Korean Immigrant Education: New Novel Examines Tutoring Pressure

Korean immigrant families in the United States often face intense pressure to secure academic success for their children. Min Jin Lee, the author of the 2017 National Book Award finalist Pachinko, explores this dynamic in her new novel American Hagwon. Published by Cardinal, a division of Hachette Book Group, the book centers on the specific strategies and sacrifices involved in navigating the American education system as a new immigrant family.

A newly released excerpt depicts the high stakes of this pursuit through a tense interview scene. The story follows Helen, a mother bringing her three children, Mido, Tom, and DH, to a prestigious private tutoring center called Eagle. The family wears Sunday clothes after Helen coaches them on how to handle the meeting. In the interview room, the older children watch their shy sister, Mido, with a mix of protection and anxiety while the family tries to maintain composure.

Helen speaks to the center’s director, who is also named Tom, arguing that recent local test scores do not fully reflect the students’ true abilities. She presents report cards from Sydney to support her claim. The director listens while the children are taken to another room for assessments. He informs Helen that the center has a long waitlist, making it unlikely, if not impossible, to accept three new students at once. He notes that other parents have waited more than two years for a single spot to open.

The director is described as a liberal American who wrote his doctoral dissertation on education reformers. He struggles with the irony of owning a private institution while rejecting status-based demands. Helen, advised by a friend named Sonya not to give up until she hears a definitive no, makes a final attempt to secure a place for just Mido. She highlights the family’s history of moving and the different educational paths each child might take, including DH wanting to study in America or the older children potentially taking the Suneung exam.

The excerpt illustrates Helen’s feeling of being overwhelmed by the complex ladder of educational requirements. She notes that the process feels more manageable abroad, where she did not feel so powerless and alone. This narrative continues Lee’s exploration of cultural identity and family dynamics, a theme characterized by her previous work about four generations of a Korean family in Japan.

American Hagwon is available in hardcover, large print trade paperback, eBook, and audio formats. Min Jin Lee will discuss the themes and background of the book on CBS Sunday Morning on November 15, 2026. The release marks another entry in Lee’s literary career, examining the immigrant experience through the specific lens of academic pressure and cultural assimilation.