Min Jin Lee on the âdeep moral conscienceâ of âThe Great Gatsbyâ By Lauren Daley Globe Correspondent,Updated December 22, 2020, 12:58 p.m. Email to a Friend Gatsby believed in the green light. And Min Jin Lee believed so much in âGatsbyâ that she green-lighted a request from Penguin Classics. âIâd been asked to write other introductions for Penguin, but Iâd had to pass because of my work schedule. However, I found âThe Great Gatsbyâ a difficult one to let go. There was so much to say,â said Lee, author of the 2017 National Book Award finalist âPachinko.â âI found myself saying yes, not because it is an iconic work but because it is a story about coming to a place with big dreams,â explained Lee, who was born in Seoul and grew up in Queens. Her family came to the US in 1976 when she was 7 years old. âIâm an immigrant who grew up in a big city filled with dreamers.â