I loved the first two books in Min Jin Lee’s quartet and this third one is no exception. American Hagwon is a masterpiece. From what I’ve gleaned from her interviews, she has a thesis—in this case how the pressure for specific academic success intersects with real love of learning and satisfaction. Her research is wide, but her focus is narrow. As she states in an interview on Fresh Air, "I think education is a beautiful thing. But I think we now really have to ask why do we get it and what do we want from it?" To explore these questions, Lee creates a world of characters who are part of the Korean diaspora. They are all strivers, each in their own way working toward what is viewed as a successful life the entire family can be proud of. It’s almost as if the reader is given a lens into all the layers we must travel through on the way to achieving what we've been told is success.