The Case Against Exceptionalism

Key Points:

• Min Jin Lee’s latest novel, American Hagwon, explores the Korean diasporic experience through the story of a Korean immigrant community centered around a hagwon (cram school) in Los Angeles, highlighting the economic and human costs of striving for upward mobility.
• The novel follows the Koh family across three generations and multiple locations, illustrating the intense academic and social pressures faced by Korean families and critiquing Korea’s culture of hyper-competition and status obsession.
• American Hagwon interrogates the sacrifices made in pursuit of success, including compromised integrity, strained family relationships, and mental health struggles, while emphasizing the importance of community support over individual achievement.
• The book is part of Lee’s larger “Diaspora Quartet,” following Free Food for Millionaires and Pachinko, which together trace the historical and cultural evolution of Korean immigrant experiences from colonization to the present.
• While American Hagwon is seen as a less favored novel compared to Lee’s earlier works, it contributes to the ongoing conversation about Korean identity, ambition, and the changing rules of engagement in a globalized world, reinforcing Lee’s legacy in Korean-American literature.