Sacco and Vanzetti Must Die!

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]

Reception

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]

See also

References
  1. Driscoll, Brendan. "Sacco and Vanzetti Must Die!" (Review). Booklist, September 1, 2006, Vol.103(1), p.51(1).
  2. Smith, Rod. "Sacco and Vanzetti Must Die!" (Archive) (review). Time Out New York. Thursday July 6, 2006. Retrieved on July 10, 2014.
  3. Meis, Morgan. "A review of Sacco and Vanzetti Must Die! by Mark Binelli" (Archive) (only preview visible). The Believer. October 2006. Retrieved on July 10, 2014.
  4. "Sacco and Vanzetti Must Die!" (review) (Archive). Publishers Weekly. May 15, 2006, Vol.253(20), p.48(1).

Further reading
  • Dwyer, Jim. "Binelli, Mark. Sacco and Vanzetti Must Die!" (review). Library Journal, June 1, 2006, Vol.131(10), p. 106(1)
  • Hoffert, Barbara ; Burns, Ann. "They've got style." (FIRST NOVELISTS FALL 2006) Library Journal, Oct 1, 2006, Vol.131(16), p. 38(4)
  • "Looking back: summer sleepers." Publishers Weekly, December 4, 2006, Vol.253(48), p. 27(1)
  • Lehoczky, Etelka. "Fiction Chronicle." The New York Times Book Review, July 30, 2006, p. 12(L).
  • Patterson, Troy. "Sacco and Vanzetti Must Die!" (reviews). Entertainment Weekly, July 28, 2006, Issue 888, p. 71
  • Rosen, Judith. "Sacco and Vanzetti Must Die!" (review). Publishers Weekly, March 6, 2006, Vol.253(10), p. 39(2)
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