Rating: 
Summary: Yossarian lives!
Review: Heller's style is very similar to Kurt Vonnegut's, and being a huge Vonnegut fan, I really enjoyed Catch-22. The structure of the story was very interesting too - each chapter was about a different character, such that instead of getting a whole story, you get glimpses of the story from many different perspectives, which I think helped develop the characters very well.
The Everyman's Library edition is a very good looking book. And not as bulky as usual hard covers.
Rating:
Summary: Best Book Ever.
Review: The basic story surrounds Captain Yossarian and his experience on the island of Pianosa as a bomber during world war 2, and his attempts to survive. This is really about as much of a plot summary as could be given, though in the end the plot isn't really what this story is about, as it is more of a satire and study of the insanity of the world than it is a story.
I think that this book is brilliant, and that the most interesting part is the unconventional style. Straight narrative attempting to create an at least somewhat realistic situation, while effective for sheer entertainment, isn't typically too exciting to me. I guess it seems to me that if that is what you are attempting to do it would be more effective to make a movie. However, this story is what I believe is called Meta-Fiction, essentially a fictional story, while not fantasy or science fiction, that does not try to seem realistic at all. Thus, the novel has dozens of characters, generally one-sided and completely unbelievable, but they were intended this way so it certainly isn't a technical flaw, though you certainly don't have to like this style. This story is far from linear, up until the very end, with various scenes of significance, particularly the death of Snowden, being slowly revealed overtime. Doing this, I feel, would be essentially impossible to do in a movie, and is thus what makes this so great a work of literature.Perhaps the single thing that will most effect your enjoyment of the book is your views on the humor, which there is not real way to interpret whether or not you will enjoy it. It's focuses on incredible dialogue and finding the insanity in the accepted everyday world, so this book would be more entertaining to the more pessimistic sorts, but this is true of virtually all great literature, particularly modern stuff. Through the humor is where the true themes come through, which I personally believe to frequently have been misinterpreted. Many of you have said that Heller says "Nothing is worth fighting for". Heller might believe this, but this doesn't come out in the Novel. Yossarian doesn't want to fight anymore, but he only tries to get out after he has more than served his country. He does more than anyone does, and more than anyone is expected to. The reason he is kept fighting is to bring glory to his commanding officers, which aren't one and the same with his country. Also, I believe most people put too much emphasis on this taking place during a war. To half steal a quote "To say Catch-22 is a book about war is to say Moby Dick is a book about whales." As I've repeatedly stated, this is about paradoxes and the insanity of modern day life, and this is most readily apparent during wars. Besides the obvious use of the term "Catch-22" there are great many examples not even associated with war. For example, it talks about Major Major's father being paid for not growing alfalfa, and thus making more money and buying more land to not grow more alfalfa and get paid even more, up until he "doesn't grow more alfalfa than anyone else in the state"(or something like that). The irony comes from that doing this was in fact good food the USA, showing that no only is the world insane, but it needs to be in order to function. This sort of thing is the real point of the novel. ...
Rating: 
Summary: Should Have Read It Years Ago
Review: Yossarian, the hero of CATCH-22, never wanted to be anyone's hero, but it's easy to see how he became such a popular figure in American literature and culture in the 1960s and 1970s. He may be the best literary example of the tortures a sane person goes through in a world of crazy and dishonest men. A WWII bombardier who's tired of people trying to kill him, Yossarian can't get over seeing a kid in his plane die in his arms, in fact he can't get over death at all, or the people who seem perfectly relaxed about flying into its jaws on a regular basis. No one has the right to say he hasn't done his duty, but they say it anyway, and every time he flies the required number of missions to be sent home, Yossarian's insecure, self-aggrandizing colonel raises the number of missions. As a result, most of Yossarian's friends end up killed in action and somehow Yossarian ends up not insane despite the best efforts of all his superior officers and doctors to convince him otherwise. You almost have to take an amphetamine to SLOW the effect of Heller's rapid-fire prose. Yossarian is the only roundly developed character in the book; everyone else is a just developed enough so as not to seem a caricature, but most are distorted extremes (e.g. Milo Minderbender who runs such a highly profitable international black market that he gets praised for bombing his own troops, or the never available "Major Major Major Major.") Heller uses these distortions for their humorous, satirical effect, and they work, but never do they obscure the true horror of the experience of the men fighting the war. How I wish I had read CATCH-22 in high school. So many of the daring, anti-establishment, questioning of "excessive authority or obsolete traditions" would have stirred me up and made me laugh so much more than they do now, at thirty. And the sexy parts would have really got me going more as a teenager. CATCH-22 remains and important anti-war text, and an important lesson for all to beware of those who push empty-headed patriotism and religio-pietistic mind control. Heller pleads us to think as he shows us the evil that men do when justice is a commodity. Intelligent teenagers of all ages should read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious for All
Review: Catch-22 is a comedic story that keeps you on your toes because of the hilarious actions and reactions preformed by those who are trying to escape the imfamous "Catch-22." This catch makes it impossible for Yossarian and the other members of his squadron to go home. Everyone wants to be grounded or sent home so they don't have to fly dangerous missions. You can go home if your crazy, but anyone smart enough to say that they're crazy so that they can go home, is really sane. Along with Catch-22 keeping them in the service, a seemingly infinite amount of required missions also keeps the bombardiers in the air. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone ready for a good laugh!
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Summary: Hilarious book with great insight
Review: At first I thought this book had a pretty slow pace to it, but once I got beyond Heller's style, I found it to be a very humorous and entertaining depiction-or mockery-of our country's military, and of the way people in general tend to think. It has a lot of good insight into the decisions we, as humans, tend to make, and of the effects our constant need for approval will have on our lives. Great book...I haven't laughed so hard in a long time!
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Summary: You'll be caught up in Catch 22
Review: In Joseph Heller's WWII story, Catch 22, we the readers are given a less than perfect picture of the realities of war. By showing the ironic and irrational events that take place during a war we are able to see why the main character, Yossarian, hates war, and tries his best to stay out of it as much as possible. Heller is able to produce a comic effect throughout the book by telling of some of the crazy stunts that Yossarian does in his attempt to live forever or die trying as he puts it. Yossarian fakes ever possible illness he knows, he makes himself and others sick and finally outright refuses to fly any longer. But in the end he must decide if he wants to risk the lives of others, or his own. The mess of other characters also adds to the humor of the work by showing the effects of war on all different types of people.
This book was written excellently, and paints a very vivid imagine in my mind. The only thing slightly difficult about the book was the fact that Heller skipped around throughout the book, never going in order.
For all those who think war is always the right way to go, don't read this. But I would recommend this for those who always wondered what it's really like to look death in the face, for this book is able to present it in a comical tone while still keeping it serious.
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Summary: The absurdity of war
Review: Joseph Heller writes Catch-22 to show how abusrd and pointless the idea of war is. Yossarian is an American bomber in Europe during WWII. Being sane and intelligent Yossarian tries to get out of his duty to stay in the war as a bomber. He tries to use the idea that he is insane and get a letter from the doctor to prevent him from flying. The doctor says if you are insane, then they have to ground you and anyone who is flying in the war and doesn't try to get out is insane, but the minute you want to stop flying or get out of the war, you are sane so you have to continue to fly. The characters in this book also portray how in a war you have some people that are only looking out for themselves and want to make a profit. One character in particular who sticks out is named Milo Minderbinder. Milo will do anything in order to make a profit. And, "with Minderbinder enterprises everyone owns a share." But when someone wants to claim that share they get an interesting surprise. Overall Catch-22 is an amazing book and is a must read in order to know where the phrase Catch-22 comes from.
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Summary: The logic of the absurd
Review: Joseph Heller has produced a masterpiece with this novel. A masterpiece of the absurd. The absurd of democracy. The democracy of the US armed forces. Any one has rights, but each right is blocked either because someone higher has the authority to block it, or because the implementation of this right shows that the subject does not qualify for this right. In such a situation there is only one solution : escapism. The situation is dramatic since we are in Italy during the second world war. Simple pilots and bombardiers have no say whatsoever on their fate or lot. Either it goes against the authority of someone higher up who makes them do what he wants to satisfy his own ambition. Or it goes against the general trafficking by the local entrepreneur in the armed forces who aims at making money on the war situation in the name of free enterprise, asking for the war to be privitized. Or it goes against circular rules that disqualify you as a beneficiary of these rules as soon as you ask for them to apply to you. Those questions are very serious. Where is the dignity of the warriors ? Where are the noble objectives of the war ? Where is the defense of the country in such a war ? Where are courage, loyalty, heroism when everything is mercantilized and speculated upon for the profit of a few ? And what does victory mean in such a situation where some are trafficking with the enemy in order to make money, even on the military operations themselves ? The world is absurd and one can only escape from it if one wants to retain one's sanity. But, as opposed to Kafka, this author uses humor and makes us laugh at such silly situations : it is a highly funny book, but in which any laugh or smile hides the sadness of the situations or facts with great difficulty. We would really like to get angry at such mediocre middlemen who dictate hell for other people in their own interest and can do that because these other people lack the courage to rebel, are like sheep following the flock without protesting. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU
Rating:
Summary: A Horrifying and Hilarious Masterpiece
Review: When I first started to read Joseph Heller's "Catch-22" I expected to get the typical war story. I didn't think that it would offer me anything new because I have seen and read several war stories. But as I progressed further into the book, I realized that this novel is unique and is unlike anything else I have ever read. The novel is based around a bomb squadron stationed on a small island near Italy. The main focus is on one of the members of the squadron named Yossarian, who is going insane because he is caught in the middle of World War II and people that he doesn't even know are trying to kill him. Yossarian tries desperately throughout the novel to get out of the war, and along the way he meets up with many interesting characters. And that is what makes this novel unique: the characters. Heller does an amazing job of developing every single person in the novel, giving them all a personality type of their own. Every personality in the novel adds a little something to the story. From Orr's obnoxious traits to Doc Daneeka's pessimistic outlook on life, all of the characters come together to show the horrifying truth of the madness of war. If one of the characters was missing, the novel just wouldn't have the same impact. The characters also do something besides helping to develop the story; they provide insight on many aspects of life. The discussions between characters in this book made me realize many important things. This book shows people that they shouldn't take things for granted or take advantage of people. Heller does this by showing the effect that it had on the characters that did those things. This novel is a real eye-opener. Heller also achieves a feat that many other authors haven't: a perfect blend of horror and humor. Although the novel is full of disgusting depictions of war, I often found myself chuckling. And at some points, I laughed out loud, which is something I do only if I find something truly hilarious. For example, about halfway through the novel, Yossarian has to constantly look over his shoulder because he is being stalked by a prostitute who is trying to kill him for something that he didn't even do. Overall, this is an outstanding novel. Heller's "Catch-22" is a masterpiece that should be read by anyone and everyone. It is a perfect blend of the horror and hilarity that is full of insight. It's definitely one of the best novels that I have ever read.
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Summary: The reason you read this book...
Review: ..is for a pleasure of reading. And make sure that you enjoy it since it's the whole and only point of the book, if there is any point at all.
J. Heller was a kind of writer who would produce something that his readers could enjoy from the bottom of their hearts.
Many reviewers here and elsewhere tried so hard and too hard to make a serious solid stuff out of this book (i.e. trying to make it a masterpiece of twist philosophy..bla..bla...bla) which is actually just fine as long as they can still enjoy it.
This is a lovely book. Please love it. You can criticize it anyway you like but please do not despise it. And for those people who gave and will give this book less than 4 stars just because it couldn't satisfy their philosophical-twisted minds. All I can say is that they remind me of "Clevinger" who knew everything about literature exept how to enjoy it.
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