Jesse Fink

{{Infobox writer

| name = Jesse Fink

| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1973}}

| birth_place = London, United Kingdom

| occupation = Author

| period = 2007–present

| genre = Nonfiction

| website = {{URL|www.jessefinkbooks.com/}}

}}

Jesse Fink (born 1973) is a British-Australian author of six books including twin biographies of the hard-rock band AC/DC (The Youngs: The Brothers Who Built AC/DC and Bon: The Last Highway),{{cite news|title=Bon Scott, AC/DC's lost leader, is uncovered|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/bon-scott-ac-dc-s-lost-leader-is-uncovered-1.3303143|newspaper=The Irish Times|date=24 November 2017}} the cocaine-trafficking story Pure Narco{{cite news|title=Luis Navia: 25 Years Inside the Narco Cartels|url=https://www.podcastone.com/episode/665-Luis-Navia--25-Years-Inside-the-Narco-Cartels|work=The Jordan Harbinger Show|date=10 May 2022}} and The Eagle in the Mirror, a biography of British intelligence officer Dick Ellis. His books have been translated into several languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, German and French.

Biography

Born in London, United Kingdom, Fink was educated at schools in Sydney, Australia. He attended the University of Technology, majoring in journalism.

=Early career=

Fink began his writing career in sports journalism, working as an editor of sports and nonfiction titles for the Australian arm of book publisher HarperCollins and later as a deputy editor of Inside Sport. In 2003, he was nominated for a Walkley Award for a feature about the sports memorabilia industry. It was included in the Black Inc. anthology The Best Australian Sportswriting 2004,{{cite book|author=Garrie Hutchinson|title=The Best Australian Sports Writing 2004|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hJZTiljNJWQC&pg=PA214|year=2004|publisher=Black Inc.|isbn=978-1-86395-213-2|pages=214}} as was "Safari Politics", a feature on trophy hunting. Another Inside Sport feature, "Silent Witness", about mental illness among high-performance athletes, won an Australian Sports Commission Media Award.

Fink left Inside Sport magazine to work as a soccer writer for Fox Sports Australia in 2006. In 2007, under the moniker Half-Time Orange, he began writing soccer columns for SBS Television's The World Game website as well as columns for ESPN Star Sports (later Fox Sports Asia) in Singapore, Tribal Football and The Roar.

In 2011 departed SBS after an editorial disagreement with late network anchor Les Murray over what he alleged was interference from Murray in his critical reporting of Australia's 2022 FIFA World Cup bid and general commentary on Football Federation Australia.{{cite news|last1=Fink|first1=Jesse|title=Why I stopped writing about soccer|url=http://jessefinkbooks.com/blog/f/why-i-stopped-writing-about-soccer.html/|work=jessefinkbooks.com|date=15 May 2020|language=en}} Fink appeared on ABC Television's 7.30{{Citation |title=Jesse Fink 7.30 | date=July 7, 2011 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIOdKM3hPk4 |language=en |access-date=2022-11-20}} to give his side of the story and in a number of online editorials, including Qatari network Al Jazeera,{{cite news|last1=Fink|first1=Jesse|title=FIFA's judges should also be judged|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/sport/football/2011/07/2011726114138507306.html|work=www.aljazeera.com|date=26 July 2011|language=en}} accused then-FIFA Ethics Committee member Murray of conflict of interest in his SBS position.{{cite news|last1=Tuckerman|first1=Mike|title=Jesse Fink blows the lid on SBS editorial pressure|url=http://www.theroar.com.au/2011/07/08/jesse-fink-blows-the-lid-on-sbs-editorial-pressure.html/|work=www.theroar.com.au|date=7 July 2011|language=en}}

=Books=

==''15 Days in June'' (2007)==

In 2007 Fink published his first book, 15 Days in June, the story of the Socceroos at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. It was re-released by Xoum Publishing in a special e-book edition{{cite news|title=This is Australia's greatest football moment|url=http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/football/world-cup/eight-minutes-in-2006-that-changed-everything-this-was-our-greatest-football-moment/news-story/af90c6aac04eb204033b610e072d4b7a|website=The Advertiser|date=22 May 2014|language=en}} before the 2014 FIFA World Cup under the new title World Party. Socceroos star Tim Cahill wrote the foreword.{{cite book|author=Jesse Fink|title=World Party: The Inside Story of the Socceroos' Greatest Campaign|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v95CAwAAQBAJ|date=7 April 2014|publisher=Xou Pty. Limited|isbn=978-1-922057-99-0}} In 2021, the book was chosen for the Untapped project and digital and print editions under the original title were released by Ligature.{{cite book|author=Jesse Fink|title=15 Days in June|url=https://www.ligatu.re/book/15-days-in-june/|date=5 December 2021|publisher=Ligature|isbn=978-1-922730-19-0}}

==''Laid Bare'' (2012)==

In 2012 Fink published his second book, Laid Bare: One Man’s Story of Sex, Love and Other Disorders (Hachette Australia), a memoir of divorce and dating. It was re-published in 2017 by Xoum Publishing (which changed its name to Brio Books in 2018). His writing on relationships regularly appeared in News Limited's Sunday Style magazine.{{cite news|last1=Fink|first1=Jesse|title=Divorce doesn't make you a bad parent|url=http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/sunday-style/divorce-doesnt-make-you-a-bad-dad/story-fnrmuh6u-1227475907772|work=news.com.au|date=10 August 2015}}

==''The Youngs: The Brothers Who Built AC/DC'' (2013)==

His third book, The Youngs: The Brothers Who Built AC/DC, a ‘critical appreciation’ of Angus Young, George Young and Malcolm Young, was named one of Public Radio International's The World Books of the Year in 2014.{{cite news|last1=Davy|first1=Steven|title=Here are the books we read this year that we think you'll love|url=https://www.pri.org/stories/2014-12-18/here-are-books-we-read-year-we-think-youll-love|work=pri.org|date=18 December 2014}} The New Yorker called it "an essential read for fans of the band".{{cite news|last1=Michaud|first1=Jon|title=The brothers who built AC/DC|url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/brothers-built-acdc|work=newyorker.com|date=2 December 2014}}

==''Bon: The Last Highway'' (2017)==

Fink's fourth book, Bon: The Last Highway, was a biography of deceased AC/DC singer Bon Scott. Bon was the cover story in the December 2017 issue of Classic Rock. In the book, Fink concludes that Scott died of a mix of alcohol and heroin and not the official cause, acute alcohol poisoning. The book disputes the story that Scott was alone with London musician and alleged drug dealer Alistair Kinnear when he died and produces evidence that at least two other people were with Scott and Kinnear.{{cite book |last1=Fink |first1=Jesse |title=Bon: The Last Highway |date=2018 |publisher=Ebury Press |location=Sydney |page=xxiii}}

Fink also addresses and provides new information regarding the widespread speculation that Scott contributed uncredited lyrics to the AC/DC album Back in Black. Fink later responded to comments made by AC/DC singer Brian Johnson in Rolling Stone magazine about the lyrics issue.{{cite news|last1=Fink|first1=Jesse|title=My response to Brian Johnson|url=https://jessefinkbooks.com/blog/f/my-response-to-brian-johnson|work=jessefinkbooks.com|date=26 October 2022}} It was the first time Johnson had publicly addressed Fink's claims that Scott was an uncredited contributor of lyrics to the Back in Black album.{{Cite web |last=Irwin |first=Corey|title=Brian Johnson Shoots Down Bon Scott 'Back in Black' Rumors |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/brian-johnson-bon-scott-back-in-black/ |access-date=2022-11-20 |website=Ultimate Classic Rock |date=October 26, 2022 |language=en}} After Johnson gave an interview to Metal Edge magazine again addressing the issue, Fink wrote a second response to Johnson.{{cite news|last1=Fink|first1=Jesse|title=My response to Brian Johnson – Part II|url=https://jessefinkbooks.com/blog/f/my-response-to-brian-johnson|work=jessefinkbooks.com|date=21 December 2022}}

In November 2022, the Bon Scott Estate issued a statement on its website to say the estate had never received 'any songwriting royalties for any songs’ on Back in Black,{{Cite web |title=FAQ |url=https://bonscottofficial.com/faq/ |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=Bon Scott |language=en-AU}} though this was contradicted in 2006 by the late Vince Lovegrove, former bandmate of Scott in The Valentines, who reported the estate received 'a small share of royalties from Back in Black, which comes in the form of half-yearly payments' and wrote of Scott's 'uncredited but royalty-paid contribution to the monumental Back in Black album'.{{Cite book |last=Fink |first=Jesse |title=Bon: The Last Highway |publisher=ECW Press |year=2022 |isbn=9781770414969 |location=Toronto |pages=325}} Lovegrove also wrote on his personal website in 2011 before his death in 2012 that Scott's brother Derek Scott 'told me that the family has always received Scott's songwriting royalties for the album'.{{Cite book |last=Fink |first=Jesse |title=Bon: The Last Highway |publisher=ECW Press |year=2022 |isbn=9781770414969 |location=Toronto |pages=333}}

Updated editions of Fink's book were released in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.{{cite news|title=Bon: The Last Highway: The Untold Story of Bon Scott and AC/DC's Back in Black, Updated Edition of the Definitive Biography|url=https://www.libraryjournal.com/review/bon-the-last-highway-the-untold-story-of-bon-scott-and-acdcs-back-in-black-updated-edition-of-the-definitive-biography-2141563|work=libraryjournal.com|date=2 April 2022}}

In 2024, on the 50th anniversary of Bon Scott joining AC/DC, Fink released Bon: Notes from the Highway, a follow-up{{cite web |last1=Senich |first1=Eric |title=Unraveling The Mystery: Bon Scott's Life & Untimely Death |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAyiid4154s |website=YouTube.com |date=October 6, 2024 |publisher=The Booked On Rock Podcast}} to Bon: The Last Highway.

Fink was the first journalist to identify the long-unknown woman who inspired the AC/DC song 'Whole Lotta Rosie' as Rosemaree (Rose-Maree) Garcia and released the first photograph of Garcia.{{cite news|title=The Identity of the Woman Who Inspired AC/DC's 'Whole Lotta Rosie' May Have Been Found|url=https://loudwire.com/identity-woman-inspired-ac-dc-whole-lotta-rosie-found/|work=loudwire.com|date=8 May 2023}}

==''Pure Narco'' (2020)==

In 2020 Penguin Books Australia announced it was releasing his fifth book, Pure Narco, the life story of cocaine trafficker Luis Navia and the 12-nation law-enforcement operation that brought him down.{{cite news|title=Narcos unmasked: Notorious real-life drug trafficker's brutal 21 days held hostage exposed|url=https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1351407/narcos-news-drug-trafficker-luis-navia-pablo-escobar-columbia-mexico-usa-cocaine-tv-spt|work=The Daily Express|date=23 October 2020}} It was published in the United Kingdom by John Blake and the United States by Rowman & Littlefield.{{cite news|title=Pure Narco: One Man's Story of 25 Years Inside the Cartels|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-5381-5551-6|work=publishersweekly.com|date=25 August 2021}}

==''The Eagle in the Mirror'' (2023)==

Fink's sixth book was a biography of Australian-born British intelligence officer Charles Howard "Dick" Ellis called The Eagle in the Mirror.{{cite news|title=The Eagle in the Mirror|url=https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-eagle-in-the-mirror-9780143777557|work=penguin.com.au|date=28 February 2023}} The book was released in Australia and the United Kingdom in August 2023 and included in Publishers Weekly's Spring 2024 longlist for history.{{cite news|title=Spring 2024 Adult Announcements: History

|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20231204/93863-spring-2024-adult-announcements-history.html|date=1 December 2023}} It was published by Citadel in the United States in May 2024{{cite news|title=The Eagle in the Mirror |url=https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/9780806543680/the-eagle-in-the-mirror/|date=1 December 2023}} and chosen for BookBub's The Best Nonfiction of Spring 2024.{{cite news|title=The Best Nonfiction of Spring 2024|url=https://www.bookbub.com/blog/the-best-nonfiction-of-spring-2024/|date=22 March 2024}}

Personal life

Fink has one daughter and is divorced.{{cite web |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-29/toh-laid-bare/4339436 |title=Liquid love laid bare |publisher=ABC News (Australia) |date=29 October 2012 |access-date=31 July 2023}} Fink wrote about his 10-year marriage in Laid Bare.

Bibliography

15 Days in June (Hardie Grant Books, 2007; revised edition Xoum Publishing, 2014; digital edition Ligature, 2021; new edition Ligature, 2022)
Laid Bare (Hachette Australia, 2012; revised edition Xoum Publishing, 2017)
The Youngs (St Martin's Press, Random House Australia, Black & White Publishing, Editorial Planeta Argentina, Disk Union, Hannibal Verlag, AST, People's Press, Giunti Editore, Volvox Globator, Camion Blanc, Editora Gutenberg, Versus Aureus, HarperCollins India, Dereta, Libros Cupula, 2013)
Bon: The Last Highway (ECW Press, Penguin Books Australia, Black & White Publishing, Hannibal Verlag, Editora Saraiva, Disk Union, Le Castor Astral, Vaktel Forlag, 2017; revised edition Penguin Books Australia and Black & White Publishing, 2018; revised edition ECW Press, 2022)
Pure Narco (Penguin Books Australia and John Blake Publishing, 2020; Rowman & Littlefield, 2021; Äripäev 2022)
The Eagle in the Mirror (Penguin Books Australia and Black & White Publishing, 2023; Kensington Publishing, 2024)