Episode 34: Min Jin Lee

In episode 34, show host Phil Morehart from the American Library Association speaks with author Min Jin Lee about her new book, “American Hagwon.” Lee is the author of the novels “Free Food for Millionaires” and “Pachinko,” which was a finalist for the National Book Award and named by the New York Times as one of the “100 Best Books of the Century.” “Pachinko” was also adapted into a successful series on Apple TV. Lee was the 2024 recipient of The Fitzgerald Prize for Literary Excellence and currently serves as the New York State Author Laureate, among many accolades. Lee’s upcoming novel, “American Hagwon,” available in September 2026, is her first novel in 10 years and the third in a planned quartet about the Korean diaspora. The sprawling epic follows a family living in Soeul, South Korea, who are uprooted due to the economic crisis that engulfed Asia in the late 1990s. The move takes them to Australia and finally to Southern California, where new opportunities flourish for the three children while their parents adjust to a new life in a new land. It’s a life where the parents’ experience and education mean little, but the obstacles don’t prevent them from doing whatever it takes to provide for their children’s futures. “American Hagwon” is a story of sacrifice, determination, and betrayal; finding and realizing one’s self-worth; the importance of faith and family; and the lengths that people will go to get the “right education.” Lee joins the podcast to discuss “American Hagwon,” her extensive research process, the pressures of the modern education system, book bans, and, of course, how she libraries.