Goodreads | Catch-22 CD

topics	replies	last activity
Catch-22 and the "war comedy" genre of movies and shows.	2	5 days ago, 06:41AM
I don't get it!	21	18 days ago, 09:16PM
The Perfectly Written book	19	04/12/2008 06:25AM

Chad rated it:

(review of isbn 0684833395)

05/30/08

Read in May, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Few genres are more enjoyable to read than absurdist satire, and Catch-22 may be the finest example of the genre that I have ever read. It takes only three pages to reach the first seeming contradiction that, after a bit of thought, makes perfect sense: “The Texan turned out to be good-natured, gregarious and likable. In three days no one could stand him.” The entire text is filled with such gems. My favorite is a paragraph from chapter 9, describing Major Major’s father. Regardless of you...more Few genres are more enjoyable to read than absurdist satire, and Catch-22 may be the finest example of the genre that I have ever read. It takes only three pages to reach the first seeming contradiction that, after a bit of thought, makes perfect sense: “The Texan turned out to be good-natured, gregarious and likable. In three days no one could stand him.” The entire text is filled with such gems. My favorite is a paragraph from chapter 9, describing Major Major’s father. Regardless of your stance on farm subsidies, it is impossible to deny the absurdity and hypocrisy exposed by this brief description:

<blockquote>Major Major’s father was a sober God-fearing man whose idea of a good joke was to lie about his age. He was a long-limbed farmer, a God-fearing, freedom-loving, law-abiding rugged individualist who held that federal aid to anyone but farmers was creeping socialism. He advocated thrift and hard work and disapproved of loose women who turned him down. His specialty was alfalfa, and he made a good thing out of not growing any. The government paid him very well for every bushel of alfalfa he did not grow. The more alfalfa he did not grow, the more money the government gave him, and he spent every penny he didn’t earn on new land to increase the amount of alfalfa he did not produce. Major Major’s father worked without rest a not growing alfalfa. On long winter evenings he remained indoors and did not mend harness, and he sprang out of bed at the crack of noon every day just to make sure that the chores would not be done. He invested in land wisely and soon was not growing more alfalfa than any other man in the county. Neighbors sought him out for advice on all subjects, for he had made much money and was therefore wise. “As ye sow, so shall ye reap,” he counseled one and all, and everyone said, “Amen”.</blockquote>

It is interesting that Heller chooses World War II, which of the armed conflicts in which the United States has been involved is clearly the most just and necessary, to demonstrate the senselessness of war for all who are involved. I have never served in the military, but it is not necessary to have done so in order to recognize the people and situations in Catch-22. While the novel centers around an Army Air Force squadron, the insights it provides are as much about bureaucracy and human nature as they are war. Generals and colonels who consider their mission to rise in authority or to gain publicity while caring little for the orthogonal mission of winning the war could as easily be company executives or government officials who rally their subordinates to the task of improving their lives without regard for the objectives of the organization that employs them. There is a part of mercenary merchant Milo Minderbinder in every selfish charlatan, from a back-stabbing friend to Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling. The catch 22 itself should be roughly familiar to anyone who has had significant interaction with any large entity.

As I was reading through the novel I suffered a bit of fatigue because, while each chapter is brilliant, they are all brilliant in the same way and for the same reasons. At the time, I was prepared to suggest that large portions of the text be excised. After completing it, however, I find that very little occurs that is not important later. Given the opportunity to edit the book down, I doubt I would be able to remove more than ten percent of the text without significantly degrading the impact of the work as a whole. I have been previously critical of literature in which place and time flow continuously back and forward through sections of the book. This is certainly true of Catch-22, but in this case it is not a significant hardship. This is because very little of the novel is plot-based. Rather, each short chapter illustrates an unusual character or situation, sometimes from a different perspective than previously. Thus, the chronology is not terribly important, and Heller is free to deliberately reveal information in whatever order suits it best.

Biting satire is only effective when it is pointing out something truly horrible. Was is indeed, as Sherman stated, hell, but Catch-22 extends beyond war to all human suffering. The poignant 29th chapter briefly abandons humor to enumerate a litany of inexcusable, and only peripherally war-related, conditions. Yossarian encounters extreme poverty, illness, rape, violence against animals and children, police brutality, theft from the elderly, murder, and finally injustice while wandering through the streets of Rome. I must include another quote here to demonstrate the depravity Heller is trying to convey.

<blockquote>Almost on cue, a nursing mother padded past holding an infant in black rags, and Yossarian wanted to smash her too, because she reminded him of the barefoot boy in the thin shirt and thin, tattered trousers and of all the shivering, stupefying misery in a world that never yet had provided enough heat and food and justice for all but an ingenious and unscrupulous handful. What a lousy earth! He wondered how many people were destitute that same night even in his own prosperous country, how many homes were shanties, how many husbands were drunk and wives socked, and how many children were bullied, abused or abandoned. How many families hungered for food they could not afford to buy? How many hearts were broken? How many suicides would take place that same night, how many people would go insane? How many cockroaches and landlords would triumph? How many winners were losers, successes failures, rich men poor men? How many wise guys were stupid? How many happy endings were unhappy endings? How many honest men were liars, brave men cowards, loyal men traitors, how many sainted men were corrupt, how many people in positions of trust had sold their souls to blackguards for petty cash, how many had never had souls? … The night was filled with horrors, and he thought he knew how Christ must have felt as he walked through the dark world, like a psychiatrist through a ward full of nuts, like a victim through a prison full of thieves.</blockquote>

What a masterful account of the dark night of the soul, befitting the near-end of a masterpiece. Yossarian lives!...less

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

add a comment

Zinta rated it:

(review of isbn 0684833395)

11/04/07

bookshelves: fiction

Read in July, 2006

For so many of us growing up in the USA, our high school teachers assigned us Joseph Heller's "Catch-22" as required reading, and I was among those assignees. I'm not sure why the requirement, other than perhaps some Catch-22 type of logic that everyone else was assigning it, so there, must be great, must read. I don't particularly remember liking the novel then, perhaps with no more substantial of a reason than -- just not my style. Reading the novel now, in midlife, my opinion (or my...more For so many of us growing up in the USA, our high school teachers assigned us Joseph Heller's "Catch-22" as required reading, and I was among those assignees. I'm not sure why the requirement, other than perhaps some Catch-22 type of logic that everyone else was assigning it, so there, must be great, must read. I don't particularly remember liking the novel then, perhaps with no more substantial of a reason than -- just not my style. Reading the novel now, in midlife, my opinion (or my literary style) has changed little, but today, I can attempt to add to "not my style" perhaps a few deeper insights.

In this second read, I realize what so fails to appeal to me is Heller's slapstick, absurdist, repetitive and dizzyingly circular style of storytelling. At the same time, I fully realize this is also the appeal of the novel for many: it's absurdity. Indeed, time has tested Heller's topic of war having little logic or reason in the real world, mostly born of individual and governmental insanity, power plays and mere whim, male ego clashing and chest thumping. Few wars seem to have good reason for happening when one considers all the other possibilities of resolution. While leaders sit safely in secure offices on fortressed hilltops, the common soldier takes all the risks, offers up his/her body for battering, endures indescribable torments in battle, and often gives the ultimate sacrifice of life. Shall we debate the virtues of boxing rings for political leaders instead? Yes, war is absurd. And Heller captures this "crazy-making" truth in a crazy-making novel in which characters dance to illogical commands, spin in frustration, and dig themselves in ever deeper as they try harder and harder to dig themselves out. You know... as in war.

So I slogged through the pages like a good soldier. Characters leapt forward and backward in time, one event led to no other event, resolution rarely made a showing, and the dance of insanity kept the main lead. Even as I slogged, I could not deny what an excellent reflection of warring reality Heller's writing proved to be. Kudos for that. Redeeming factor.

And then, somewhere towards the final pages, I was somewhat won over. Without losing his voice of absurdity, the author had Yossarian, key player, say lines so absurd they rang true to the core, e.g. "but we don't want what we want!" and I could only shake my head and echo, oh indeed. We don't. When offered a bounty of temptations to sell out his soul, Yossarian denied them all, and in his crazy way, spoke utter sanity. How common is it to want something desperately much of our lives, only to realize we don't want it at all when fantasy turns into reality? A gold star for the author. Other episodes of Yossarian struggling to keep a fellow soldier alive even as his guts spill out, the sheer horror and despair and helplessness of the situation, hit target. Bravo.

This, and Heller's commentaries on man being little more than meat, fodder for the brutalities of war, resounded with such painful truth that today's reader can only look up at current events and current disasters and realize -- we are living in a world ruled by absurdities even today. History has taught us nothing.

And so, I could be convinced that Heller's novel is a classic. Perhaps it is. ...less

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

6 comments

Krys rated it:

(review of isbn 0684833395)

02/13/08

Read in February, 2008

Yossarian, a bombardier, is terrified that thousands of people he doesn't know are trying to kill him while he serves on the Italian front. It is also about those that victimize for the sake of power and status and those that are victimized. The book begins en medias res in the hospital with Yossarian and his cohorts, all healthy soldiers feigning sickness in order to avoid more military action. The book follows their hapless missions as they are used by Colonel Peckham in order to improve his c...more Yossarian, a bombardier, is terrified that thousands of people he doesn't know are trying to kill him while he serves on the Italian front. It is also about those that victimize for the sake of power and status and those that are victimized. The book begins en medias res in the hospital with Yossarian and his cohorts, all healthy soldiers feigning sickness in order to avoid more military action. The book follows their hapless missions as they are used by Colonel Peckham in order to improve his chances for appearing on the cover of Life Magazine or becoming a general. On the way, you're treated to Miles Minderbinder's capitalist ventures that make the scalawags in the Civil War south look like saints, Major Major Major Major's disappearing acts, the chaplain's mistaken visions that help him retain his faith, and a healthy dosage of mysogeny (Heller is yet another talented wirter who really doesn't even attempt to understand women).

Technically, there are so many things to admire in this book. The orderly sense of traditional chronology is disrupted to reflect the chaotic and highwire experiences of war. For one, a traditional chronological narrative is substituted by repetitive patterns: each chapter, again, titled by a different character, Yossarian at various stages of his attempts to depart the military, the soldier Snowden's moment and manner of death as Yossarian watched on, the number of missions the soldiers are told to complete before being discharged, and catch-22 itself. The characters are stylized, exaggerated versions of people. The sweetspot between the everyman and the individual, as Charlie D'Ambrosio put it. The pace is manic but also slow when it needs to be. The comic tone never diminishes the anger of the book ("Men went mad and were rewarded with medals", "There was a much lower death rate inside the hospital than outside the hospital"), but rather, as Wilhelm Barnhardt roughly put it, the tone and the material are at odds with each other, which, in my opinion, creates friction, or energy, between the tone and content of Catch-22.

But most of all, it's an important, angry, felt book, that does all of this not by lecturing, but by entertaining in a language that feels invented by Heller. This writing is audacious, daring, not carefully literary and lifeless like so many hailed writers--Heller does not know how to write an uninteresting sentence. Dialogue rarely gets this strange or this good, the political and social issues of modern man rarely gets so depicted so humorously or accurately. It's my second reading of this novel, and it's stunned me as much as it had the first time. ...less

Like this review? yes (4 people liked it)

add a comment

Elizabeth rated it:

(review of isbn 0684833395)

09/15/07

Read in August, 2007

This book was utterly misrepresented to me before I read it. For some reason I'd always thought it had been published the same year as Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow and was considered as representing the other fork of post World War II American literature apart from Pynchon's--this the conventional, plot-driven one catering to stupid people. Some professor or some didact must have told me that, enrroenously as it turns out, once. Catch 22 predates the Pynchon masterpeice by 15 years, and is in sty...more This book was utterly misrepresented to me before I read it. For some reason I'd always thought it had been published the same year as Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow and was considered as representing the other fork of post World War II American literature apart from Pynchon's--this the conventional, plot-driven one catering to stupid people. Some professor or some didact must have told me that, enrroenously as it turns out, once. Catch 22 predates the Pynchon masterpeice by 15 years, and is in style an apt precursor. Its subject is war and its hilarity. In this it shares much with Pynchon as well as Vonnegut. Since James Heller is not as obviously over-bursting with brilliance and random facts about particle physics as Pynchon, nor is he as willing to pander to mainstream tastes (I think) as Vonnegut, Catch 22 is a tought read at the begiining. There is a lot of irony and detachment, but with not as much ease as Vonnegut and with less of the awe inspired by Pynchon. IN fact, I almost gave up, and had started this book (450 pages) several times before and actually had given up. The real story of Catch 22 doesn't start coming together well past page 200, but when it does, it really does. There is a brilliant portrait of an entrepreneurial mess chef who is the representation of evil, evil being capitalism and the lack of loyalty to any moral cause. He creates a vast international smuggling network whose intricacies are at once ridicuously amusing and yet, it seems, accurately and minutely portrayed--it's as if Heller were a partcile physicist translating science for us when he lays out how that "syndicate" works. Most importantly, the book affected me because of what it had to say about war, and then how it was able to communicate that through the heartbreaking travails of one officer--Yossarian--who is willing to act out human desires in the face of a dominant culture turned insanse and subhuman, caricatured. His wartime airforce base is a perfect illustration of RD Laing's common-sense supposition, developed not long after the period of this novel, that insanity is a sane response to an insane world. Catch 22 is clever and tight and thematic--"Catch 22" refers to how things that seem irrational can be made to seem rational through tautology. This is a cleverly embroidered theme throught the entire novel. But in the end these are not what make the book great. It's the emotion at the heart of the book, Yossarian's desire to live and be fleshly human, and his unwillingness to retreat into the bastions of irony and obtuseness so attractive to eberyone around him. This is what makes Catch 22 heartbreaking and poignant, tear0jerkin even. ...less

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

2 comments

jill rated it:

(review of isbn 0684833395)

03/17/08

Read in February, 2008

recommends it for: people who like to be bored.

Absurdist plays are one act for a reason.

Seriously, I know there were points to make about the repetitive ridiculousness of bureaucracy/war/capitalism/life, but over 450 pages of variations on the Catch-22 joke?

I did find myself more affected than I would have guessed by some of the deaths, and some of the lines were clearly awesome.

Underlined bits:
In a world in which success was the only virtue, he had resigned himself to failure.(277, about the Chaplain)
Because he n...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

Krys added it (review of isbn 0684833395)

02/07/08

Read in January, 2008

recommends it for: anyone

Yossarian, a bombardier, is terrified that thousands of people he doesn't know are trying to kill him while he serves on the Italian front. It is also about those that victimize for the sake of power and status and those that are victimized. The book begins en medias res in the hospital with Yossarian and his cohorts, all healthy soldiers feigning sickness in order to avoid more military action. The book follows their hapless missions as they are used by Colonel Peckham in order to improve his c...more Yossarian, a bombardier, is terrified that thousands of people he doesn't know are trying to kill him while he serves on the Italian front. It is also about those that victimize for the sake of power and status and those that are victimized. The book begins en medias res in the hospital with Yossarian and his cohorts, all healthy soldiers feigning sickness in order to avoid more military action. The book follows their hapless missions as they are used by Colonel Peckham in order to improve his chances for appearing on the cover of Life Magazine or becoming a general. On the way, you're treated to Miles Minderbinder's capitalist ventures that make the scalawags in the Civil War south look like saints, Major Major Major Major's disappearing acts, the chaplain's mistaken visions that help him retain his faith, and a healthy dosage of mysogeny (Heller is yet another talented wirter who really doesn't even attempt to understand women).

Technically, there are so many things to admire in this book. The orderly sense of traditional chronology is disrupted to reflect the chaotic and highwire experiences of war. For one, a traditional chronological narrative is substituted by repetitive patterns: each chapter, again, titled by a different character, Yossarian at various stages of his attempts to depart the military, the soldier Snowden's moment and manner of death as Yossarian watched on, the number of missions the soldiers are told to complete before being discharged, and catch-22 itself. The characters are stylized, exaggerated versions of people. The sweetspot between the everyman and the individual, as Charlie D'Ambrosio put it. The pace is manic but also slow when it needs to be. The comic tone never diminishes the anger of the book ("Men went mad and were rewarded with medals", "There was a much lower death rate inside the hospital than outside the hospital"), but rather, as Wilhelm Barnhardt roughly put it, the tone and the material are at odds with each other, which, in my opinion, creates friction, or energy, between the tone and content of Catch-22.

But most of all, it's an important, angry, felt book, that does all of this not by lecturing, but by entertaining in a language that feels invented by Heller. This writing is audacious, daring, not carefully literary and lifeless like so many hailed writers--Heller does not know how to write an uninteresting sentence. Dialogue rarely gets this strange or this good, the political and social issues of modern man rarely gets so depicted so humorously or accurately. It's my second reading of this novel, and it's stunned me as much as it had the first time. ...less

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Khalid rated it:

(review of isbn 0684833395)

06/22/07

bookshelves: already-read

Read in September, 2004

Catch-22 is a term I knew since I was pretty young; in the past, it was a mere term to me, and I have never associated it with a book (Or a movie, for that matter). I learned it from my father and did not know how did it come to be (He did not either; he learned it from someone else). Somehow I felt a special affinity towards this term; it was not a common one around here and nobody else, except my dad, seemed to know it; I explained it sometimes to friends of mine. To me, all it meant wa...more Catch-22 is a term I knew since I was pretty young; in the past, it was a mere term to me, and I have never associated it with a book (Or a movie, for that matter). I learned it from my father and did not know how did it come to be (He did not either; he learned it from someone else). Somehow I felt a special affinity towards this term; it was not a common one around here and nobody else, except my dad, seemed to know it; I explained it sometimes to friends of mine. To me, all it meant was: A situation in which someone is going to lose no matter what they do, and these losses are of similar nature.

A few months ago, I learned – somehow – that Catch-22 is in fact a novel. I decided then that I should read it, and a few weeks ago I got the book and put it in my planned readings list.

Catch-22 is a very interesting novel. It takes place during the Second World War, and displays – through interesting wit, imagination, and extreme sense of humor – the life the American army encountered there; mostly through Yossarian's struggle to return home and the lives of people around him during this period.

I enjoyed reading it – mostly – but there was a catch (Not Catch-22 though, luckily!); the novel started out by jumping through time – back and fourth – and providing loosely related bits and pieces of these people's lives; that was not hard to follow – I used the number of missions to keep track of the chronological order, but the lack of a continuous plot made the novel feel like short stories, and – to be honest – feel boring at times. I almost decided to stop before reaching half the book; it took me around a week to get there; suddenly though, the story started to come together and start being really enjoyable (That was almost halfway the book). Only then did I start to love Catch-22 as much as I expected to at first, and I read the second half in almost one day.

I loved the logic [Joseph Heller] used there, the catch and all; the circular arguments were sometimes amazing – especially since they are almost realistic! The way he portrayed bureaucracy was impressive. I loved the Chaplain; hated Whitecomb; enjoyed Milo; laughed at Cathcart, Peckem, Dreedle, and Korn; empathized with Nately; I respected Yossarian deeply, as he proved to be the man!

I'd have cut out some bits to make it more continuous and enjoyable; I hated the monotone that started to appear at some point, but other than that, it is really a great book and definitely worth reading! I have got its sequel, Closing Time, and I look forward to reading it at some point.
...less

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Gregory rated it:

(review of isbn 0684833395)

04/24/08

bookshelves: favorites

Read in June, 2007

recommends it for: Fans of Kurt Vonnegut, lit lovers, et al

“Immoral logic seemed to be confounding him at every turn”

To immerse yourself in the WWII-era nightmare at the heart of Joseph Heller’s masterful novel is to lose yourself in a world where bureaucracy has run amuck, logic and sanity have become rare commodities, and the threat of imminent death permeates the very air. And yet, the only person who can see all of this is Yossarian, a bombardier who has the misfortune to be stuck in a war while being, as the dust-jacket points o...more “Immoral logic seemed to be confounding him at every turn”

To immerse yourself in the WWII-era nightmare at the heart of Joseph Heller’s masterful novel is to lose yourself in a world where bureaucracy has run amuck, logic and sanity have become rare commodities, and the threat of imminent death permeates the very air. And yet, the only person who can see all of this is Yossarian, a bombardier who has the misfortune to be stuck in a war while being, as the dust-jacket points out, “dangerously sane.” He is terrified by the dangers that surround him, disgusted by the wanton behavior of his compatriots, and angered by the selfishness of his superiors. He just wants to go home and leave all this behind him, but that seems to be an impossible dream. The closer he gets to the end of his tour, the further he gets from going home as power-hungry, image conscious superiors concoct new ways to extend the number of missions their pilots must fly. This is a war where the accuracy of a bombing run is seen as irrelevant so long as it photographs well (a pretty explosion is all part of the CO’s PR campaign), a mess hall officer can run an international business that makes him the most powerful man in the unit, and a dead body can be allowed to lie around without getting removed if that officer’s paperwork never arrived (making him never officially exist to the bureaucrats), and more. The logic that they and all characters except Yossarian use is utterly absurd, lending “Catch-22” a farcical air, but the genius of Heller’s work is that their outrageous logic is actually an only mildly exaggerated version of the logic that we are forced to abide by in everyday life. You can read in his inspired satire the problems that plague any bureaucracy, whether it is as mundane as the office or as vital as the government.

“Catch-22” is outrageous, yes, and that may turn some readers off, but it is a novel that has a devilish heart and a wicked wit at its core – not to mention the fact that it is sheer genius, and it isn’t as far-fetched or outlandish as it may initially appear. Heller’s tone is pitch-perfect and never wavers, and his vision has made “Catch-22” a timeless classic that is every bit as relevant today as it was when it was first published. An absolute must-read.

Grade: A+

P.S. If you like this check out Kurt Vonnegut, another spectacular absurdist author. I’d recommend “Slaughterhouse Five” or my personal favorite, “Mother Night.”...less

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Dusty rated it:

(review of isbn 0684833395)

02/28/08

Read in February, 2008

Paradoxes, especially those settled down in fun little hypothetical logic puzzles, are the domain of socially inept little boys (mostly) who were given books about Mensa as gifts from distant relatives who had no other clues about what sorts of presents would be well received. In Heller's novel, they're the domain of such boys all grown up, now finding themselves through some connection or another running a war in the Mediterranean. Colonel Cathcart, Colonel Korn, General Dreedle, et al., are th...more Paradoxes, especially those settled down in fun little hypothetical logic puzzles, are the domain of socially inept little boys (mostly) who were given books about Mensa as gifts from distant relatives who had no other clues about what sorts of presents would be well received. In Heller's novel, they're the domain of such boys all grown up, now finding themselves through some connection or another running a war in the Mediterranean. Colonel Cathcart, Colonel Korn, General Dreedle, et al., are the bad guys in this war novel, not solely because they're in charge (though this surely is a lot of it in such an anti-establishment novel as this one), but because they revel in the niggling little paradox games they come up with to avoid any direct responsibility.

For a while they're funny. Major Major Major Major (oh, the hilarity) realizes that if he makes a rule wherein the only time people can see him in his office is when he's not in, he never has to face a single problem. Colonel Korn can avoid the tough questions by making rules that the only people who are allowed at the education sessions to ask questions are those who never ask questions.

But then Aarfy comes in—Aarfy, you may remember, is the guy who rapes that Italian woman because he proudly never pays for sex, and then throws her out the window, killing her, because he can't have her going around saying terrible things about him. Aarfy's not an uppity-up, he's a regular army guy going on all these missions with the rest of them. He's also, as one of my students said, "A total douchebag": "Back in school we were always doing things like that. I remember one day we tricked these two dumb high-school girls from town into the fraternity house and made them put out for all the fellows there who wanted them by threatening to call up their parents and say they were putting out for us. We kept them trapped in bed there for more than ten hours. We even smacked their faces a little when they started to complain. Then we took away their nickels and dimes and chewing gum and threw them out" (251).

This novel is one where so many good people die, and though Yossarian lives, Aarfy does, too.

In comedy writing, injustice is funny. I read that somewhere recently....less

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

Beryl rated it:

(review of isbn 0684833395)

11/26/07

Read in January, 2007

If you have not read Catch 22, you’re in luck, because now you have something to look forward to. It is dry, it is wry, it is hilarious. It is not for the impatient. It took me forever to read, because frankly it is so easy to put down. Luckily, I found it equally easy to pick back up. I think a lot of people don’t like this book because they think it has no plot. In fact, a lot of avid plot-seekers probably never make it to the end. To them I say, wrong, it does have a plot. But even...more If you have not read Catch 22, you’re in luck, because now you have something to look forward to. It is dry, it is wry, it is hilarious. It is not for the impatient. It took me forever to read, because frankly it is so easy to put down. Luckily, I found it equally easy to pick back up. I think a lot of people don’t like this book because they think it has no plot. In fact, a lot of avid plot-seekers probably never make it to the end. To them I say, wrong, it does have a plot. But even I would have to admit that the plot that winds up developing is not enough to keep you going, you really have to read this book for the writing and the sarcasm and the hilarity. Here is something to love: the dialogue. In every chapter there were pieces of dialogue that were so good I would have to re-read the whole section, which is another reason it took me forever to read the book
Another thing to love: that it tells not shows. I did not get that backwards. I mean it. After two months of this creative writing class and 23 people being completely obsessed with showing, showing, showing, I was glad to be reading something that would just tell. And as a bonus, there was no vivid fictional dream, I hardly had a clue what the setting looked like. Fantastic. I should be more specific about the telling vs. showing. The actual action was largely told. But the point the book was making was never made explicit. It was all shown, to the point that a lot a people probably miss it altogether and walk away feeling like they just read a book with no point at all. And a lot was shown in the dialogue, a lot of the nonsense and craziness and disorder. A lot was shown in the rules that were made and followed, even though in describing the rules and the resultant action, it was all told.
Another thing to love: the characters. If you don’t want to read the whole book, just read the chapter about Major Major Major Major. Poor guy.
I read this book chapter to chapter, almost like it was a collection of short stories, and I was sorry to see it end. Ultimately for me, the book was about the pointlessness and idiocy of war, and I figure that the lack of plot and direction in the book was a reflection of that sentiment.

...less

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

John rated it:

(review of isbn 0684833395)

06/25/08

recommends it for: CNN armchair warriors

Catch-22 is a difficult book to review. By bringing absurdism into the area of war (and particularly the Second World War, the last "good war" America fought in), Heller knowingly risks offending people's sensitivities. So be it. Heller justifies all in the name of art and morality, and I embrace that justification. This book is definitely "worth its salt", to quote one of the many running gags within.

Yossarian is a Bombardier in a USAAF bomber squadron in the Mediterrane...more Catch-22 is a difficult book to review. By bringing absurdism into the area of war (and particularly the Second World War, the last "good war" America fought in), Heller knowingly risks offending people's sensitivities. So be it. Heller justifies all in the name of art and morality, and I embrace that justification. This book is definitely "worth its salt", to quote one of the many running gags within.

Yossarian is a Bombardier in a USAAF bomber squadron in the Mediterranean. He fears death and wishes to survive the war. In trying to escape combat duty on a medical exemption he encounters the paradoxical "catch" embodied in the title, which has since entered the language:

"There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one's own safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle."
"That's some catch, that catch-22," he observed.
"It's the best there is," Doc Daneeka agreed."

This is a clever and well-written book which demands rereading in these gung-ho times. One may disagree with Heller's cynicism on war ("Open your eyes, Clevinger. It doesn't make a damned bit of difference who wins the war to someone who's dead.") but anyone has to acknowledge Heller's talent with words. As a dead war veteran himself, Heller, like Vonnegut (whose wonderful "Slaughterhouse-5" should be read alongside this book), is impregnably immune to the carping of war-loving critics who, like George W Bush, had something better to do when the opportunity to fight arose....less

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

Teresa rated it:

(review of isbn 0684833395)

08/12/07

bookshelves: readandreviewed

Read in August, 2005

"I really do admire you a bit. You're an intelligent person of great moral character who has taken a very courageous stand. I'm an intelligent person with no moral character at all, so I'm in an ideal position to appreciate it." - Colonel Cathcart, Catch-22

I really appreciate it when a book respects the intelligence of its readership. If a book is going to be "experimental" in any way, I love those that throw you into a world with no explanations - a literary baptism of f...more "I really do admire you a bit. You're an intelligent person of great moral character who has taken a very courageous stand. I'm an intelligent person with no moral character at all, so I'm in an ideal position to appreciate it." - Colonel Cathcart, Catch-22

I really appreciate it when a book respects the intelligence of its readership. If a book is going to be "experimental" in any way, I love those that throw you into a world with no explanations - a literary baptism of fire (ie: Orwell's "Animal Farm"). Catch-22 is one of those books, and that's part of the reason why I thought it was so amazing!

Catch-22 tells the story of a US Army squadron based in Italy during WWII, and a disenchanted pilot named Yossarian who thinks everyone is trying to kill him. (not an unreasonable assumption in a war) Except that it's not an Italy, a military story, or a world that we're meant to immediately recognize. There is a logic in the book that all the characters seem to accept, but that doesn't make sense to the reader. Or, alternately, it makes too much sense to the reader, and that's when the book hits you hard. You start falling into it. You start siding with people. Then all of a sudden, you realize that you're siding with the wrong people. You start thinking to yourself how could I be agreeing with this asshole?! How can I be laughing! My favorite books are the ones that elicit visceral reactions from me...my chest gets tight, my stomach gets tied in knots, and I can't explain why I'm reacting positively/negatively - I just know that I am. There were so many of those moments in this book, I can't even begin to describe them all...

One of the things that impressed me most was the structure of the book - how all at once it seemed both haphazard, and entirely calculated. How each segment could stand alone, but that together they weaved an intricate, thought-provoking story...
If you like historical novels, if you like political novels, if you like in-depth characters, if you like humor, if you like to think - I would highly recommend this book to you.
...less

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

add a comment

Lis rated it:

(review of isbn 0684833395)

08/30/07

bookshelves: 2007-reads

Read in August, 2007

recommends it for: everyone

i absolutely loved this book. It took me all of august to read it. i usually rush through books. if they take one day, great, but a week gets to be too long. this took a month because i wanted it to, because i refused to let it go. sorry for stalling the book club, girls!

my first impression was that it reminded me of the tv show mash. it is very funny in a this-shouldn't-be-funny sort of way. it is complete and utter nonsense, and way too relevant today. i swear bush must have gotten quotes ...more

Like this review? yes

1 comments

Kristen rated it:

(review of isbn 0684833395)

05/04/08

Read in April, 2008

recommends it for: no one

So, I really hated this book. I was very excited to read it because I had heard it was different and funny but it turned out to be slow and pointless. But I understand that it was one of the first books that showed that war was not just a romanticized getaway, it showed war was awful and everyone was treated badly. So I understand this book was significant.
I am thinking the protagonist is supposed to be Yossarian but I do not really see how he is a protagonist. He was not particularly a g...more

Like this review? yes

1 comments

Daniel rated it:

(review of isbn 0684833395)

03/06/08

Read in March, 2008

While "Catch-22" is a military farce, anyone who has worked in any large organization has dealt with policies like the novel's namesake Catch-22 rule and people like Colonel Catchcart and Colonel Korn. While we all like to think of ourselves as Yossarians (or at least Milo Minderbinders) in these situations, most of us are really Major Danbys and Havermeyers.

If you haven't read "Catch-22," this may whet the appetite:

Colonel Scheisskopf was all ears. "Wha...more

Colonel Scheisskopf was all ears. "What are bomb patterns?"

"Bomb patterns?" General Peckem repeated, twinkling with self-satisfied good humor. "A bomb pattern is a term I dreamed up just several weeks ago. It means nothing, but you'd be surprised at how rapidly it's caught on. Why, I've got all sorts of people convinced I think it's important for the bombs to explode close together and make a neat aerial photograph. There's one colonel in Pianosa who's hardly concerned any more with whether he hits the target or not. Let's fly over and have some fun with him today. It will make Colonel Cargill jealous, and I learned from Wintergreen this morning that General Dreedle will be off in Sardinia. It drives General Dreedle insane to find out I've been inspecting one of his installations while he's been off inspecting another. We may even get there in time for the briefing. They'll be bombing a tiny undefended village, reducing the whole community to rubble. I have it from Wintergreen -- Wintergeen's an ex-sergeant now, by the way -- that the mission is entirely unnecessary. Its only purpose is to delay the German reinforcements at a time when we aren't even planning an offensive. But that's the way things go when you elevate mediocre people to positions of authority." He gestured languidly toward his gigantic map of Italy. "Why, this tiny mountain village is so insignificant that it isn't even there."

...less

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Dhiraj rated it:

(review of isbn 0099477319)

05/26/07

bookshelves: booksthatmakeyouthink

recommends it for: All

An extremely profound book which most people dismiss as a humorous book.Catch 22 is an intense black comedy which gives you an insight into what people do when faced with imminent danger/death. All the characters are unique in their own ways and yet you can relate to them in some way or the other. Major Major is a hated guy only because he is a non-conformist, which encompasses being good to people, being polite, honourable and being a devout Christian. The book brings about quite lucidly...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

Dale rated it:

Catch-22 CD

discuss this book

groups with this book

friend reviews (0)

lists with this book

other reviews (showing 1-20 of 24920)