Jordan Sonnenblick's inspiration for Notes from The Midnight Driver stemmed directly from a specific incident during his teaching career.
A Teaching Career Catalyst
The impetus for Notes from The Midnight Driver arose from an experience Sonnenblick had while teaching. Similar to the inspiration behind his other notable work, Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie, this particular novel was ignited by a real-life classroom scenario.
- The Incident: Sonnenblick's class behaved poorly when a substitute teacher was present.
- The Response: Following this disciplinary issue, Sonnenblick tasked his students with writing letters to explain their behavior.
- The Outcome: The students responded to this exercise with notable apathy, showing little engagement or remorse.
This specific episode, marked by the students' disinterest in reflecting on their actions, profoundly influenced Sonnenblick and ultimately provided the foundational concept for Notes from The Midnight Driver.
