See also
- Detroit City Is the Place to Be (nonfiction book by Binelli)
Sacco and Vanzetti Must Die! is a 2006 novel by Mark Binelli, published by Dalkey Archive. It is Binelli's first novel. [1]
The main characters, Nic Sacco and Bart Vanzetti, [2] are a Laurel and Hardy-style comedic team that is a re-imagining of Sacco and Vanzetti, with the Sacco character being fat and comedic and the Vanzetti character being the straight man. [3] Therefore the Sacco is "Fatty" and the Vanzetti is "Skinny". [4] The two characters act in silent films and do slapstick comedy. The narrative uses journal entries, excerpts of interviews, and variety shows. [2]
Brendan Driscoll of Booklist wrote that "it’s clear that Binelli’s most abiding intellectual interest is about the social construction of ethnicity." [1] The book also discusses historical memory and public personas. [1] Publishers Weekly wrote that "it takes a long time for Binelli to bring together his counter-tale with its real-life antecedents." [4]
Rod Smith of Time Out New York wrote that "Binelli falls prey to a few mildly ouch-worthy jokes, but for the most part, he matches hyperkinetic storytelling with an inventive prose style". [2]
Publishers Weekly described the book as "a hefty book, more intellectually satisfying than emotionally so" and concluded that "this is an impressive first outing; ambitious in scope and brimming with sharp-edged black humor." [4]