American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee

Format & Condition: Hardcover, New

Genre: Literary Fiction

After betrayal and the Asian financial crisis upend their comfortable life in Korea, John and Helen Koh move their family through Australia and eventually to Southern California. As their three children pursue new opportunities, education becomes both a promise of security and a source of pressure that tests the family’s hopes for the future.

The long-awaited novel from the author of National Book Award finalist Pachinko has earned starred reviews from Kirkus, Booklist, and Library Journal. I recommend it for readers who love immersive family sagas and thoughtful book-club conversations about immigration, ambition, parental sacrifice, and what it really means to build a good life.