Min Jin Lee
Min Jin Lee is an author.
Min Jin Lee is a Korean American novelist based in Harlem whose work returns to the Korean diaspora and the compromises it demands. Free Food for Millionaires (2007) follows a Korean American graduate through New York money and class. Pachinko (2017), which tracks four generations of a Korean family living in Japan, was a finalist for the National Book Award and runner-up for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. She became a writer in residence at Amherst College in 2019. American Hagwon, the third book in her Korean quartet, is due in September 2026.
Books (4)
Where to start with Min Jin Lee
Pachinko is the obvious entry point and it earns that place: a family saga that stays specific about work, money and the paperwork of being a foreigner for four generations. Read Free Food for Millionaires second, a looser and funnier novel about class in New York that has aged better than its reviews did. The third book in the quartet, American Hagwon, is not out yet, so there is no rush.
Min Jin Lee on CrossBinge
- the verdict: Is American Hagwon Worth 656 Pages?