Case study: How an American missionary kid’s family helps found Betel drug rehab in Spain during the 1980s AIDS crisis
Shooting Up by Jonathan Tepper is the searing memoir of a missionary childhood spent in San Blas, Madrid, where syringes littered playgrounds and his closest friends were recovering junkies twice his age.
What begins in the 1980s as eight men in an apartment becomes Betel, now one of the world’s largest drug rehabilitation networks.
In this Infinite Books life story, Tepper, now an investment manager, shows us how to see beauty in ruins, find family among outcasts and learn that the answer to suffering is always more love.
So keep reading to discover more about Tepper, what inspired his writing and his top tips for your own creating…
Related article – Publishing: The ultimate guide to publishing a life story
Jonathan Tepper’s Shooting Up
Stories from an improbable background
My childhood couldn’t be further from my world today.
I grew up between cultures in Madrid, Spain, in the 1980s.
As a matter of fact my parents were Christian missionaries who started a drug rehab among heroin users.
Almost all the addicts had shared needles and were HIV positive.
What’s more they became my older brothers and sisters and most died of AIDS.
Despite my improbable background, I sought solace in books, ended up becoming a Rhodes Scholar and going to Oxford.
In essence Shooting Up is a story of love and loss but it is also a powerfully moving love letter to friends, family and learning.
One writer inspires another
I was working as an analyst at SAC Capital and living in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York, USA.
One weekend I went to Barnes and Noble on 82nd Street and saw this book with a beautiful cover photograph by Bruce Davidson.
It was Flying over 96th Street: Memoir of an East Harlem white boy by Thomas L. Webber.
So I picked it up and the prose was beautiful.
Basically it was the story of a blonde haired, blue-eyed boy.
His parents had moved him to East Harlem and he grew up in the 1950s and 1960s during the Civil Rights Movement.
I thought it was such a beautiful evocation of a time, a place and of his friends, some of whom had passed. Indeed it was very elegiac.
As a result I thought someone needs to do this for my friends, many of whom had also passed.
Unquestionally this was the impetus for writing Shooting Up.
Family reactions to Shooting Up
My brothers, mother and father read an early draft of Shooting Up, which was not as good as the final draft, and said they liked it.
My mother loved it and thought it was full of hope, which captured the spirit of Betel through my eyes. Also my father liked it too.
Certainly there’s quite a lot of painful and honest things about the whole family, about each brother and myself included.
However, my brother David told me Shooting Up was very sad, very beautiful and thanks for writing it.
Meanwhile, my father half jokingly said he thought I was too hard on him because he comes across as a bit of a charismatic visionary figure but also a disciplinarian.
For example, I call him the autocrat of the breakfast table.
Indeed I told him I could have added more to the book and that’s when the conversation ended.
But he said he thought I told the story as it was and from the inside.
Related article – Generation Jumping: A legacy memoir of hope by Steve Beal Snr
How Shooting Up came together
Writing before it’s too late
I started writing Shooting Up, believe it or not, about 20 years ago.
But I basically just put it away when it got some rejections.
At the same time I was very busy starting two companies and then my own investment fund.
However, a great mentor of mine in London, who’s a retired fund manager, was talking about his parents and I mentioned Shooting Up.
He said: “You really should get this published before your father dies.”
My father is now 79.
Last year he had a minor stroke but he’s still working, helping people, running the drug rehab center.
So that’s when I edited the book again and got a contract.
Also it didn’t hurt that I had written three financial books in the meantime.
Related article – Realign writing goals: 5 things to remember to reboot writing dreams
Details help immerse readers
Without question, the earliest childhood memories were the toughest to get right.
Because our memory isn’t photographic and not perfect.
So I interviewed my parents, the co-founders of the drug rehab center, the older mothers whose kids entered the drug rehab center, the early addicts who hadn’t died of AIDS, and the widows of the main characters.
In addition, I looked through old family photo albums, I read lots of early newspaper articles on the neighborhood, some early articles about the drug rehab, and watched old newsreels and videos about heroin and AIDS in Madrid.
Between all of that, I was able to form an accurate picture of San Blas in the 1980s.
Related article – Story detail: Identifying key details in a story to make your autobiography shine
Related article – Writing challenge – part 2: 6 things to remember before you hold a family stories interview
The reward of honouring Raul
Raul Casto is one of Shooting Up’s main characters and was like an older brother to me.
In fact I’m still very close to his wife, Jenny and his daughters.
In 1995 when Raul died his daughters were aged three and five and I had gone off to college.
However, I didn’t realise that because they were so young they didn’t have a lot of memories of him.
So when I gave them the final draft of the book, his daughters sent me beautiful notes telling me that they felt the book had brought their father closer to them.
Without a doubt that was the best part of the entire project.
Teachings from Shooting Up
Favourite part of the book?
My favourite part of Shooting Up is probably the ending.
Indeed all good stories should go out on a high note and readers tell me they love the final chapter.
But I won’t spoil it for the readers.
Pointers for fellow creators
Firstly, I think in order to be a good writer, you have to be a good reader.
So read great literature but also read classic memoirs or autobiographical sketches that have stood the test of time.
Secondly, read books on writing and storytelling like Story by Robert McKee, Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t by Steven Pressfield and others.
Final say
Shooting Up: A Memoir of Love, Loss and Addiction by Jonathan Tepper is a heartfelt letter to family and friends.
It’s an intimate portrait of radical compassion amid the AIDS crisis, told through the eyes of a boy watching his parents choose the damned over the respectable while witnessing miracles and tragedies in equal measure.
So grab a hardback or ebook copy today from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and any bookstore.
Also read more and connect with Tepper through his website.
Happy creating!
*Please note: If you are affected by this story and want to seek assistance, see: 1800RESPECT, Kids Help Line, Lifeline, Beyondblue.
Free gift!
I’ve packed my decades of journalism experience into a simple system of templates, video lessons and live support to help you record your legacy. Join the Forever Young Autobiographies Membership today for free to get your fast-track bonuses and join the next community call. Join the membership for free!
Your say
What childhood characters stand out in your memory? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Send me an email or leave a reply in the comments section at the end of this article.
Get in touch
Have you hit a roadblock planning, creating, polishing or finishing your life story? Let me know so I can help!
Don’t miss an article
Know when new material is published. Sign up!