For Min Jin Lee, the process of writing fiction usually begins with a deep dive into reality. She spends years researching, traveling and interviewing people. That process underscored her belief that education was a common and central value for Koreans in diaspora. But it was also a complicated value, one that often resulted in extreme competitiveness and impossible expectations. In her new novel, “American Hagwon,” (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/29/books/review/american-hagwon-min-jin-lee.html) she tells the story of the Kohs, a middle-class family of five. The parents are fixated on attaining the best possible education for their children, thinking it will guarantee success and upward mobility. But when the 1997 Asian financial crisis hits, they find themselves having to start over as immigrants in America. This week, Lee returns (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/29/books/review/min-jin-lee-pachinko-podcast.html) to “The Book Review” podcast to talk about how education and community play out across her sprawling new novel, which our critic Alexandra Jacobs said (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/29/books/review/american-hagwon-min-jin-lee.html) “demands to be pressed into friends’” hands. Listen to and Follow ‘The Book Review’ Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-book-review/id120315179?mt=2) | Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/1q3tsOS9XhqgSslnyZyKV6) | Amazon Music (https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/d9314635-147c-409a-ae6a-fdf8358caee5/the-book-review) | YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdMrbgYfVl-vT4J7V1XT3MD5GCSebQJay) | iHeartRadio (https://www.iheart.com/podcast/326-the-book-review-28076603/) Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts (http://nytimes.com/podcasts) or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. We Want to Hear From You We would love to hear your thoughts about this episode, and about the Book Review’s podcast in general. You can send them to thebookreview@nytimes.com. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts (http://nytimes.com/podcasts) or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.