Ep. 446 Hope Comes From Knowing Your Values with Min Jin Lee

Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by National Book Award finalist, New York State Author Laureate, and best-selling author, Min Jin Lee, to talk about her newest book, American Hagwon . In this sweeping novel, a Korean family is forced to relocate and rebuild after their middle-class life is upended by the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

Lee shares how she uses real-life interviews in her fiction, her thoughts on the importance of education, and her approach to remaining hopeful in moments of despair. Our book club pick for October is Last Chance Live! by Helena Haywoode Henry.

We will discuss the book with Jess Lee on Wednesday, October 28th. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: Connect with Min Jin Lee: Website | Instagram | Threads | Bluesky | X/Twitter Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube See Privacy Policy at and California Privacy Notice at .