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American Hagwon
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Min Jin Lee, the acclaimed author of Pachinko, returns with a breathtaking contemporary epic that follows one family as they reckon with personal dreams and familial duty.
John and Helen Koh and their three children – Bo, DH and Mido – are building new lives in Korea when they find their worlds upended, first by a terrible betrayal and then by the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Striving to regain their footing, the Kohs set out to do whatever it takes to provide for their children’s futures.
They leave Seoul for Sydney and eventually settle in California, where new opportunities open for the Koh children, as the parents, strangers in a strange land, adjust to a difficult existence in which their qualifications mean little. Their way forward is lit by the faith that education will lead the next generation to the success and security that have eluded their parents.
The Kohs, their friends, relatives and even their foes move in and out of each other’s lives as they navigate love, work, fortune and fulfilment across the years. But with each new sacrifice and fresh horizon, larger questions begin to open up before them: what are we willing to give up to secure the happiness of the ones we love? What is the purpose of education? And what is truly important for a good life?
American Hagwon is the most ambitious and extraordinary work yet by one of our greatest novelists, Min Jin Lee.
John and Helen Koh and their three children – Bo, DH and Mido – are building new lives in Korea when they find their worlds upended, first by a terrible betrayal and then by the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Striving to regain their footing, the Kohs set out to do whatever it takes to provide for their children’s futures.
They leave Seoul for Sydney and eventually settle in California, where new opportunities open for the Koh children, as the parents, strangers in a strange land, adjust to a difficult existence in which their qualifications mean little. Their way forward is lit by the faith that education will lead the next generation to the success and security that have eluded their parents.
The Kohs, their friends, relatives and even their foes move in and out of each other’s lives as they navigate love, work, fortune and fulfilment across the years. But with each new sacrifice and fresh horizon, larger questions begin to open up before them: what are we willing to give up to secure the happiness of the ones we love? What is the purpose of education? And what is truly important for a good life?
American Hagwon is the most ambitious and extraordinary work yet by one of our greatest novelists, Min Jin Lee.
656 pages, ebook
Expected publication September 29, 2026
About the author
Min Jin Lee
13 books9,356 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 72 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!!!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
dare I say, better than pachinko
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.
June 4, 2026
I need some time to come back from this. But damn, she’s done it again.
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
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.
Currently Reading
July 22, 2026This is a long book, but am fully involved in it. I have read 250 pages today. About family and thinking that education will guarantee success in life. Is that true? What defines success? Love the characters and story so far.
July 22, 2026
650 pages and I would have read 650 more. Absolute ugly cry at one point. An epic story with multiple viewpoints and I looked forward to each one. Complicated storylines and ultimately a story that is about being there for your people. I’m going to miss this family.
May 4, 2026
My first Min Jin Lee novel!
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
“Nothing exerts a stronger psychic effect upon the human environment, and especially upon children, than the life which the parents have not lived.” - Carl Jung
American Hagwon is a true epic— a sizeable novel, spanning decades, with incredible scope and a large cast of characters. As with all books that introduce this many characters and cover this much ground, there were parts and perspectives I enjoyed more than others. But I was never once bored in all its 650 pages.
At the heart of American Hagwon is the theme of how best to raise and educate our next generation. Moving from South Korea to America, with a stopover in Australia, it looks at many different approaches to education, reflected in different countries, different cultures, different generations, different parenting styles.
A hagwon— unbeknownst to me before reading this —is a kind of private tutoring cram school, ubiquitous in South Korea and common in Korean-American enclaves like Orange County. This is an extension of the intense educational pressure Korean children find themselves under, and Lee casts a scrutinising eye on educational systems that reward stress, anxiety, passing exams, and scoring a place at a top university.
As a character says at one point:
"If you make your child into the perfect object that these schools want to purchase, then you might make the sale. However, will you get what you want?
[..]
"There is a crisis in this country and in the country where many of you were born. The crisis is in our education and what it is meant to do. Having a degree from the Big Three or any of the SKY universities will not protect our children from harm. You know of many stories of people who graduated from these schools who did not have a safe and perfect life. I am asking you to consider at least the anecdotal evidence each of you has to disprove the theory that an elite education will create a successful life."
The story of Helen and John Koh and their three children explores this. Many other family members, colleagues and fellow students become part of their story as the Kohs try to do the best for each other.
Despite not being Korean, or even knowing what a hagwon was prior to reading this, I found the book's message poignant and increasingly relatable. Even in the UK, we are putting ever more pressure on kids to pass exams and compete for Russell Group universities. One thing that has always bothered me is that an absolutely brilliant student can have one bad day, flunk an exam, and have their entire future prospects limited because of a single poor performance. And lots of kids spend their youth working their asses off to get into these prestigious institutions, unable to see beyond that, and then find out they have no idea what to do with their lives once they reach the "top".
But while the message is important, what drives the narrative and keeps the pages turning are the lovable characters. The Kohs are genuinely likeable, as are several other supporting characters. If I were to critique anything, I’d say the Kohs were almost a little too perfect. They were very decent, moral people, always generous and self-sacrificing toward one another. I wouldn’t say the characters are lacking in complexity, necessarily, but they are lacking in flaws. Hardship comes from external forces, almost never from their own mistakes. I would have liked to see one of the family err in some way after this much time. Though despicable, the antagonist is arguably the more interesting character.
Overall, another fantastic book by Min Jin Lee. There are messages, but no easy or neat ones. The author knows this is a complex issue. My main takeaway was that even though parents and teachers may care about exam results and university acceptance, they should care more about the kids themselves. This fact seems almost like a truism until you look at how seldom it is applied.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4.5 ⭐️ | Reading American Hagwon instantly reminded me why Min Jin Lee has become one of my favorite literary fiction authors. She has an incredible ability to take ordinary lives and reveal just how extraordinary they are but it's never through the big, flashy moments. It's through the quiet ones, all the sacrifices, and the relationships that shape her book's characters over decades.
Rather than telling the story of a single person, this novel paints a much larger portrait of a family and the community surrounding them. Following the Koh family across multiple countries and years, Lee explores what immigration, financial instability, and the pursuit of opportunity actually look like beyond the idealized version of the "American dream." Every move they make is fueled by the hope that education and hard work will create a better future for the next generation, and the novel asks whether that promise is ever as straightforward as people want it to be.
One of my favorite aspects was how nuanced the characters felt. There are no perfect heroes or irredeemable villains here. These characters are just people making difficult decisions with the information and resources they have. I especially appreciated how much attention was given to the parents' perspective. Their sacrifices often happen quietly, in ways their children don't fully recognize until much later, and those moments carried some of the novel's strongest emotional weight.
The book also offers an insightful look at the culture surrounding hagwons and the enormous expectations placed on academic success. If you, like me, didn't know what a hagwon was prior to reading this book, I'll include a definition here: a hagwon is a private, for-profit cram school or educational institute in that provides after-school tutoring and lessons in subjects like English, math, and test preparation. Over 78% of Korean school-age children attend them. Lee doesn't simply criticize or celebrate that system; instead, she examines why families invest so much of themselves into education and what those investments ultimately cost. It raises thoughtful questions about ambition, identity, class, and whether success can ever truly be measured by grades, careers, or prestige alone.
That said, this is definitely a novel that asks for patience. The cast is expansive, it's almost 700 pages, perspectives shift frequently, and there are stretches where the pacing feels deliberately slow. I occasionally found myself wishing for a tighter narrative focus, especially when side stories briefly pulled attention away from the central family. While those moments added richness to the larger picture, they sometimes interrupted my emotional connection to the main storyline. Still, even at its slowest, Lee's writing is elegant and deeply compassionate. She has a remarkable gift for making everyday conversations and seemingly small decisions feel significant because of the emotional history behind them. By the end, I felt like I hadn't simply read about these characters, I had lived their lives right alongside them.
Overall, American Hagwon is a thoughtful, expansive family saga that explores immigration, education, identity, and the resilience required to build a life from the ground up. It may not have reached the emotional heights of my favorite Min Jin Lee novel, but it's still an incredibly rewarding read that offers plenty to reflect on. If you enjoy character-driven literary fiction, expansive family dramas/sagas, and books that value emotional complexity over a fast-moving plot, this is well worth the read!
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette/Grand Central Publishing/Cardinal for this eARC! I was so excited when they sent me a widget for this, and I'm so grateful I was able to read it ahead of its publication date.
Rather than telling the story of a single person, this novel paints a much larger portrait of a family and the community surrounding them. Following the Koh family across multiple countries and years, Lee explores what immigration, financial instability, and the pursuit of opportunity actually look like beyond the idealized version of the "American dream." Every move they make is fueled by the hope that education and hard work will create a better future for the next generation, and the novel asks whether that promise is ever as straightforward as people want it to be.
One of my favorite aspects was how nuanced the characters felt. There are no perfect heroes or irredeemable villains here. These characters are just people making difficult decisions with the information and resources they have. I especially appreciated how much attention was given to the parents' perspective. Their sacrifices often happen quietly, in ways their children don't fully recognize until much later, and those moments carried some of the novel's strongest emotional weight.
The book also offers an insightful look at the culture surrounding hagwons and the enormous expectations placed on academic success. If you, like me, didn't know what a hagwon was prior to reading this book, I'll include a definition here: a hagwon is a private, for-profit cram school or educational institute in that provides after-school tutoring and lessons in subjects like English, math, and test preparation. Over 78% of Korean school-age children attend them. Lee doesn't simply criticize or celebrate that system; instead, she examines why families invest so much of themselves into education and what those investments ultimately cost. It raises thoughtful questions about ambition, identity, class, and whether success can ever truly be measured by grades, careers, or prestige alone.
That said, this is definitely a novel that asks for patience. The cast is expansive, it's almost 700 pages, perspectives shift frequently, and there are stretches where the pacing feels deliberately slow. I occasionally found myself wishing for a tighter narrative focus, especially when side stories briefly pulled attention away from the central family. While those moments added richness to the larger picture, they sometimes interrupted my emotional connection to the main storyline. Still, even at its slowest, Lee's writing is elegant and deeply compassionate. She has a remarkable gift for making everyday conversations and seemingly small decisions feel significant because of the emotional history behind them. By the end, I felt like I hadn't simply read about these characters, I had lived their lives right alongside them.
Overall, American Hagwon is a thoughtful, expansive family saga that explores immigration, education, identity, and the resilience required to build a life from the ground up. It may not have reached the emotional heights of my favorite Min Jin Lee novel, but it's still an incredibly rewarding read that offers plenty to reflect on. If you enjoy character-driven literary fiction, expansive family dramas/sagas, and books that value emotional complexity over a fast-moving plot, this is well worth the read!
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette/Grand Central Publishing/Cardinal for this eARC! I was so excited when they sent me a widget for this, and I'm so grateful I was able to read it ahead of its publication date.
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.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Cardinal and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on September 29th, 2026.
Writing: 5/5 Characters: 5/5 Storytelling: 5+++/5
A sweeping family saga ranging from 1992 to 2007 from the author of Pachinko. The Kohs — John, his wife Helen, and their three children Bo, DH, and Mido — are heading back to their native Korea after spending seven years in Paramus, New Jersey (where all three children were born), three years in Korea, and six years in Australia — all following the demands of John’s career. The plunge into the ultra rigorous and punishing education system is brutal for all — in Korea your educational achievements can determine the path of your entire life; the competition is fierce, and the Koh children are behind. Enter the Hagwon — a private, for-profit, after-school and weekend academy in South Korea to supplement public education — difficult to get into, but can make all the difference.
I loved every bit of this book and the 752 pages (daunting at first glance) flew by easily. The multi-dimensional and ever expanding story follows the Koh family’s struggle to at least survive, and hopefully thrive, as the vicissitudes of fate toss them about geographically, financially, and emotionally. For the Kohs, the American Hagwon they become part of greatly expands their network of friends, family, and connections — both the ones they needed to get in, and the ones resulting from their experiences within. But the place of the Hagwon in the story is not just about its role in ensuring the children’s future; it’s also a deep dive on educational pedagogy and a genuine striving to understand what *really* educates a child, versus simply earning a desired status.
Lee writes in a clean, clear style — low on emotional melodrama or manipulation, high in character and relationship depth and growth. The book shifts between vignette-style sections, each highlighting a character or set of characters — opening us up to their individual personal development: principles, motivations, realizations, troubles and triumphs. In this book, everyone is constantly evolving, using experiences and contemplation to course correct as necessary. I like that the adversities faced were realistic and neither heavy handed nor dependent on some overall “evil power wielder.” While some characters are definitely not “good guys,” they are presented as full beings with their own motivations and (different, and not great IMHO) principles and goals. Most importantly, I love the way the characters handle their problems without whining, without assuming victimhood, and without neurosis (they couldn’t afford therapy anyway!). Family is (obviously) a big theme in a book like this, but I also liked the fact that the loyalty they showed one another was mutual — everyone supported the others in whatever way they could. Not a blind and determined loyalty that rewarded selfish and misguided behaviors that impacted others.
The book kept me entertained, made me think, and left me in a positive mood reflecting on what is important in life. And — my ultimate test — I would be very happy to befriend just about every character within the pages. These are people who live by their principles, and they are principles I share!
Writing: 5/5 Characters: 5/5 Storytelling: 5+++/5
A sweeping family saga ranging from 1992 to 2007 from the author of Pachinko. The Kohs — John, his wife Helen, and their three children Bo, DH, and Mido — are heading back to their native Korea after spending seven years in Paramus, New Jersey (where all three children were born), three years in Korea, and six years in Australia — all following the demands of John’s career. The plunge into the ultra rigorous and punishing education system is brutal for all — in Korea your educational achievements can determine the path of your entire life; the competition is fierce, and the Koh children are behind. Enter the Hagwon — a private, for-profit, after-school and weekend academy in South Korea to supplement public education — difficult to get into, but can make all the difference.
I loved every bit of this book and the 752 pages (daunting at first glance) flew by easily. The multi-dimensional and ever expanding story follows the Koh family’s struggle to at least survive, and hopefully thrive, as the vicissitudes of fate toss them about geographically, financially, and emotionally. For the Kohs, the American Hagwon they become part of greatly expands their network of friends, family, and connections — both the ones they needed to get in, and the ones resulting from their experiences within. But the place of the Hagwon in the story is not just about its role in ensuring the children’s future; it’s also a deep dive on educational pedagogy and a genuine striving to understand what *really* educates a child, versus simply earning a desired status.
Lee writes in a clean, clear style — low on emotional melodrama or manipulation, high in character and relationship depth and growth. The book shifts between vignette-style sections, each highlighting a character or set of characters — opening us up to their individual personal development: principles, motivations, realizations, troubles and triumphs. In this book, everyone is constantly evolving, using experiences and contemplation to course correct as necessary. I like that the adversities faced were realistic and neither heavy handed nor dependent on some overall “evil power wielder.” While some characters are definitely not “good guys,” they are presented as full beings with their own motivations and (different, and not great IMHO) principles and goals. Most importantly, I love the way the characters handle their problems without whining, without assuming victimhood, and without neurosis (they couldn’t afford therapy anyway!). Family is (obviously) a big theme in a book like this, but I also liked the fact that the loyalty they showed one another was mutual — everyone supported the others in whatever way they could. Not a blind and determined loyalty that rewarded selfish and misguided behaviors that impacted others.
The book kept me entertained, made me think, and left me in a positive mood reflecting on what is important in life. And — my ultimate test — I would be very happy to befriend just about every character within the pages. These are people who live by their principles, and they are principles I share!
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
John Koh, his wife Helen, and their three children, had moved from Korea for his job three times-to New Jersey, to Australia and finally, back to Seoul. He built his career around friend and boss Shin Taehun, and wherever he was transferred, John would go too. When he and his family lived abroad, they were subsidized by the company and had nice houses and a good standard of living, but on returning to Seoul, they could only afford a small three-bedroom apartment located near the school. To supplement their income, Helen took a job as a saleslady at a high-end department store, where she earned good commissions. This helped with the school expenses incurred by the three children- Bo, the oldest and the most serious about his studies, D.H., the athlete and soccer star, and their sister Mido, the quiet one.
Mido was almost thirteen when she began school in Korea. The Koh children rapidly became aware that classes were harder than those in Sydney, especially math classes, and they were struggling to catch up. After being disciplined by a math teacher in front of the class, Mido made a friend who told her about the Eagle Academy, whose Korean American teachers ran an after-school program to aid students in math and English language skills. Hagwons, called “cram schools” in America, are very common in Korea and many children were enrolled in them, attending for several hours after regular school. Classes ranged from lectures and paperwork to individualized tutoring, and students attended to keep up with schoolwork and to get an edge on others in their classes.
Shin was having a major problem with one of his junior employees, a smart and beautiful young woman with whom he was having an affair. Danbi asked for employment perks that he couldn’t give her and was beginning to take advantage of the situation. He begged John to fire her for cause, as she was directly under him, but her work was exemplary. After John couldn’t take Shin’s badgering any longer, he brought her into his office to complete his boss’s request-the result of this was the catalyst propelling the rest of the novel.
This epic is a result of the meticulous work of Min Jin Lee, author of Pachinko published nine years ago. Masterfully, she steers us through the history of two marriages, the hard choices that each couple makes, and the results of these decisions on the family members. But she also writes about the tradition of the hagwon, and the whole problem of education. Was Maslow right that the goal of learning is achieving self-fulfillment or is it just the best avenue towards achieving money and power? Lee explores both paths and lets readers draw their own conclusions. It was a long novel, but when it ended, I was disappointed that I couldn’t read more about the character’s lives-that is the greatest tribute to an author that any reader can give.
Mido was almost thirteen when she began school in Korea. The Koh children rapidly became aware that classes were harder than those in Sydney, especially math classes, and they were struggling to catch up. After being disciplined by a math teacher in front of the class, Mido made a friend who told her about the Eagle Academy, whose Korean American teachers ran an after-school program to aid students in math and English language skills. Hagwons, called “cram schools” in America, are very common in Korea and many children were enrolled in them, attending for several hours after regular school. Classes ranged from lectures and paperwork to individualized tutoring, and students attended to keep up with schoolwork and to get an edge on others in their classes.
Shin was having a major problem with one of his junior employees, a smart and beautiful young woman with whom he was having an affair. Danbi asked for employment perks that he couldn’t give her and was beginning to take advantage of the situation. He begged John to fire her for cause, as she was directly under him, but her work was exemplary. After John couldn’t take Shin’s badgering any longer, he brought her into his office to complete his boss’s request-the result of this was the catalyst propelling the rest of the novel.
This epic is a result of the meticulous work of Min Jin Lee, author of Pachinko published nine years ago. Masterfully, she steers us through the history of two marriages, the hard choices that each couple makes, and the results of these decisions on the family members. But she also writes about the tradition of the hagwon, and the whole problem of education. Was Maslow right that the goal of learning is achieving self-fulfillment or is it just the best avenue towards achieving money and power? Lee explores both paths and lets readers draw their own conclusions. It was a long novel, but when it ended, I was disappointed that I couldn’t read more about the character’s lives-that is the greatest tribute to an author that any reader can give.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Received ARC from Edelweiss and publisher, Cardinal, in exchange for an honest review.
As a big fan of Pachinko, I was really looking forward to reading Min Jin Lee's newest book, and it definitely lived up to a lot of my expectations.
This is a very character driven story, and I know that style is not for everyone. Spending so much time developing characters can sometimes make a book feel slow or even boring. That wasn't the case here. Honestly, not a whole lot of major events happen in the first part of the book, but I never felt like I was dragging through it. I was interested in the characters from the beginning and wanted to keep reading to see where their lives would take them.
The biggest highlight for me was the look into Korean education culture and the world of hagwons. I knew very little about how much pressure families and students face, and I found that part fascinating. The way the book explores the expectations placed on children, the sacrifices parents make, and how education becomes tied to identity and success was incredibly eye opening. It gave me a much deeper understanding of a culture that was completely unfamiliar to me.
I also really appreciated the themes of immigration, family, and identity. Like Pachinko, this is the kind of book that spends more time asking difficult questions than giving easy answers. The characters all felt layered and believable, and even when I didn't agree with their choices, I understood why they made them.
My biggest criticism is also tied to what makes the book work. Because it is so focused on the characters, the first half doesn't have a lot of plot or big moments. That didn't bother me as much as it might bother some readers, but if you're looking for a fast moving story, this probably isn't it. I also found myself wishing for a little more emotional intensity in some scenes. There were moments that could have hit even harder if the emotions had been explored a bit more deeply.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. It is thoughtful, engaging, and full of memorable characters. If you liked Pachinko, I think there's a good chance you'll enjoy this one too, especially if you appreciate stories that focus on people, family, and culture more than nonstop action.
As a big fan of Pachinko, I was really looking forward to reading Min Jin Lee's newest book, and it definitely lived up to a lot of my expectations.
This is a very character driven story, and I know that style is not for everyone. Spending so much time developing characters can sometimes make a book feel slow or even boring. That wasn't the case here. Honestly, not a whole lot of major events happen in the first part of the book, but I never felt like I was dragging through it. I was interested in the characters from the beginning and wanted to keep reading to see where their lives would take them.
The biggest highlight for me was the look into Korean education culture and the world of hagwons. I knew very little about how much pressure families and students face, and I found that part fascinating. The way the book explores the expectations placed on children, the sacrifices parents make, and how education becomes tied to identity and success was incredibly eye opening. It gave me a much deeper understanding of a culture that was completely unfamiliar to me.
I also really appreciated the themes of immigration, family, and identity. Like Pachinko, this is the kind of book that spends more time asking difficult questions than giving easy answers. The characters all felt layered and believable, and even when I didn't agree with their choices, I understood why they made them.
My biggest criticism is also tied to what makes the book work. Because it is so focused on the characters, the first half doesn't have a lot of plot or big moments. That didn't bother me as much as it might bother some readers, but if you're looking for a fast moving story, this probably isn't it. I also found myself wishing for a little more emotional intensity in some scenes. There were moments that could have hit even harder if the emotions had been explored a bit more deeply.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. It is thoughtful, engaging, and full of memorable characters. If you liked Pachinko, I think there's a good chance you'll enjoy this one too, especially if you appreciate stories that focus on people, family, and culture more than nonstop action.
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.
July 18, 2026
I didn’t expect to pick up an advanced copy of this book, but am very grateful to have gotten one at a conference! It’s been a while since I sat with a true family saga as detailed, insightful, and engaging as this one.
This book focuses on a central Korean/Korean-American family, the Kohs, to explore the education system, immigrant families, community, and how economic systems affect real human lives. Much of the book is about struggle and sacrifice. It explores the many ways Korean families orient their lives around their children’s futures, especially when it comes to expectations around schooling. A full cast of characters come in and out the story and make the world rich and believable. While the book starts slowly, it becomes more and more engrossing as everyone’s lives unfold.
There are some truly odious characters, but Lee still finds grace for them. (Though I’m happy at least one character got less than a happy ending!) There are no easy answers or resolutions, but everyone grows and learns at least a little bit. I felt sad for how many people seem to lose sight of life by always focusing on what will be next and sacrificing for what could be, rather than what they have. But it also felt so true to the immigrant experience. A central message is the hope that more people (Koreans specifically in this book ,but all people) will begin to understand education and learning as a good in and of itself and not as something to be dictated, standardized beyond comprehension, and available only to those with the most money and drive.
This book focuses on a central Korean/Korean-American family, the Kohs, to explore the education system, immigrant families, community, and how economic systems affect real human lives. Much of the book is about struggle and sacrifice. It explores the many ways Korean families orient their lives around their children’s futures, especially when it comes to expectations around schooling. A full cast of characters come in and out the story and make the world rich and believable. While the book starts slowly, it becomes more and more engrossing as everyone’s lives unfold.
There are some truly odious characters, but Lee still finds grace for them. (Though I’m happy at least one character got less than a happy ending!) There are no easy answers or resolutions, but everyone grows and learns at least a little bit. I felt sad for how many people seem to lose sight of life by always focusing on what will be next and sacrificing for what could be, rather than what they have. But it also felt so true to the immigrant experience. A central message is the hope that more people (Koreans specifically in this book ,but all people) will begin to understand education and learning as a good in and of itself and not as something to be dictated, standardized beyond comprehension, and available only to those with the most money and drive.
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.
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