In The Sense of Wonder, the new novel by Matthew Salesses, a writing professor at the School of the Arts, an Asian American basketball star walks into a gym. No one recognizes him, but everyone stares anyway. It is the start of a joke, but what is the punch line? When Won Lee, the first Asian American in the NBA, stuns the world in a seven-game winning streak, the global media audience dubs it "The Wonder”—much to Won’s chagrin. Meanwhile, Won struggles to get attention from his coach, his peers, his fans, and, most important, his hero, Powerball!, who also happens to be Won’s teammate and the captain. Covering it all is sportswriter Robert Sung, who writes about Won's stardom while grappling with his own missed hoops opportunities as well as his place as an Asian American in media. Witness to it all is Carrie Kang, a big studio producer, who juggles a newfound relationship with Won while attempting to bring K-drama to an industry not known to embrace anything new or different. The Sense of Wonder follows Won and Carrie as they chronicle the human and professional tensions exacerbated by injustice, and fight to be seen and heard on some of the world’s largest stages.