Writers Tricks of the Trade MARCH-APRIL 2015 | Page 39

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I'VE GOTTA BE ME (Cont’d)

Telling this story was never an easy decision. I was always torn about it. And there were
always roadblocks to telling it. My father, my friends, and my own conscience too
disapproved of my going public with my story. But now, in my 73rd year of life, I know it
must be told. I want to set the record straight. I want to help others. I have to do what I
know is right. I've gotta open up because opening up is the best way to heal. Daring to try,
to do it or die. I've gotta tell my story now. I've gotta be me.

VIEW TONY "NAP" NAPOLI'S VIDEO
COOKING WITH THE "FAMILY"
http://www.napoli.beckhamhouse.com/napoliVideo.html
After the brutal attack against a young man who had sexually attacked his daughter, described in
the excerpt, Tony was sentenced to a stint at a VA hospital. During these years, he cleaned himself
up, successfully completing a sobriety program, becoming pivotal in the rights-for-veterans
movement, and helping former boxers get counseling and other services.
Says Napoli, "Doing this kind of work makes me feel complete. It makes me feel that all the bad I
did led to something good. It makes the journey seem purposeful--like there was a reason for it
all. If I knew doing good felt this good I would have done it years earlier."

WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE

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29

MAR-APR 2015