Free Food for Millionaires

Free Food for Millionaires follows Casey Han, a strong-willed daughter of Korean immigrants who was raised in Queens. She is caught up in a glamorous Manhattan life she cannot pay for. A chance meeting with an old friend brings her a fresh opportunity, and she is determined to find her way in this world. The novel examines conflict between generations, the hardships immigrants face, and movement between social and economic levels, all set in late-twentieth-century New York City. The book focuses on her path through this world and on the tensions between generations.

Why You Should Read?

• Follow Casey Han as she tries to enter a glamorous Manhattan world beyond her means.
• Explore the novel's portrait of intergenerational strife within a Korean immigrant family.
• Understand the struggles of immigrant life and the search for social and economic mobility.
• Experience late-twentieth-century New York City as the backdrop to Casey Han's story.

About the Author

Min Jin Lee was born on November 11, 1968. She is a Korean-American writer who lives in Harlem, New York City, and her fiction often explores the Korean diaspora. She is chiefly known for Free Food for Millionaires, published in 2007, and Pachinko, published in 2017. Pachinko was a finalist for the National Book Award and came second for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. In 2019, she held a writer-in-residence position at Amherst College in Massachusetts. American Hagwon, the third novel in her Korean quartet, was released on September 29, 2026.