The Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti

Hours away from execution, Sacco and Vanzetti relive the twists of fate that led to their condemnation

Seven years, two trials, and three appeals after their arrest for robbery and murder in 1920, anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti await execution in their prison cells. Supporters around the world have passionately argued their innocence, particularly when Celestino Madeiros, a young mobster, confesses to the murders along with other members of his gang. But no retrial is ordered; on August 23, 1927, Sacco and Vanzetti are executed.

Howard Fast's heartrending fictional account offers a window into the thoughts and feelings of a presumed-innocent Sacco and Vanzetti, and is a withering indictment of the American justice system.