Book Club Night Kit

American Hagwon

Min Jin Lee

Cozy night

A sprawling family saga that follows the Kohs from Korea to Australia to California, where education becomes both a lifeline and a burden. It is the kind of book that makes you want to call your parents and ask what they gave up.

Come eat stew and talk about our parents

We are reading Min Jin Lee's American Hagwon, a family saga that crosses Korea, Australia, and California. Bring slippers and an appetite, the kettle will already be on.

Reading level: Moderate

Best for: A club that likes big-hearted family stories and lingering past dessert to talk about their own families

Discussion

Warm-up

1.Where were you when you read most of this book, and did you find yourself reading it slowly on purpose?
2.Think back to your own school years: was there a class, a tutor, or a cram-session that your family treated as a big deal? How did that feel at the time?

Digging in

1.The Kohs keep starting over in new countries. Which of their small attempts at making a place feel like home (a meal, a routine, a job) stayed with you the most?
2.This is a book about education as love, pressure, and survival all at once. When in your life has someone pushed you hard because they cared, and how do you feel about it now?
3.Min Jin Lee writes parents with so much tenderness even when they falter. Was there a moment where you forgave a character before you expected to?
4.Moving from Korea to Australia to California, the family carries some things and lets others go. What would you refuse to leave behind if you had to move twice in one decade?

Going deep

1.By the end, how did your feelings about what the parents gave up (and what they asked in return) shift from where they started? Try not to name specifics, just describe the change in you.
2.The book sits with the cost of ambition for a long time. Did you come away feeling more comforted or more unsettled about what we owe the people who raised us?

On the table & to sip

To eat

Big pot of kimchi jjigae with a bowl of rice each

The ultimate Korean comfort stew, made once and ladled out all night. Sour, warm, and forgiving of a crowded kitchen.

Gimbap platter, sliced and passed

Lunchbox food that travels, exactly like a family that keeps moving. Easy to buy or roll ahead of time.

Hotteok (sweet cinnamon-filled pancakes) served warm

A Korean street-snack staple that tastes like after-school. Pull them off the pan as people arrive.

To sip

Barley tea (boricha), served warm in mugs (no alcohol)

The everyday tea poured in Korean homes, toasty and gently sweet. Keep a kettle going all evening.

Yuja-cha (honey citron tea) spooned into hot water (no alcohol)

A jar of citron and honey stirred into comfort, soothing and a little indulgent. Also lovely with a splash of soju for anyone who wants it.

Chilled soju shared in small glasses

The bottle that shows up at Korean tables when people finally start talking honestly. Pour small and pass the bottle.