ACCLAIMED BESTSELLING AUTHOR MIN JIN LEE RETURNS WITH A STUNNING FAMILY SAGA
TO BE PUBLISHED BY CARDINAL ON SEPTEMBER 29, 2026
New York, NY (January 14, 2026) — Cardinal, an imprint of Grand Central Publishing (Hachette E-book Group), is thrilled to announce the publication of AMERICAN HAGWON: the long-awaited new novel from Nationwide E-book Award finalist and New York Instances bestselling writer Min Jin Lee. The guide can be printed in hardcover, e-book, and audio editions on September 29th, 2026. 4th Property, an imprint of HarperCollins UK, acquired British Commonwealth and audio rights, excluding Canada, and can publish concurrently.
Min Jin Lee, writer of beloved novels Free Meals for Millionaires and Pachinko, a New York Instances “100 Greatest Books of the Century,” returns with a wide ranging modern epic: a panoramic and emotionally riveting portrait of 1 household’s pursuit of success in a perpetually shifting world.
“The principles of engagement have modified already.” So begins the story of John and Helen Koh and their three youngsters Bo, DH, and Mido. By years of cautious self-discipline, elite schooling, and self-sacrifice, John and Helen have reached relative monetary safety when their lives are upended: first by a surprising betrayal by John’s oldest good friend, after which by Asia’s IMF Disaster. Desperately striving to regain their footing, they transfer to Sydney and finally to Southern California—the place the kids encounter new alternatives as their dad and mom, strangers in a wierd land, modify to a brand new dwelling the place outdated knowledge and guidelines of feat now not apply.
From 1992 – 2008, and from Seoul to Sydney to Orange County and again, the Kohs, their associates, kin, and foes transfer out and in of one another’s lives as they journey via the a long time, nurturing the virtually all-consuming religion that schooling will lead the subsequent era to lasting success and safety. However what occurs if that fails to be true? How can we maintain apace with the quicksand of recent life—and what can we owe each other within the identify of affection?
In AMERICAN HAGWON, Min Jin Lee has crafted an unforgettable, sweeping novel the place the smallest of gestures can have monumental repercussions, the place the ties of household and of reminiscence twist and fray however hardly ever half, and the place willful self-sacrifice—for the good thing about family members and strangers, even—is a sort of prayer. The third guide in what’s going to type a diaspora quartet, AMERICAN HAGWON is a basic within the making, an incandescent narrative of ambition, lust, survival, and surprising grace.
Min Jin Lee stated of her novel: “Virtually a decade in the past, I began to write down American Hagwon as a result of I wished to know why schooling is so necessary to Koreans in all places. After I wrote it, I spotted that I wished to know methods to stay a smart life in a world that was altering too quick. American Hagwon is the novel I’ve most wished to share with my readers, as a result of as a reader myself, I wanted to determine methods to stay, battle higher and flourish when the percentages really feel towards us.”
Reagan Arthur, SVP and Writer of Cardinal, stated: “You may not usually affiliate the phrases immigration, economics, and schooling with a page-turning modern saga, however that’s a part of Min Jin Lee’s genius: in AMERICAN HAGWON, lives are upended and formed by the forces that have an effect on so many people in the present day, and one household’s combat for survival is a battle that’s each common and superbly intimate.”
Min Jin Lee is the writer of the novels Free Meals for Millionaires and Pachinko, a finalist for the Nationwide E-book Award, runner-up for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and a New York Instances ‘100 Greatest Books of the Century.’ She serves because the New York State Creator Laureate from 2025 via 2027. She is the 2024 recipient of The Fitzgerald Prize for Literary Excellence. Lee has acquired the Manhae Grand Prize for Literature, the Bucheon Diaspora Literary Award, and the Samsung Happiness for Tomorrow Award for Creativity from South Korea. She is the recipient of fellowships in Fiction from the Guggenheim Basis, the Harvard Radcliffe Institute, and the New York Basis for the Arts. Lee is an inductee of the New York Basis for the Arts Corridor of Fame and the New York State Writers Corridor of Fame. She lives in Harlem together with her household.
About Cardinal:
Cardinal is a brand new imprint at Grand Central Publishing that goals to carry readers books that entertain and enlighten, throughout genres and throughout borders. Publishing such authors as Rebecca Armitage, Catherine Chidgey, Séamas O’Reilly, Justin Halpern, and George Pelecanos, the books fluctuate in setting, voice, and plot—however all the time have two cardinal traits in frequent: wonderful writing and good storytelling.
Observe Cardinal on Instagram.
About Hachette E-book Group:
Hachette E-book Group (HBG) is a number one U.S. general-interest guide writer made up of dozens of esteemed imprints inside the publishing teams Fundamental Books Group, Grand Central Publishing Group, Hachette Audio, Little, Brown and Firm, Little, Brown Books for Younger Readers, Orbit, Workman Publishing, and Working Press Group. We additionally present customized distribution, success, and gross sales providers to a number of publishing firms.
Our books and authors have acquired the Pulitzer Prize, Nationwide E-book Award, Caldecott Medal, Newbery Medal, Booker Prize, Nobel Prize, James Beard Award, and different main honors.
We’re dedicated to range in our firm and our publishing applications, and to fostering a tradition of inclusion for all our staff and authors. We’re proud to be a part of Hachette Livre, the world’s third-largest commerce and academic writer.
Go to hachettebookgroup.com to be taught extra about HBG imprints. For up to date information observe HBG on Fb, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Threads, TikTok, X.com, Snapchat, and YouTube.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Cordelia Calvert, Publicity Director, Cardinal
917.923.9299| cordelia.calvert@hbgusa.com
Michael Taeckens, Broadside PR
919-699-2879 | michael@broadsidepr.com
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