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Min Jin Lee on AMERICAN HAGWON

October 1, 2026 · 1 h 4 min

Show notes

The acclaimed, bestselling author of Pachinko, Min Jin Lee returns with American Hagwon, a modern classic about ambition and love, family and finding home. Min Jin joined us live at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church to talk about education and ambition, the 19th century social novel, compressed modernity, and trying to be a good person in an anxious world with host Miwa Messer.

This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang.

New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app.

Featured Books:

American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee

Middlemarch by George Eliot

Can You Forgive Her? By Anthony Trollope

Bleak House by Charles Dickens

The Risk of Compressed Modernity by Chang Kyung-Sup

Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu

All episodes of Poured Over

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