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Catch-22

Joseph Heller

Start date: November 1, 2022

Finish date: November 30, 2022

Discussion: New School Classics- 1915-2005

Discussion leader: Trisha

Why we're reading this: Contemporary Classic Group Read, November 2013

November 2022 Revisit the Shelf
[close] Contemporary Classic Group Read, November 2013

November 2022 Revisit the Shelf

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New School Classics- 1915-2005

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What Members Thought

Oct 29, 2010 Adam rated it it was ok

All bets are off regarding sanity when faced with immenent danger and death. Heller's favorite example is the protective rationalization. Whereby people will do anything to get real responsibility, accountability and workload pushed down to those beneath them. The notion of protective rationalization is spoon fed to us when the chaplain finds himself using it to stay out of trouble. That's about 350 pages in.

Secondly Heller has a serious problem with beauracracy; and procedures put in place that ...more

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Mar 22, 2012 Jennifer rated it did not like it

Shelves: classics, dnf, banned-books, 1001-btrbyd

Wow. There have been VERY few times in my life when I gave up on a book mid-read. I found this novel to be WAY too overdone, repetitive, boring and LABORIOUS. I gave up about 25% of the way through, at a complete loss as to why it is considered a "great novel." Most people I have spoken with loved it when they read it at age 16, but those who read it as adults had the same reaction I did. An interesting and odd pattern... Someone commented that Catch-22 was a hard read because it is about war. I ...more

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Dec 17, 2010 Clayton Brannon rated it it was amazing

I first read this book 57 years ago, back when I was serving in the United States Air Force. Even now, all these years later, its message still resonates just as deeply. It struck such a chord with me that it became one of the pivotal reasons I chose not to make a career out of the military.

Yes, many of the scenes are absurd and hilarious at first glance—I laughed too—but beneath the humor lies a sharp, unsettling truth. And when you're living through it, it's not nearly as funny. I couldn’t jus ...more

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Jan 23, 2017 Nina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-harder-challenge-2017, favorites, classics

A masterpiece of surrealistic satire, this book deserves its spot in the literary canon. Highly recommended, though the structure may put some readers off.

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