Shooting Up 🤍

By Jonathan Tepper.

Shooting Up by Jonathan Tepper is a powerful and deeply moving memoir that explores childhood, faith, addiction, and the extraordinary impact of compassion.

Raised in Madrid during the 1980s, Jonathan Tepper grew up in San Blas, a neighbourhood that carried the devastating scars of heroin addiction and crime. At a time when the area had become known as one of Europe’s centres of drug abuse, Jonathan’s childhood unfolded in a way that was anything but ordinary.

His parents were American missionaries who founded a rehabilitation centre dedicated to helping people struggling with addiction. Their home quickly became a refuge for those society had rejected. Addicts, former criminals, and people fighting to rebuild their lives found shelter and support there.

For many families, this environment might have been frightening. For Jonathan, however, the people passing through the centre became part of his extended family. He grew up surrounded by individuals battling addiction, forming bonds with people who might otherwise have been invisible to the world around them.

Yet the greatest tragedy that shaped this community was not the drugs themselves. As the AIDS crisis spread across Spain after emerging in New York, the virus tore through vulnerable groups of people who had shared needles during the heroin epidemic. Many of the individuals Jonathan had come to know as brothers and sisters within the rehabilitation centre began to die.

From a young age, Jonathan was forced to confront grief and loss on a scale few children ever experience. The book captures these moments with honesty and compassion, revealing both the heartbreak and the resilience that defined his upbringing.

Reading this book also made me reflect on my own experiences within my work as an NHS nurse. Although the circumstances are very different, supporting vulnerable individuals and families facing difficult situations has shown me how complex addiction, trauma, and recovery can be.

The compassion shown by Tepper’s family throughout this book reminded me strongly of how vital empathy, patience, and community support are when helping people navigate some of the hardest moments in their lives.

What makes this memoir particularly powerful is the way it balances harsh realities with hope. Tepper does not shy away from the devastating consequences of addiction or the emotional toll it takes.

At the same time, the story highlights the extraordinary impact that dedication, faith, and community support can have on people struggling to rebuild their lives.

The rehabilitation centre known as Betel becomes a central thread throughout the story. Through it, readers see how a group of determined individuals worked tirelessly to offer healing and dignity to those who had been pushed to the margins of society.

The book is filled with unforgettable characters whose stories reflect both the fragility and strength of human life. Their struggles, recoveries, and losses shape Jonathan’s understanding of the world and leave a lasting impression on the reader.

More than anything, Shooting Up is a testament to resilience, compassion, and the power of family working together to help others. It shows how hope and humanity can still flourish even in the most difficult environments.

Honest, compassionate, and deeply inspiring, this memoir offers a rare glimpse into a world many people are fortunate never to encounter while reminding us how powerful empathy and community can be.

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