Infinite Loops Ep. 303: Jonathan Tepper – Growing Up in the Heroin Capital of Europe
Guest: Jonathan Tepper
Host: Jim O'Shaughnessy
Date: February 26, 2026
Overview
This episode of Infinite Loops features Jonathan Tepper discussing his powerful memoir, Shooting Up, which chronicles his unusual and often harrowing childhood in Madrid's San Blas neighborhood—once the heroin capital of Europe. Tepper, the son of American missionaries, reflects on the complexity and humanity of the addicts his family served, the birth of Battelle (now one of the world's largest drug rehab organizations), the impact of AIDS, and the nature of grief following his brother’s death. The conversation expands to cover lessons on empathy, education, writing honestly, and the intersections between early life experiences and success as an investor.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Childhood in San Blas, Madrid’s Heroin Capital
- Missionary Family Origins
- Tepper’s parents, Christian missionaries, moved from Mexico to Madrid in 1985, settling in San Blas for its affordable rent (00:56).
- The neighborhood was notorious: "At the time that had the highest rate of heroin use in Europe, and there was a very large gypsy camp…a central drug dealing point for the whole of Madrid." (Jonathan Tepper, 00:56)
- Early Missions & First Encounters with Addicts
- As children, Tepper and his brothers distributed pamphlets (bearing a skull and crossbones) inviting addicts to their home, marking the start of their involvement with heroin users (02:59).
- “Our job was like, bring addicts back to the house. And these men and women became like older brothers and sisters…” (Jonathan Tepper, 00:00)
2. Living Among Addicts—Danger, Adventure, and Family
- Danger vs. Adventure Perception
- To the boys, the experience felt adventurous, shaped by their belief in their father's invincibility and the camaraderie among the brothers (03:44).
- "Going out trying to meet addicts was just this adventure. ...Some of the addicts were pretty rough and brutish...It was not a particularly safe place." (Jonathan Tepper, 03:44)
- Family Reactions
- Tepper’s grandmother recoiled from the environment: "She told my father that he was going to ruin our lives. And I was very relieved that none of the addicts spoke English..." (05:03)
3. Parental Faith, Intelligence, and Teaching by Example
- Father's Journey: From Cambridge to LSD to Ministry
- Tepper’s father had a secular education, an MBA from Harvard, and a psychedelic-induced religious conversion (06:25).
- "He used to make [LSD]... He said that he wasn't doing LSD that day, but...he had a vision of heaven and hell and that changed his life." (Jonathan Tepper, 06:25)
- Family Intellectual Life
- Both parents were avid readers, and their home was filled with books. Their approach to homeschooling: “The job of a teacher isn’t to teach the students something. It’s rather to inspire the desire to learn.” (Jonathan Tepper, 08:07)
- Reading and Lifelong Learning
- "There’s a high correlation between the number of books in the home and the educational attainment of the kids." (Jonathan Tepper, 08:07)
4. AIDS Epidemic Among Heroin Addicts
- AIDS & Social Stigma
- Tepper discusses the panic and misinformation surrounding AIDS in the 1980s, particularly among intravenous drug users and their families (11:58).
- “Family members didn't even want to touch their own children in the hospital because they didn't know if they could get it or not." (Jonathan Tepper, 11:58)
- Notable Quote: "If my parents explained it to me and told us that we could... give women in the drug center a kiss on both cheeks as one does in Spain, or hug the men, you know, I thought, well, surely they must have read the Surgeon General report too..." (Jonathan Tepper, 13:09)
- Contrast in Christian Response
- Tepper critiques harsh American evangelical reactions (e.g., Jerry Falwell), contrasting his parents’ compassion: “My theory is the closer you are to something, the more people become real, and there's empathy that's created.” (Jonathan Tepper, 16:35)
5. The Birth and Growth of Battelle
- Organic Beginnings
- The first addict, Raul, moved in, followed by friends, causing the operation to outgrow apartments and relocate to an abandoned farm—BatteIle was born (17:39).
- “The need was so great, grew almost exponentially… through this transmission of love and compassion…” (Jonathan Tepper, 17:39)
- Battelle Today
- Present in 20 countries, housing 2,000+ addicts: "It’s been going for 40 years." (Jonathan Tepper, 19:17)
6. Humanizing Addicts—Rejecting “Othering”
- Seeing Humanity First
- Tepper describes knowing addicts as people first, learning their criminal pasts only later. The memoir seeks to depict complex, real individuals, not caricatures.
- Notable Quote: “The best thing you can do as a writer is to try to render people honestly…” (Jonathan Tepper, 20:16)
- Critique of pathologizing narratives (e.g., J.D. Vance).
7. Family Tragedy, Grief, and Empathy
- Loss of Timothy
- Tepper’s youngest brother, Timothy, died in a car accident when Jonathan was 15—this deepened the family’s empathy for grieving families (28:02).
- "You never recover. You never become the person you were before again. You don't get over death." (Jonathan Tepper, 28:02)
- Grief as Unique
- “Our grief is as unique to us as fingerprints.” (Jonathan Tepper, 33:04)
- Honest Portrayal of Grief
- Tepper rejects the idea of censoring difficult family moments post-loss: “No one so far has read the book and said, 'Your parents were such awful people.' The universal reaction... is, 'I can't believe your parents kept on going.'" (Jonathan Tepper, 33:04)
8. Publishing Challenges and Honest Writing
- Struggles to Publish in the U.S. and U.K.
- Tepper recounts rejections: "It's a beautiful story, it's very moving, but I'm not sure there's an audience for it." (Jonathan Tepper, 37:53)
- Notable Quote: “Publishers are not angel investors, they're venture capitalists.” (Jonathan Tepper, 38:25)
- Value of Word-of-Mouth & Organic Spread
- Despite skepticism, the book deeply resonates with those who read it, as evidenced by personal feedback (e.g., the bishop’s story, 38:25).
- Writing Honestly
- On personal/material honesty: "The perils of writing honestly is that often people written about honestly don't enjoy it." (Jonathan Tepper, 47:54)
- On revising the book: With time, the memoir became more novelistic and complex, less protective or "nice," better capturing real life and relationships (56:41).
9. The Intersections of Upbringing and Investing
- Investing Style Rooted in Early Experience
- Living among resilient, resourceful addicts and helping run Battelle’s businesses (e.g., secondhand stores) fostered an appreciation for business basics and cash flow.
- “When I think of investing now, I'm thinking like, well, where's the cash? Right. And the addicts had never studied accounting... but they intuitively knew that the business should have more cash at the end of the day." (Jonathan Tepper, 54:33)
- Lifelong Learning and Multilingualism
- Importance of continual self-teaching and the advantages of multilingualism in finding unique investment opportunities abroad (52:56).
- Human Complexity and Contrarian Investing
- Empathy for outsiders and a contrarian mindset—"I'm generally not chasing whatever is the hottest thing. I'm trying to figure out, what do people hate and why are they wrong?" (Jonathan Tepper, 52:56)
10. The Power and Process of Writing
- Memoir’s Long Gestation
- Started 20 years prior, inspired by other memoirs like Flying Over 96th Street.
- Family Support
- “My brothers are very supportive. My father half jokingly says that he thinks I was too hard on him because he comes across as a bit of a very charismatic visionary figure, but also a disciplinarian.” (Jonathan Tepper, 21:58)
- Clarifying Through Writing
- “I do find that I don't think by writing, but I clarify and extend the thinking...” (Jonathan Tepper, 65:50)
- The discipline of writing exposes logical flaws and forces deeper understanding.
11. Key Life Lessons, Empathy, and Societal Observations
- Resisting Political “Othering”
- “If you read one website... it's like you're living in a parallel universe...there’s demonization of the other side...and I think that’s deeply depressing.” (Jonathan Tepper, 59:45)
- Reflects on the dangers of reducing complex people to political or class caricatures and advocates for radical empathy.
- Simple, Human Values
- Given a metaphorical "magic microphone," what would he incept in humanity?
- "Do unto others as you'd have them do unto you." (Golden Rule) (70:22)
- "Don't hurt others." (70:49)
- Given a metaphorical "magic microphone," what would he incept in humanity?
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On Missionary Life:
“My father wanted to work with university students and be a student chaplain. But they settled in the neighborhood of San Blas because the rent was cheap... They started helping the young men and women who were hooked on heroin.” (Jonathan Tepper, 00:56) -
On Humanizing Addicts:
"These were people I genuinely knew...fun characters...before I even found out their life story... The best thing you can do as a writer is to try to render people honestly." (20:16) -
On Grief:
"You never recover. You never become the person you were before again. You don't get over death." (28:02) -
On AIDS Stigma:
"If my parents explained it to me and told us... we could give women in the drug center a kiss on both cheeks as one does in Spain, or hug the men... surely they must have read the Surgeon General report too..." (13:09) -
On Publishing:
“Publishers are not angel investors, they're venture capitalists. They're trying to go out and find something that's already working.” (Jonathan Tepper, 38:25) -
On Investing and Learning:
"I enjoy new challenges and learning. And I think that with the investing world... the world is always changing, right? ... You can teach yourself anything if you have the drive and the books." (41:32) -
On Memoir vs. Binary Worldview:
"It isn't binary... There are people in your life that might upset you one day and that you might love dearly the next... And it doesn't mean you have to write them off." (56:41) -
On Empathy and Politics:
"If people come away with a greater sense of empathy and a shared humanity, it'll make me happy." (62:06)
Key Timestamps
- 00:56 – Setting the scene: Moving to Madrid’s heroin capital
- 02:59 – Childhood memories: Distributing pamphlets, meeting addicts
- 06:25 – Father's religious journey; LSD experience
- 08:07 – The importance of books and self-teaching
- 11:58 – AIDS epidemic, social reactions, familial empathy
- 16:35 – Christian reactions to AIDS; relatability vs. distance
- 17:39 – Battelle's founding and rapid growth
- 20:16 – Writing honestly about complex people
- 28:02 – The loss of brother Timothy and how grief reshaped the family
- 33:04 – The uniqueness of grieving processes
- 37:53 – Publishing hurdles and the realities of the industry
- 41:32 – Investing as lifelong learning and intellectual curiosity
- 47:54 – Writing honestly and consequences for relationships
- 56:41 – Changes in perspective over 20 years: embracing complexity
- 59:45 – Distress at societal binary thinking and polarization
- 62:06 – The challenge and necessity of unconditional empathy
- 70:22 – If you had a magic microphone for humanity: “Do unto others”
Conclusion
This episode is a rich, candid exploration of an extraordinary upbringing and the power of unconditional compassion in the real world. Jonathan Tepper’s Shooting Up is not just a memoir about heroin addiction—it’s about what it means to see the humanity beyond the stereotype, the indelible impact of loss, the hard-won wisdom of honest storytelling, and carrying forward lessons of self-education and empathy into adulthood and professional life.
Final Thought:
“If people come away with a greater sense of empathy and a shared humanity, it’ll make me happy.” (Jonathan Tepper, 62:06)
Book Recommendation:
Shooting Up is available now in the U.S. and U.K. (and globally as e-book).
More links, transcripts, and highlights at newsletter.osv.llc.