Rating: 
Summary: Great characters make a great book
Review: "You mean there's a catch?" Yossarian asked. "Sure there's a catch," Doc Daneeka replied. "Catch-22. Anyone who wants to get out of combat duty isn't really crazy." I thought that Catch 22 was an excellent and hilarious book. But, I don't think it is for everybody. Some people might not get the type of humor Joseph Heller uses throughout the book. And to others, the lack of a plot might make reading the entire book very demanding. But for me the constant humor and exceptionally well created characters made the book well worth the read. Catch 22 is a satire that reflects on the absurdity of war. It is about a bomber squadron in Italy during the end of WWII. The book's main character, Yossarian, is frantic and furious because people he hasn't even met keep trying to kill him. The best part of the book would defiantly have to be the characters. Joseph Heller did an excellent job creating so many unique and interesting people. That was definitely what kept me reading. There were so many great characters I'm sure everyone could find someone in the book to relate to. So if you don't mind a book that can be a bit slow at times and is absolutely hilarious Catch 22 is a great choice.
Rating:
Summary: A good book.
Review: Catch-22 is a book that has a whole different spin on life than most others. It takes place during World War II and is primarily about John Yossarian, a bombardier in the war. Yossarian is an interesting character who looks at life very rationally, yet different from most people. He cares for his life like most people would. He doesn't care for authority unless they can hurt him. He is moral and immoral, smart and immature. With no central theme or story line it is hard to give an accurate plot summary. It does give an outlook on war and life that is not seen very often, with a humorous twist that will keep you laughing only if you are in the mood for it. The characters in this book are very stereotypical yet very unique at the same time. There are some you will love and many you will hate. One reoccurring theme in this novel is the title, Catch-22. There are so many catches and hypocritical events in this book that it is sometimes hard to keep everything straight. For example, Yossarian asked this girl to marry him. She said that she would not marry him because he was crazy, but she thought he was crazy because he wanted to marry her. This is just one of many catches in the book. The entire book seems to revolve around catches, which makes it hard to read at times. The best part of this book is how it gives a humorous outlook on a very serious subject, war. There were very few times I wasn't chuckling at this book. Everyone in this book seems to have lost his or her minds. One of my favorite parts is when some of the soldiers are driving back from a bar and one of the passengers in the back suggests that the driver turn off his headlights. This is obviously a stupid idea. As they are talking the officer in the front passenger seat demands to know why it is so dark and the driver responds, "I turned them off. You know, Chief White Halfoat is right. It's much better with the headlights off." This is a great example of how no one in the book seems to be completely in reality and the cause of this seems to be the war. Over all I really liked this book. It was almost always funny. It took a while to get into it because it is very different from any book I've ever read. I loved the characters, Yossarian and Dunbar especially, although they were all very good. I would recommend this book who wants to read something new and different and get a good laugh.
Rating: 
Summary: Insanity of War
Review: Catch-22 was a very confusing book to read at times. I thought it was really fun to read about the insanity of war and what a person thinks of war. In my opinion war is crazy I would not want to be in a war for anything in the whole world. I could not imagine myself flying in an aircraft over a battle zone bombing things, and risking my life for my country many times. That is what the main character of the book did he was Yossarian. Yossarian was my favorite character in the book, because he understood how crazy the war was and he really didn't want to be in it. Many times he tried to get away from where he was stationed but the commanding officers would not let him leave. Yossarian made a lot of decisions throughout the book whether or not to leave the army or to stay, and he was always looking out for the most important person in his life and that was him. That related most to me, because I think of myself as the most important person in my life, and I would do whatever it took to make me happy. Not to say I wouldn't help other people, but I would look out for myself first and for most. I thought the book was very funny. The author Joseph Heller used very funny language throughout the book. His diction is what made the book so great. He made the readers see how insane war really is, which I think is really good for young people to figure out, before they get involved with the army or navy. Think how crazy you have to be to fly a jet over a place that is being bombed and try to dodge missles being fired at you. To me that would be insane and to Joseph Heller that would be insane also. I couldn't imagine myself ever wanting to go to war. People might say well your dying for your country and you have to do this to protect us, well there are other ways of solving disagreements with other countries. Every character in the book was very realistic. I thought that the soldiers were all very scared to die, and they wanted out. I wouldn't' blame them. Overall this book was really good, I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read a book that has the insanity of war in it, without the violence and the graphic descriptions. Some parts were confusing to me but for the most part I understood the whole book. I would read a Joseph Heller book again.
Rating: 
Summary: Crazy Crazy Crazy
Review: Of all the books I've read, I've never read one that made me as confused as Catch-22. I believe it's a great book that shows you just how crazy war can be. My favorite character was Yossarian because I related closest to him. It's hard for me to imagine what it would be like to have to fly an armed aircraft over a battle zone and risk my life numerous times. Yossarian and I are on the same page. I've been taught that I am the most important person in the world to myself just as you should be the most important person to yourself. Every decision that I make will always effect my life therefore I am the most important person to me. Yossarian is much like me because he values his life a lot. He doesn't understand why he should have to go to war and risk his life for his country, because he could die while in battle and not get to enjoy what he is fighting for. I think Joseph Heller did a wonderful job in letting the readers get a feel for the insanity that war brings to people. Many of the soldiers started out as sane human beings, but the effect the war had on those men was horrific. Think of how crazy you would have to be to fly a jet, that you know will get attacked, over a battle zone for 50 or 60 times. Several men realized how much danger they were in, and they would try to get out of battle by making excuses or faking illnesses. I think that if I was in their situation, I would've done the same thing. My least favorite character was Colonel Cathcart, because he kept increasing the number of flights that the men had to take. All the men got their hopes up when they were near the required amount of missions, but Colonel Cathcart would make the amount needed a little higher each time so that the men would have to stay and fight. Imagine how frustrating and disappointing that would be. Every time you got close to your goal, it was always set a little higher. After a while the soldiers started to give up hope, because they realized they would never reach the amount required. Overall this was an interesting read. I was often confused due to the craziness of the characters, but I believe that that craziness is what made the book so good. It brought a weird humor to the story and lightened up the atmosphere.
Rating:
Summary: the best book in the world
Review: this is probably one of the greatest literary works ever. Life is one big Catch 22 when you think about it. I have a dating theory about Catch 22's that's very nice.If u'd like to hear it email me. Oh, and if you really like this book, but are a fairly illiterate goon, find out who T.S elliot is, it will be alot more humerouse.
Rating:
Summary: "I see everything twice!"
Review: Who is more dangerous to your sense of self-preservation, the enemy soldier who wants to kill you, or the superior officer who orders you into hostile fire? Joseph Heller took everything that is wrong and insane about war and bureaucracy and turned it loose onto the pages of CATCH-22. Time does not progress in a linear fashion is this book. Characters that are furious when the minimum number of bomb-missions to be flown is raised to sixty are later appalled when it is raised to thirty. The pilots and crew are trapped in an endless circle of logic, time and red tape. Yossarian's attempts to preserve his life end with him exactly in the same place that he was before. Everything is structured so that escape is completely impossible. All the regulations and requirements keep looping around back upon themselves leaving Yoassarian with no options left. The strange and bizarre characters that Heller created are really what give the book its teeth. Virtually every character has constructed a routine for himself (since this is set in the male-dominated military camps of WWII, just about all of the major characters are men) that distances him from the actual war effort. The leaders bury themselves into the deep sands of regulation and order, and grapple with tough problems like paperwork, the military hierarchy and organizing parades. The soldiers spend their time drinking, having sex with Italian prostitutes, getting into bar-fights or trying to get rich. What is interesting is that almost none of the characters even mention the opposing side in the war. CATCH-22's war is not about bravery or heroics, it is about selfishness and greed and insanity. I disagree with those reviewers who have said that the order of the book appears random, as if Heller had written the book in a straightforward fashion and then merely shuffled the chapters around. With the book written in this way, we see the development of certain characters within their own bubble of time, freed from the distractions that other characters and their unrelated subplots would bring. It allows Heller to bring specific themes to the foreground when they are needed or let them sit in the background when they are not. This is a really excellent book and I highly recommend it. I rate it at five stars because I honestly cannot find any fault with it. The book moves effortlessly from hilarity to tragedy while pausing only briefly to look at how the individual deals with the horror of war. Everything in this book is absolutely and hilariously absurd. One of Yossarian's friends, Milo, owns so many supplies and controls so much of the market that he is able to buy eggs at seven cents each, sell them at five cents and still run a handsome profit. A computer with a sense of humour decides to promote a man to major based purely on the fact that his last name (and his middle and first names) are the same word as the position. This is a must read for everyone. The illogic will delight you, the humour will tickle you, and the reality of it all will scare the hell out of you. Note: The Everyman's Library edition contains a new introduction by Malcolm Bradbury, a timeline for notable events in the period during which the book is set and the preface that Heller himself wrote for the 1994 re-issue. If you are planning on buying this book, I recommend getting the Everyman's Library edition, as the added features are quite worth it. Plus, it comes with one of those built-in cloth bookmarks that are so handy.
Rating:
Summary: IRRESISTIBLE.
Review: A Book so full of invention, you are left breathless. There's every chance in the world that Joseph Heller is a genius.
Rating:
Summary: great book
Review: Even though this book was written many years ago I still recommend it for any one. It talks about the war, but it is really about the craziness of line. You do not have to in the middle of gunfire to realize that life is really a battlefield - a battlefield of the mind. A great book.
Rating:
Summary: Catch-22, witty, insightful, incredibly tragic and hilarious
Review: In "Catch-22", Joseph Heller paints an incredibly ludicrous, and simultaneously realistic, view of one man against the military-industrial complex. His writing style is difficult to get accustomed to, however once the reader starts thinking like Yossarian, every page is a welcome adventure. Joseph Heller weaves his tale with great skill, taking the reader from ironic situations so funny you *will* laugh out loud, to mind-numbing tragedy on the same page. My personal favorite? Colonel Cathcart, and his 'feathers in his cap' and 'black eyes'. I recommend this novel to anyone with a slightly twisted sense of humor, rest assured you will have your eyes opened.
Rating:
Summary: Probably the greatest American novel of the 20th Century...
Review: The way the logic of the book is twisted into the narrative is awesome- such as Heller's description about one lieutennant being attractive, intelligent, friendly, polite etc. , and therefore everyone hated him. My favorite instance of this logic is the best come-back to the "What if everybody did that?" attack: "Then I'd be a damned fool to do otherwise!" I also liked the "It's better to live on one's feet than die on one's knees" exchange. Read the book, get it: there's enough density, puns, and jokes here that you'll find things you didn't 4 re-readings later!
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