The Case Against Exceptionalism

Context

Writing on 5 October 2026, the reviewer uses Min Jin Lee’s newest novel to question a brutal survival strategy. The essay looks at the culture of after-school cram academies, where extreme academic pressure often fractures immigrant families. But the most interesting thread covers the act of criticism itself. For years, Korean-American art was so rare that critics felt obligated to praise every new release just to keep the door open. Today, there is finally enough art out there that a writer can simply tell the truth about a book.

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