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Catch-22 Paperback – September 4, 1996

by Joseph Heller (Author)

1,636 customer reviews

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Catch-22 is like no other novel. It is one of the funniest books ever written, a keystone work in American literature, and even added a new term to the dictionary.

At the heart of Catch-22 resides the incomparable, malingering bombardier, Yossarian, a hero endlessly inventive in his schemes to save his skin from the horrible chances of war. His efforts are perfectly understandable because as he furiously scrambles, thousands of people he hasn't even met are trying to kill him. His problem is Colonel Cathcart, who keeps raising the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service. Yet if Yossarian makes any attempts to excuse himself from the perilous missions that he is committed to flying, he is trapped by the Great Loyalty Oath Crusade, the hilariously sinister bureaucratic rule from which the book takes its title: a man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but if he makes the necessary formal request to be relieved of such missions, the very act of making the request proves that he is sane and therefore ineligible to be relieved.

Catch-22 is a microcosm of the twentieth-century world as it might look to some one dangerously sane -- a masterpiece of our time.

Catch-22

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Product Details

Paperback: 463 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (September 4, 1996)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0684833395
ISBN-13: 978-0684833392
Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1,636 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #152,810 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3790 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Classics
- #5494 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary
- #11078 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Literary

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Customer Reviews

1,636

4.3 out of 5 stars

5 star		65%
4 star		18%
3 star		7%
2 star		4%
1 star		6%

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Top Customer Reviews

A stunning masterpiece on every level

ByRobert MooreHALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE VOICEon November 10, 2002

Format: Paperback

CATCH-22 is masterful in so many ways. It begins as comic farce, proceeds to the increasingly surreal, and then transforms into a nightmarish tragedy before ending triumphantly. No novel that I know so successfully blends all these disparate moods. I believe it was Hugh Walpole who wrote, "Life is a comedy to those who think, and a tragedy to those who feel." No book illustrates that better than this novel. This truly is one of the funniest books I have ever read. It is also one of the most tragic.

CATCH-22 also introduces one of the most insane collection of great characters in fiction: Yossarian, the Chaplain, Orr, ex-P.F.C Wintergreen, Milo Minderbender, Maj. Major Major Major, Nately, Doc Daneeka, Danby, General Dreedle, Nately's girl (not the description in the book, but Amazon's software will bleep it), Cathcart, Nurse Duckett, The Texan, Major ----- de Coverley, The Soldier in White, and a host of other characters. It is one of the most gloriously populated novels of the past half century.

This is a novel I can almost not discuss except through superlatives: greatest war novel I have read, funniest novel I have ever read, greatest English language novel of the past 60 years. But the best thing is that it is, on top of being a superb book, an exceedingly fun book to read. Even at its nightmarish, this is a fun, delightful book. And few novels contain as many unforgetable moments as this one.

2929 comments 310 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

A cynical analysis of any war

ByNick Jurewiczon March 3, 2000

Format: Hardcover

I would first like to inform other reviewers that I am a high school junior, read this as part of a choice novel project, and had no trouble grasping the ideas that Joseph Heller presented within his Catch-22.
The sarcastic attitude of this novel is conspicuous, and all bonds with reality are dropped with the first character introductions. The humor that has previously been criticized I found to be easy to understand, not monotonous, and a unique aspect to illustrate WW2. This is not to say the humor is for all, because Heller uses many paradoxes (look up definition of "catch-22"), simple one line contradictions, and subtle word choices to draw a laugh-all which represent the personality of the novel.
Yes, there are many characters, probably over fifty, yet grasping the names is not important at all times. Of course you quickly get associated with Yossarian and the other main characters, and chapter do reintroduce people from the early parts of the book. This may be annoying, yet each character is distinct, and there is little chance of confusing Milo, and entrepeneur, with Havermeyer, the elite pilot. In truth, the novel lacks a linear time, but chooses, rather, to define the novel through numerous character sketches, focusing them loosely around Yossarian. By the later chapters of the novel, Heller subtly introduces the gruesome truths of the war, balancing the early humor with more realistic look. It is through this transition that the weight of the situation is elucidated, and by contrasting the final chapters with the first, Heller is able to attract our attention and force us to analyze the war.
What is the novel about? There is no simple answer, yet if I attempt to state it in a single sentence Catch-22's theme, it would be "The only true fault of America's once the war began, was that we as a nation began to glorify war, without truly understanding the implications of our actions."
What is the idea behind catch-22 as a statement? Read the book. Enjoy. Open your eyes with laughter and tears. Perhaps you won't like the satirical tone, but I would suggest to all that you try.

55 comments 146 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

The "Logic" of War

ByA customeron January 14, 1998

Format: Hardcover

When I was in high school, my English teacher introduced me to the absurdity of war. We were assigned to read "Dulce Et Decorum Est" by the great war poet Wilfred Owen. This poem refuted the "old lie", Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori - How sweet and fitting it is to die for one's country. After reading this poem, I suddenly realized how wasteful and utterly senseless war is, especially for the unfortunate people who must put their life on the line.
One day, I was in a second-hand bookstore, and by chance spotted a copy of "Catch-22." I had no idea what the book was about, but once I started reading, I couldn't stop. This book, like Owen's poem, describes how frightening and pointless war is to the soldier. However, while Owen uses gory details to bring forth his ideas, Heller uses satire.
This book captures the personal fears and opinions of the troubled bombadier, Yossarian. He does not know why he has to be there, and he certainly does not want to die.
Yossarian stated that he didn't care if this opinion made the enemy happy. He said that the enemy is anybody who wants to kill you, and it was his superior who kept sending him out to get killed...This makes me wonder about the millions of soldiers throughout time, for this thought must have passed through some of their minds at some desperate point. The old men who instigate and plan wars are not the ones who will die. Rather, they send people out to die for *their* cause.
As you can see, this book really made me think. Yes, I thought, I laughed till I cried, then I cried for the senselessness of it all. Heller is a genius!

88 comments 79 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

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This is my favorite book of all time

This is my favorite book of all time. I have read it at least four times in the last two decades and will likely go for it again pretty soon.

Published 9 days ago by C. Woodruff

Too Clever By Half

This book is too clever by half. I imagine when it was first written the clever, sarcastic style seemed novel. To me, however, it became tiring.

Published 10 days ago by George J Caspar

Five Stars

Excellent hardcopy edition, very high qualify, lower than paperback price.

Published 10 days ago by chuckju

Three Stars

Have not finished yet.

Published 20 days ago by GMG

I want to love this book

I want to love this book, but I haven't been able to make it past 200 pages on two separate attempts.Read more

Published 20 days ago by Kindle Customer

I have read this book more than once. I ...

I have read this book more than once.
I named one of my sons Yossarian.
This purchase was a gift to someone.

Published 25 days ago by Amazon Customer

Still funny after all these years

Funniest book ever written.

Published 27 days ago by siavash Rahbari

A Hilarious Classic

My absolute favorite book. Incredibly hilarious and somehow very realistic...

Published 1 month ago by Amazon Customer

Four Stars

The humor was more subtle than I expected, but still entertaining.

Published 1 month ago by John F. Caldwell

Wud red agen.Wud recomnd. 12/10. Very gud

Published 1 month ago by Amazon Customer

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Catch-22 Paperback – September 4, 1996

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