: Great Writers on His Life and Work, One Big Happy Family, Sugar in My Bowl, and The Global and the Intimate: Feminism in Our Time. She served three consecutive seasons as a Morning Forum columnist of the Chosun Ilbo of South Korea.
Lee has spoken about writing, politics, film and literature at various institutions including Columbia University, French Institute Alliance Francaise, The Center for Fiction, Tufts, Loyola Marymount University, Stanford, Johns Hopkins (SAIS), University of Connecticut, Boston College, Hamilton College, Hunter College of New York, Harvard Law School, Yale University, Ewha University, Waseda University, the American School in Japan, World Women’s Forum, Korean Community Center (NJ), the Hay Literary Festival (UK), the Tokyo American Center of the U.S. Embassy, the Asia House (UK), and the Asia Society in New York, San Francisco and Hong Kong. In 2017, she won the Literary Death Match (Brooklyn/Episode 8), and she is a proud alumna of Women of Letters (Public Theater).
From 2007 to 2011, Min Jin lived in Tokyo where she researched and wrote Pachinko. She lives in New York with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
Want to Read
January 15, 2026I pre-ordered! This book will be released in 2026 from Min Jin Lee, author of Pachinko and Free Food for Millionaires (both of which I loved!).
April 27, 2026
I read Pachinko when it came out in 2017 and it remains one of the best family sagas I've ever read. Almost ten years later, American Hagwon now joins it. Min Jin Lee took her time with this one and readers will reap the benefits of unraveling every layer. Prior to reading this, I didn't know what a hagwon was. James Baldwin told and Lee reminds us that "as one begins to become conscious one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated". Lee examines this for profit/pro cramming private supplemental education system by looking at the ways it affects a child and a parent's psyche all while questioning what education is really "for".
American Hagwon is epic in scope, following the members of the Koh family from 1992-2007 across multiple international moves. Helen and John Koh, like all parents, want the best for their children. They want to see all three successful and happy. When the father is betrayed and soon after the South Korean IMF financial collapse occurs, the family is no longer comfortably in the middle class. What does this mean for the futures of the three children when money seems to be...everything.
American Hagwon has so much to say about ambition, satisfaction, and what drives these ideas. There is a whole lot of blind faith in the education system. If my kids go to the best school and then go to the best hagwon, surely they will come out on top, right? When there isn't room for everyone at the top, when siblings or friends are pitted against each other, what is the fallout? When education feels like a transaction more than anything, what happens if I don't get my expected return on investment? There is no one answer to these questions, but Lee offers us multiple to chew on through each character.
The Koh family will be some of the most memorable characters I read all year. Their devotion and sacrifice to one another is stunning. The official description of American Hagwon calls this loyalty something like a prayer, and I think that is perfect. While this doesn't publish until September, that gives you plenty of time to read Pachinko and Free Food for Millionaires in anticipation.
American Hagwon is epic in scope, following the members of the Koh family from 1992-2007 across multiple international moves. Helen and John Koh, like all parents, want the best for their children. They want to see all three successful and happy. When the father is betrayed and soon after the South Korean IMF financial collapse occurs, the family is no longer comfortably in the middle class. What does this mean for the futures of the three children when money seems to be...everything.
American Hagwon has so much to say about ambition, satisfaction, and what drives these ideas. There is a whole lot of blind faith in the education system. If my kids go to the best school and then go to the best hagwon, surely they will come out on top, right? When there isn't room for everyone at the top, when siblings or friends are pitted against each other, what is the fallout? When education feels like a transaction more than anything, what happens if I don't get my expected return on investment? There is no one answer to these questions, but Lee offers us multiple to chew on through each character.
The Koh family will be some of the most memorable characters I read all year. Their devotion and sacrifice to one another is stunning. The official description of American Hagwon calls this loyalty something like a prayer, and I think that is perfect. While this doesn't publish until September, that gives you plenty of time to read Pachinko and Free Food for Millionaires in anticipation.
Want to Read
March 27, 2026Excited for this, but $47 CAD ($36 USD) is honestly a criminal price tag...Thank god the library exists
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Want to Read
January 14, 2026HUGE news for me personally!!!
Read
July 10, 20264.5/5 stars
So beautifully crafted, a masterclass in creating characters that feel so vivid and captivating that even the smallest interaction and the most seemingly mundane, everyday moments kept me from ever wanting to put the book down. American Hagwon is a story rooted firmly in reality, but at the same time, so transportive, I felt completely swept away every time I picked it up. Like with my experience in reading Pachinko, this book opened my eyes to Korean experiences in a way that I really appreciated.
By the time I got to the last few pages, I found myself not wanting to leave this wonderful story and characters behind and I would have loved at least another chapter or epilogue to add just a little something more to the conclusion of the over 700+ page family saga.
So beautifully crafted, a masterclass in creating characters that feel so vivid and captivating that even the smallest interaction and the most seemingly mundane, everyday moments kept me from ever wanting to put the book down. American Hagwon is a story rooted firmly in reality, but at the same time, so transportive, I felt completely swept away every time I picked it up. Like with my experience in reading Pachinko, this book opened my eyes to Korean experiences in a way that I really appreciated.
By the time I got to the last few pages, I found myself not wanting to leave this wonderful story and characters behind and I would have loved at least another chapter or epilogue to add just a little something more to the conclusion of the over 700+ page family saga.
Want to Read
March 4, 2026i met Min in ATL yesterday and literally am counting down the days until this comes out. What a remarkable, extraordinary human she is.
April 7, 2026
Review of advance copy-
Beautifully written. 700+ pages was not long enough…I still want more!
Beautifully written. 700+ pages was not long enough…I still want more!
June 7, 2026
Min Jin Lee does it again with another generational saga. This pulled at my heartstrings and kept me engrossed the entire time.
What is the cost of ambition? What are the consequences of indolence? Do you live by your morals or think of them as a wish list? Are we defined by our humanity or achievements (and do we apply that answer to others or just ourselves)?
On the surface, “American Hagwon” is a story about the price (literally and metaphorically) of education in Korea, where society places prestige on merit and accomplishment. Not just any education, either. The right education. The right schools, hagwons, and connections.
For Asian immigrants in America, there is a doubling down. Their home culture prioritizes academics above all else, while American society often expects them to be smarter and more successful than their American peers. The stakes become impossibly high. Students look to American colleges for opportunity, yet still face racism and the social alienation that can come with being an immigrant. And so the cycle continues: strive more, work harder, achieve the unachievable.
It’s also a story of parental love and all of the worry that carries. It’s a spotlight on the many decisions in life that force a divide between what we want to do from what society demands.
Higher education becomes a concentrator of that pressure to perform.
I felt anguished when I finished the book. Despite its length, I wanted more. I did not want to leave the family or “American Hagwon” behind.
Thank you, NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing, for the ARC of this book.
“American Hagwon” will be published 9/29/2026
What is the cost of ambition? What are the consequences of indolence? Do you live by your morals or think of them as a wish list? Are we defined by our humanity or achievements (and do we apply that answer to others or just ourselves)?
On the surface, “American Hagwon” is a story about the price (literally and metaphorically) of education in Korea, where society places prestige on merit and accomplishment. Not just any education, either. The right education. The right schools, hagwons, and connections.
For Asian immigrants in America, there is a doubling down. Their home culture prioritizes academics above all else, while American society often expects them to be smarter and more successful than their American peers. The stakes become impossibly high. Students look to American colleges for opportunity, yet still face racism and the social alienation that can come with being an immigrant. And so the cycle continues: strive more, work harder, achieve the unachievable.
It’s also a story of parental love and all of the worry that carries. It’s a spotlight on the many decisions in life that force a divide between what we want to do from what society demands.
Higher education becomes a concentrator of that pressure to perform.
I felt anguished when I finished the book. Despite its length, I wanted more. I did not want to leave the family or “American Hagwon” behind.
Thank you, NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing, for the ARC of this book.
“American Hagwon” will be published 9/29/2026
June 4, 2026
I need some time to come back from this. But damn, she’s done it again.
Want to Read
February 6, 2026i've never been this excited for a book in my life.
June 18, 2026
American Hagwon as a novel fits neatly in with Min Jin Lee’s usual family saga narratives, this one’s major concerns being overwhelmingly financial, cultural, educational, and all subject to and highly considerate of social stratum. The Koh family is the nucleus of this story, comprised of Helen and John, and their three children, Mido, Bo, and DH. The Koh family has moved around repeatedly and extensively, from Sydney to Korea to the USA, and nearly back around. Their blips of success as a family, through the children, have been buoyed in many ways by hagwons, private institutions for tutoring and mentorship in educational environments, which form a kind of landmark for Mido especially.
The novel tackles deeply institutionalized Korean cultural norms, in terms of education, success, family, and interpersonal relationships, and works to face these often nearly impossible standards and grand assumptions head on in order to break them down and reassess them in more realistic terms. I found the concepts of finances and educational institutions to be quite heavily emphasized throughout, which considering the length of the novel did come to feel a bit repetitive and tedious, though it could be said to definitely be a realistic interpretation of how omnipresent financial troubles are in daily life, and as well representative of the high educational standards common in Korea and Korean culture. Considering the title of the novel, this emphasis on these specific topics is to be expected, and I definitely found it to be an uniquely interesting and very extensive look into the world of hagwons and their impact on university acceptance, the drama between incredibly rich families, the pressure of being a child of immigrant parents, the realities of living during a financial crisis, amongst many others. Lee very much excels in the construction of the family saga, and while this doesn’t usurp or really hit as hard as Pachinko did for me personally, it definitely makes its own imprint in the genre with its not in any way niche (considering the inherent breadth of this very real experience) but definitely underexplored perspectives.
The novel tackles deeply institutionalized Korean cultural norms, in terms of education, success, family, and interpersonal relationships, and works to face these often nearly impossible standards and grand assumptions head on in order to break them down and reassess them in more realistic terms. I found the concepts of finances and educational institutions to be quite heavily emphasized throughout, which considering the length of the novel did come to feel a bit repetitive and tedious, though it could be said to definitely be a realistic interpretation of how omnipresent financial troubles are in daily life, and as well representative of the high educational standards common in Korea and Korean culture. Considering the title of the novel, this emphasis on these specific topics is to be expected, and I definitely found it to be an uniquely interesting and very extensive look into the world of hagwons and their impact on university acceptance, the drama between incredibly rich families, the pressure of being a child of immigrant parents, the realities of living during a financial crisis, amongst many others. Lee very much excels in the construction of the family saga, and while this doesn’t usurp or really hit as hard as Pachinko did for me personally, it definitely makes its own imprint in the genre with its not in any way niche (considering the inherent breadth of this very real experience) but definitely underexplored perspectives.
May 19, 2026
Wow. Heartbreaking that I’ll probably have to wait another decade for a new Min Jin Lee novel. Simple in scope yet sprawling. Epic yet intimate. I fell in love with these characters, and I learned so much about the Korean financial crisis, as well as the cultural pressure many Koreans face in educational circles. I’ve been really busy over the past few weeks, so I’ve read this a lot slower than I normally would have. Typically when this happens, I find myself growing impatient and desiring to move on to a different story. However, I was more than content to linger in this story and get to know these characters.
May 4, 2026
My first Min Jin Lee novel!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
dare I say, better than pachinko
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Another MUST READ epic family saga. I found myself underlining many lines from the book about education that challenged me as a teacher and filled me with hope.
April 17, 2026
I was lucky enough to receive an early copy of this book and it’s exceptional! There is an incredible cast of unique characters that span three generations and two cultures to create a deeply moving story about the importance of family, class and education. My favorite part about this book is that there is almost no clear protagonist. While you could argue it’s Mido, there is so much detail and back story to all of the characters that I became engrossed in all of their outcomes. The Korean diaspora explored in this novel was phenomenal and I enjoyed how it was covered in multiple parts of the US, Australia and even England. I learned a lot about Hagwon culture and the pressure of elite education, which while not unique to Koreans, is layered due to the Hagwon setup. It’s a long book, but worth every page. This is one of my favorite books of the year so far!
Want to Read
February 28, 2026the author of my favorite book is writing another decades-spanning historical fiction and was given 5 stars by my favorite author............ im so excited for this u have no idea
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A novel spanning Seoul, Sydney, and Southern California that somehow felt like coming home, even though I’ve never lived in any of those places. American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee is a masterclass in the nuances of the Korean immigrant experience exploring themes of motherhood, family devotion, sacrifice, and the power of education. As a Korean American who was born and raised in the United States, this book felt comforting. The infusion of Korean culture and tradition is thoughtfully crafted and felt effortless to read.
The author showcases the difference between Western and Korean societies in the hunger for education. In the West, personal ambition is often the root motivator of becoming educated. But Korea’s hyper-obsession with education is more layered than that. Amid the instability of Japanese colonization and later, rapid industrialization after the Korean war, gaining knowledge was one of few things many Koreans were able to turn to for purpose and cultural retention. At the start of the book, I was frustrated by these parents spending money they could not afford on extra schooling due to the idea that a mother's worth is measured in her child’s test scores or what university they end up at. But following the family move countries and rebuild their lives in an unfamiliar place moved me because it made me feel for my parents and think about their struggles and strength, navigating the same thing at a young age. The characters worked so hard and made sacrifices for each other out of survival and love. Spreading the importance of learning is an act of love and they continued to pay it forward.
Min Jin Lee touched on a complicated, relatable feeling among Koreans who move away from home and come back to an unfamiliar place. There is a sense of tension between Koreans who are “stuck” in Korea with its strict culture and those who leave to explore new opportunities, but then don't feel at home anywhere. I grew up not feeling 100% at home anywhere because I felt disconnected from my Korean roots, but Lee’s perspective allowed me to see it from the other point of view. I am grateful for my family’s choice to start a new life away from home, and my Korean roots live on through the sharing of stories and customs within my family.
I loved how Lee used Korean words without translation, trusting the reader to understand them through context clues. It felt like having a piece of my family with me while I read. There were certain English phrases I read with my eyes but heard in Korean. A parent asks their child “did you eat” and it instantly takes me back to all the times my parents ask “밥 먹었어?”, the ultimate expression of love from Korean parents. A simple detail of regular visits to the Korean drama video rental store took me back to middle school when I followed my mom to our local store in San Jose, California every week.
I never felt like the story dragged and was curious how all the characters’ stories ended. The novel’s ending is sweet and quiet, with a moment that embodied the family’s love for each other throughout the entire story. It was incredibly fitting for this book that never felt loud or dramatic and I teared up on the last page, wishing I got even more time with the Koh family. Thank you, Min Jin Lee, for one of the most meaningful reading experiences I’ve had in years. I’m excited for readers to discover this book when it releases this fall. It will resonate with those who love character-driven novels, intricate family sagas, and stories that explore the complexities of the immigrant experience. In the meantime, I’ll check out Lee’s backlist and eagerly await what she writes next.
The author showcases the difference between Western and Korean societies in the hunger for education. In the West, personal ambition is often the root motivator of becoming educated. But Korea’s hyper-obsession with education is more layered than that. Amid the instability of Japanese colonization and later, rapid industrialization after the Korean war, gaining knowledge was one of few things many Koreans were able to turn to for purpose and cultural retention. At the start of the book, I was frustrated by these parents spending money they could not afford on extra schooling due to the idea that a mother's worth is measured in her child’s test scores or what university they end up at. But following the family move countries and rebuild their lives in an unfamiliar place moved me because it made me feel for my parents and think about their struggles and strength, navigating the same thing at a young age. The characters worked so hard and made sacrifices for each other out of survival and love. Spreading the importance of learning is an act of love and they continued to pay it forward.
Min Jin Lee touched on a complicated, relatable feeling among Koreans who move away from home and come back to an unfamiliar place. There is a sense of tension between Koreans who are “stuck” in Korea with its strict culture and those who leave to explore new opportunities, but then don't feel at home anywhere. I grew up not feeling 100% at home anywhere because I felt disconnected from my Korean roots, but Lee’s perspective allowed me to see it from the other point of view. I am grateful for my family’s choice to start a new life away from home, and my Korean roots live on through the sharing of stories and customs within my family.
I loved how Lee used Korean words without translation, trusting the reader to understand them through context clues. It felt like having a piece of my family with me while I read. There were certain English phrases I read with my eyes but heard in Korean. A parent asks their child “did you eat” and it instantly takes me back to all the times my parents ask “밥 먹었어?”, the ultimate expression of love from Korean parents. A simple detail of regular visits to the Korean drama video rental store took me back to middle school when I followed my mom to our local store in San Jose, California every week.
I never felt like the story dragged and was curious how all the characters’ stories ended. The novel’s ending is sweet and quiet, with a moment that embodied the family’s love for each other throughout the entire story. It was incredibly fitting for this book that never felt loud or dramatic and I teared up on the last page, wishing I got even more time with the Koh family. Thank you, Min Jin Lee, for one of the most meaningful reading experiences I’ve had in years. I’m excited for readers to discover this book when it releases this fall. It will resonate with those who love character-driven novels, intricate family sagas, and stories that explore the complexities of the immigrant experience. In the meantime, I’ll check out Lee’s backlist and eagerly await what she writes next.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
In the first chapter of this novel, Helen Koh has three envelopes, one for each of her children, filled with money. This money will cover their clothes and supplies, but mostly it is for their school fees and educational expenses. Finding themselves back in Korea after several years away, the Koh family will find that this system they've relied on is no longer able to provide what they need. In Korea the children are already behind their classmates, the expectations are much higher, and everyone studies not just for school but in Hagwons on evenings and weekends where they receive additional work and instruction. In the first few pages, Lee lays out for us exactly what we will be considering for the rest of the novel--the expectations around education and the financial burden of meeting it.
In so many books I read, it's like money doesn't exist. Even when we are told a character is broke, they rarely seem to act broke except for when it's convenient for the story, they rarely think all that much about money. It is common for a character strapped for cash to vaguely consider their maxed out credit cards and then ignore them for the rest of the story. Those maxed out credit cards never seem to come due. In American Hagwon, money is a real thing and it's reassuring to me to see how much these characters consider it, talk about it, plan around it. (Recession indicator? Possibly.) This is a book about sacrifice, about characters who give up their own comfort to provide for others. And this is not just talk, it is real effort, with care and love of family often attached.
It is beautiful to follow the Koh family through many years, as the children become adults, as the parents grow old. If anything, they are all a bit too saintly, too self-sacrificing, too generous and kind. I would have liked it a bit more if one of them had developed an addiction or done something thoughtless and unwise, by the time you have been with them for 500 pages you do start to wonder if they have ever made mistakes. This moral clarity, the black and white world of these characters, also extends to the villains. The chief antagonist may eventually have her motives explained, but she is so consistently evil, so selfish and vain and greedy, that I was actually hoping she would have a redemption arc.
The morality of the book may be simple, but the paths of these characters are not. This is an expansive novel with dozens of characters, as the Koh family moves farther out into the world, the story expands into the lives of their friends and neighbors. All along the way these questions of money and education linger, returning again and again. The obsessive Korean system with its hagwons, the question of whether there is a better way to teach students, the generational and cultural divides between those who want change and those who want tradition. It is a very Korean book and a very American one as well, moving between the two countries (with the occasional stop in Australia) and the Koh's are a unique family who are able to move between these countries and understand how each of them work.
There is something old about this novel, rather Dickensian. Not just in the structure and character, but in the prose, which has an old-fashioned straightforwardness to it. Even though I prefer books where the moral universe is more relative, there is an appeal to people who are good, to spending time with the Koh's who only argue with each other when it is about who will sacrifice and who will be the one sacrificed for. It hits different to read this kind of novel now than it would have 20 years ago.
Lee is, truly, a treasure. This is the 3rd of 4 novels in her loosely connected Diaspora Quartet and I will be anxiously awaiting the 4th.
In so many books I read, it's like money doesn't exist. Even when we are told a character is broke, they rarely seem to act broke except for when it's convenient for the story, they rarely think all that much about money. It is common for a character strapped for cash to vaguely consider their maxed out credit cards and then ignore them for the rest of the story. Those maxed out credit cards never seem to come due. In American Hagwon, money is a real thing and it's reassuring to me to see how much these characters consider it, talk about it, plan around it. (Recession indicator? Possibly.) This is a book about sacrifice, about characters who give up their own comfort to provide for others. And this is not just talk, it is real effort, with care and love of family often attached.
It is beautiful to follow the Koh family through many years, as the children become adults, as the parents grow old. If anything, they are all a bit too saintly, too self-sacrificing, too generous and kind. I would have liked it a bit more if one of them had developed an addiction or done something thoughtless and unwise, by the time you have been with them for 500 pages you do start to wonder if they have ever made mistakes. This moral clarity, the black and white world of these characters, also extends to the villains. The chief antagonist may eventually have her motives explained, but she is so consistently evil, so selfish and vain and greedy, that I was actually hoping she would have a redemption arc.
The morality of the book may be simple, but the paths of these characters are not. This is an expansive novel with dozens of characters, as the Koh family moves farther out into the world, the story expands into the lives of their friends and neighbors. All along the way these questions of money and education linger, returning again and again. The obsessive Korean system with its hagwons, the question of whether there is a better way to teach students, the generational and cultural divides between those who want change and those who want tradition. It is a very Korean book and a very American one as well, moving between the two countries (with the occasional stop in Australia) and the Koh's are a unique family who are able to move between these countries and understand how each of them work.
There is something old about this novel, rather Dickensian. Not just in the structure and character, but in the prose, which has an old-fashioned straightforwardness to it. Even though I prefer books where the moral universe is more relative, there is an appeal to people who are good, to spending time with the Koh's who only argue with each other when it is about who will sacrifice and who will be the one sacrificed for. It hits different to read this kind of novel now than it would have 20 years ago.
Lee is, truly, a treasure. This is the 3rd of 4 novels in her loosely connected Diaspora Quartet and I will be anxiously awaiting the 4th.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Huge thank you to the publisher for making my dreams of a physical ARC come true. I might have screamed at work a little when I opened the package...
American Hagwon is a powerful story of perseverance and doing the right thing even when it's hard and the world is seemingly against you. We mostly follow the story of John, Helen, and their three children Bo, DH, and Mido as they move countries, learn to adapt, and endure many hardships along the way. In addition to their saga, we are granted a look into the private lives of their family and friends, from manipulative Danbi to successful Lion and everyone whose lives they touch.
There were so many good themes and moments in this novel but here are some of the ones I wanted to highlight:
- All of the characters are flawed or make mistakes, but many of them get right back up and try to do better. You will fall in love with all of them, laugh and cry with them, and celebrate their small victories in a relentless world.
- I truly believe that Sonya is John and Helen's family's guardian angel. She is also a flawed character but looks out for them and uses her wealth and influence for good. She is Superwoman without the cape.
- Marriage is a major theme in this novel and we see how infidelity has a domino effect. However, we also see the rewards a steadfast marriage reaps, from a strong support system among parents and siblings to an overabundance of love and sacrifice that spills into everything that family touches.
Something I constantly wondered about during my reading was: how does the author know so much about everything? In this novel, you will learn about:
- Hagwons in America and Korea and their highly competitive nature
- Korean industry and economics
- Immigration, acceptance of immigrants, and the hardship of moving across the ocean
- US Ivy league and Korean universities, and how difficult it is for even the best and brightest students to be admitted
- The Korean education system
- Daily life for working class immigrants
- California real estate
- Korean-American churches and the the elder elections
- Working in retail and fast-food restaurants
There were moments in American Hagwon that felt long, such as Lion speaking to the hagwon parents, but it enhances the plot and is a realistic portrayal of how competitive and necessary good education is for Korean families. There are also parts that should make you uncomfortable, such as Dambi taking advantage of men and manipulating people for her benefit . I found it interesting that Min Jin Lee made the antagonist a female, as I think our criticism of Danbi is harsher as a result. In my opinion, if the villain was a man who slept with the wealthy and embezzled, we would be more likely to shrug and say "that's business". It's more unusual for a female character to seduce and successfully get away with doing very bad things, so I liked the reversal of stereotypical gender roles.
I can't wait to hear Min Jin Lee speak at ALA Chicago next week! This book took me well over a month to read but it was mostly because I didn't want it to end. I loved the characters and story arcs, and learned so much from this fictional tome. There were moments in the book I cried and became frustrated in the injustices John and Helen endured, but the ending was well-worth it and it will leave you with a smile that will linger long after you finish the last page.
American Hagwon is a powerful story of perseverance and doing the right thing even when it's hard and the world is seemingly against you. We mostly follow the story of John, Helen, and their three children Bo, DH, and Mido as they move countries, learn to adapt, and endure many hardships along the way. In addition to their saga, we are granted a look into the private lives of their family and friends, from manipulative Danbi to successful Lion and everyone whose lives they touch.
There were so many good themes and moments in this novel but here are some of the ones I wanted to highlight:
- All of the characters are flawed or make mistakes, but many of them get right back up and try to do better. You will fall in love with all of them, laugh and cry with them, and celebrate their small victories in a relentless world.
- I truly believe that Sonya is John and Helen's family's guardian angel. She is also a flawed character but looks out for them and uses her wealth and influence for good. She is Superwoman without the cape.
- Marriage is a major theme in this novel and we see how infidelity has a domino effect. However, we also see the rewards a steadfast marriage reaps, from a strong support system among parents and siblings to an overabundance of love and sacrifice that spills into everything that family touches.
Something I constantly wondered about during my reading was: how does the author know so much about everything? In this novel, you will learn about:
- Hagwons in America and Korea and their highly competitive nature
- Korean industry and economics
- Immigration, acceptance of immigrants, and the hardship of moving across the ocean
- US Ivy league and Korean universities, and how difficult it is for even the best and brightest students to be admitted
- The Korean education system
- Daily life for working class immigrants
- California real estate
- Korean-American churches and the the elder elections
- Working in retail and fast-food restaurants
There were moments in American Hagwon that felt long, such as Lion speaking to the hagwon parents, but it enhances the plot and is a realistic portrayal of how competitive and necessary good education is for Korean families. There are also parts that should make you uncomfortable, such as Dambi taking advantage of men and manipulating people for her benefit . I found it interesting that Min Jin Lee made the antagonist a female, as I think our criticism of Danbi is harsher as a result. In my opinion, if the villain was a man who slept with the wealthy and embezzled, we would be more likely to shrug and say "that's business". It's more unusual for a female character to seduce and successfully get away with doing very bad things, so I liked the reversal of stereotypical gender roles.
I can't wait to hear Min Jin Lee speak at ALA Chicago next week! This book took me well over a month to read but it was mostly because I didn't want it to end. I loved the characters and story arcs, and learned so much from this fictional tome. There were moments in the book I cried and became frustrated in the injustices John and Helen endured, but the ending was well-worth it and it will leave you with a smile that will linger long after you finish the last page.
June 23, 2026
Yikes this was not for me. I was really excited to get this ARC because I am also currently reading Pachinko and am really liking it. This however, did not do it for me.
From the jump, I found that there were wayyy too many characters. It is similar to Pachinko in there are large families and lots of connections between them being made, but it was a lot harder for me me to make those connections and remember the relationships because we were switching storylines and perspectives so quickly. There were several tragedies that happen along the way that I wish made a big impact on me and I feel like should have, but because of the jumpy narrative, I couldn't find myself connecting enough to care or illicit any real emotions.
This book is objectively beautifully written without a doubt. I would read a stunning and consider rating this a lot higher. I also feel like there were potentially some really fantastic themes, but I'm not sure they were explored enough for me to really understand the points that were trying to be made. Maybe this was just too over my head, which is very possible, and this was absolutely a story about characters dealing with things I've never even begun to experience, but it just wasn't landing like I wish it was.
I also feel like there was no real arc here. The story just kinda immediately kicked off which was great, but there was no structure to follow it, no rising action, and no real conclusion. The book just kinda ended...and I was honestly shocked that there were no pages left. The ending was truly just so anti-climatic. That being said, this was insanely long for what it was, and I did not find myself wanting to pick this up.
Overall, I didn't understand the message or themes, I didn't love the characters, and the storytelling narrative did not work for me.
I'm so disappointed I didn't like this. Min Jin fans please don't come for me.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
From the jump, I found that there were wayyy too many characters. It is similar to Pachinko in there are large families and lots of connections between them being made, but it was a lot harder for me me to make those connections and remember the relationships because we were switching storylines and perspectives so quickly. There were several tragedies that happen along the way that I wish made a big impact on me and I feel like should have, but because of the jumpy narrative, I couldn't find myself connecting enough to care or illicit any real emotions.
This book is objectively beautifully written without a doubt. I would read a stunning and consider rating this a lot higher. I also feel like there were potentially some really fantastic themes, but I'm not sure they were explored enough for me to really understand the points that were trying to be made. Maybe this was just too over my head, which is very possible, and this was absolutely a story about characters dealing with things I've never even begun to experience, but it just wasn't landing like I wish it was.
I also feel like there was no real arc here. The story just kinda immediately kicked off which was great, but there was no structure to follow it, no rising action, and no real conclusion. The book just kinda ended...and I was honestly shocked that there were no pages left. The ending was truly just so anti-climatic. That being said, this was insanely long for what it was, and I did not find myself wanting to pick this up.
Overall, I didn't understand the message or themes, I didn't love the characters, and the storytelling narrative did not work for me.
I'm so disappointed I didn't like this. Min Jin fans please don't come for me.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
"American Hagwon" by Min Jin Lee is a family saga that spans three generations, multiple families, and several continents. Lee’s characters come to life as they navigate personal and professional challenges, which cause them to examine their core values and desires. The characters are well developed and complex, and their actions generate the plot. I appreciated that even the more problematic characters have back stories and beliefs that drive their personal choices. We are all impacted by the times we live in and the cultural beliefs that surround us. American Hagwon shines a light on cultural assumptions that are worth questioning. While the story is wholly focused on the characters, it made me think about the values and assumptions that drive individual choices. This novel is about families who became part of the Korean diaspora. The characters are impacted by events in Korea, such as the Korean financial crisis, as well as in the countries where they choose to live. The times and places are specific, but the themes are universal – family, motherhood, education, relationships, values, and the impact of the choices we make. This is a beautifully written and expansive novel that will appeal to readers of literary fiction.
Thank you to Cardinal and NetGalley for Access to this ARC. This is my honest review.
Thank you to Cardinal and NetGalley for Access to this ARC. This is my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
American Hagwon follows a Korean family, the Kohs, as they seek success and happiness for their children. As Mido, DH, and Bo grow up through the 1990s and early 2000s, the Kohs seek opportunities, move overseas several times, experience deep betrayal and challenges, and are forced to examine for themselves what success and achievement and loyalty mean.
A hagwon is a supplemental academic program common in Korea (and elsewhere, for Korean expats and immigrants) to help children boost their scores and increase the likelihood of acceptance into prestigious universities. In addition to being a layered family saga, the novel asks tough questions of the modern pursuit of success through our children: what’s an education really for? What happens when “getting in” at any cost is more valued than what is learned? What is sacrificed when we focus on a narrow window of time and rite of passage as a measure of a person’s (or a family’s) worth?
It’s a hefty book at 700+ pages as we follow the family and their network of friends and colleagues through their twists and turns of fate, but it’s worth the time (though I think could have been edited more tightly), written my Min Jin Lee, author of the fabulous 2017 novel Pachinko.
The book will be released in September 2026.
A hagwon is a supplemental academic program common in Korea (and elsewhere, for Korean expats and immigrants) to help children boost their scores and increase the likelihood of acceptance into prestigious universities. In addition to being a layered family saga, the novel asks tough questions of the modern pursuit of success through our children: what’s an education really for? What happens when “getting in” at any cost is more valued than what is learned? What is sacrificed when we focus on a narrow window of time and rite of passage as a measure of a person’s (or a family’s) worth?
It’s a hefty book at 700+ pages as we follow the family and their network of friends and colleagues through their twists and turns of fate, but it’s worth the time (though I think could have been edited more tightly), written my Min Jin Lee, author of the fabulous 2017 novel Pachinko.
The book will be released in September 2026.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
There are SO many thoughts I have on American Hagwon, Min Jin Lee's follow up to the classic Pachinko, which came out almost ten years ago.
On one hand, American Hagwon is a deeply delicate novel about the education system on an international level. It explores the extreme steps parents take to ensure their children receive a top-notch education, regardless of the cost. At its core, the book highlights the immigrant experience and the profound sacrifices made to pave the way for the next generation's success.
Lee’s prose is wonderfully direct; she lacks lush, overly descriptive language or melodrama. Instead, her phrases are simple and clean. She makes her point beautifully without any unnecessary complexity.
On the other hand, Lee doesn't use the descriptions of longing that I wish it did. The phrases are simple, nothing too complex, and the point is made. Sometimes, I just wanted MORE.
However, the book is LONG. Maybe 250 pages too long, but I still couldn't put it down.
On one hand, American Hagwon is a deeply delicate novel about the education system on an international level. It explores the extreme steps parents take to ensure their children receive a top-notch education, regardless of the cost. At its core, the book highlights the immigrant experience and the profound sacrifices made to pave the way for the next generation's success.
Lee’s prose is wonderfully direct; she lacks lush, overly descriptive language or melodrama. Instead, her phrases are simple and clean. She makes her point beautifully without any unnecessary complexity.
On the other hand, Lee doesn't use the descriptions of longing that I wish it did. The phrases are simple, nothing too complex, and the point is made. Sometimes, I just wanted MORE.
However, the book is LONG. Maybe 250 pages too long, but I still couldn't put it down.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This story captured everything I love about Lee’s previous two novels. In American Hagwon, there is the familial drama and generational trauma spanning years like in Pachinko, and the constant struggle of scholarly ambition and clashing social classes in Free Food for Millionaires.
The novel takes place during the 1997 IMF financial crisis, and years following, where Lee amplifies the parallels between then and today, capturing the struggles of capitalism in Australia, Korea, and the U.S., where we are constantly on a ladder working ourselves harder and harder, where we are never enough, whether that pressure is from the changing world, or the pressure from within ourselves. We can either choose to accept this fact and embrace this pressure to better ourselves and the world around us, or accept this pressure as all-consuming greed.
This novel will stay with me as Lee’s previous works have. Each of the characters have so much depth in their development and relationships while each having a tie that continuously brings them together.
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!!
The novel takes place during the 1997 IMF financial crisis, and years following, where Lee amplifies the parallels between then and today, capturing the struggles of capitalism in Australia, Korea, and the U.S., where we are constantly on a ladder working ourselves harder and harder, where we are never enough, whether that pressure is from the changing world, or the pressure from within ourselves. We can either choose to accept this fact and embrace this pressure to better ourselves and the world around us, or accept this pressure as all-consuming greed.
This novel will stay with me as Lee’s previous works have. Each of the characters have so much depth in their development and relationships while each having a tie that continuously brings them together.
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Received an advanced copy from Net Galley and the publisher. I was expecting a masterpiece, after reading and loving Pachinko, and this book delivers yet again. This is a sweeping epic of two generations of Koreans and Korean Americans, navigating the trials and tribulations of economic hardship, the various education systems in Korea/Australia/US, and marriages. The ending was satisfying but left me wanting more, which I think is what happens when you really love the characters and get invested in their lives. There were times I felt the plot was melodramatic, and sometimes the “good” characters vs the “bad” characters were almost too black and white, but I think it’s also because Min Jin Lee can write in a dry and action/event based narration rather than include much introspection from characters. The pacing was a little slow in the first half but it was helpful so I could orient myself in the timeline and who is who, and what their relationships are to one another. Overall, to me, this is a worthwhile read and I hope parents with teenagers will read and learn something from this book.
June 1, 2026
This book was a disappointment to me. I found myself dreading to go back to it. The style of writing that Lee used in this novel was odd. It was very stark and simplistic (and almost childlike at the beginning). There was no emotional component. It seemed like a rote reporting of this family's and their friends' and colleagues' lives. The main message seemed to be how much Koreans valued and pushed the importance of education and success (money). It takes place in South Korea, Australia, and Southern California as the characters struggle to overcome job loss, economic downturns, etc. Overall, it was trying to be a family saga, but felt like a list of everything that was happening in a soap opera with no emotion or heart at all! I finally quit at 31%. Bland, just bland.
I would like to show appreciation for the cover art. It is very cool and right on topic!
Thanks to Cardinal/Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
I would like to show appreciation for the cover art. It is very cool and right on topic!
Thanks to Cardinal/Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
5 ⭐ I devoured this book and felt like I lived with them for the past 2 weeks as I read their stories. I loved Pachinko and I had high hopes for this book, it did not disappoint. ❤️
The book takes us all over the world with the Koh family, and the one thing that is always constant, is their family bond. I loved the characters and the depth of their lives that the reader gets to see. While Mido, DH, and Bo are Korean, they spend much of their lives living abroad. The book focuses on education and hagwons but also looks at the cultural differences in Korea, America, and Australia. This sounds boring, but I was captivated by the character driven storytelling and the growth among them.
Thank you to netgalley for an ARC to enjoy.
The book takes us all over the world with the Koh family, and the one thing that is always constant, is their family bond. I loved the characters and the depth of their lives that the reader gets to see. While Mido, DH, and Bo are Korean, they spend much of their lives living abroad. The book focuses on education and hagwons but also looks at the cultural differences in Korea, America, and Australia. This sounds boring, but I was captivated by the character driven storytelling and the growth among them.
Thank you to netgalley for an ARC to enjoy.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
I received a free Advance Reading Copy edition of this book via a Goodreads giveaway win and am thankful to anyone who had a hand in making that happen!
This is a deep dive into the Koh family and all of the people in their orbit. It has a lot of interesting things to say about the intense and competitive educational systems in Korea and the US, class and socioeconomic status, ambition and greed, among other social issues. It was a slow read for me but remained absorbing throughout. I did feel that it ended somewhat abruptly. It feels absurd after 650 pages to say that I wanted more but I was so invested in all of these characters over the course of so many years that I feel a bit cheated not getting to know how everything turned out for all of them.
This is a deep dive into the Koh family and all of the people in their orbit. It has a lot of interesting things to say about the intense and competitive educational systems in Korea and the US, class and socioeconomic status, ambition and greed, among other social issues. It was a slow read for me but remained absorbing throughout. I did feel that it ended somewhat abruptly. It feels absurd after 650 pages to say that I wanted more but I was so invested in all of these characters over the course of so many years that I feel a bit cheated not getting to know how everything turned out for all of them.
Review of advance copy received from Author
There are meticulous, beautifully crafted layers to Min Jin Lee's latest novel, American Hagwon. It is, on the surface, an engrossing story about a Korean family and their resilience as forces beyond the control alter the trajectory of their lives. But it is, at its core, a story about striving, the complexities of the hagwon system, and a cultural pressure to succeed at any cost. As Lee's story unfolds, and we get to know a sprawling cast of characters across three continents, the impressive scope and scale of this new epic reveals itself in astonishing ways. She brings grand ambition, fierce heart, and the tenderest hope to a novel I didn't want to end.
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