Catch-22

Reviewed by Lauren Bocknek
//"Being born with a sickly resemblance to Henry Fonda was the first of a long series of practical jokes of which destiny was to make Major Major the unhappy victim throughout his joyless life. Being born Major Major Major was the second. . . . "// (Heller).

//Catch-22// by Joseph Heller is the hysterical antiwar novel that follows the absurd occurrences of Yossarian, a pilot in the U.S. Airforce during World War II, stationed on the small island of Pianosa. Yossarian defies war and his superiors by simply trying to save his own life from the bureaucratic words of Catch-22, which states no insane pilot may fly a plane, but if a pilot does not want to fly, he is obviously sane and, therefore, has to fly. His misadventures lead him to a colorful life of nakedness, Milo Minderbinder: capitalist genius, the howling Hungry Joe, and far more insanity and nonsense.

This novel incorporates World War II from the perspective of an American soldier. Though there is no mention of the Holocaust, the book touches on the absurdity of war and how easily interchangeable one life is with another during a time of war. Pianosa, the island Yossarian is stationed, is positioned near Italy and the mention of major battles in Rome, Naples, and Florence were vaguely described. The war itself, however, is only intimately discussed with random acts of bombings and explosions leading up to the violent and inevitable deaths of many of Yossarian's comrades.

Heller's //Catch-22// contradicts the writing style of many antiwar novels. The lack of plot, the random events, and the humor all symbolize and point to the main themes of the story, yet makes reading about a non-laughing matter hilarious. Each scene is abnormal and incredibly original, but after awhile, melt together and //Catch-22// becomes a bit long winded and its events are difficult to distinguish. Overall, Heller's classic is enjoyable to read and guaranteed to make you laugh.

//Catch-22// is a challenging book around 450 pages long but it's difficulty should not deter you from picking up this novel. With all of its rigor, //Catch-22// is still recommended, but be warned, patience is definitely needed.

Reviewed by Calvin Yu
//Catch-22// is a superbly written antiwar book by Joseph Heller. It is an absurdly funny book that will keep you laughing until the end and is one of the best books ever written.

In the book People Yossarian (the protagonist) hasn’t even met are trying to kill him. He tells everyone, but everyone thinks he’s crazy. The book takes many twists and turns and will keep you laughing until the end.

  __WARNING!!!__ This is __NOT__ a book for people who don’t like reading long books (about 460 pages) and/or people who have a short attention span. If your looking for a challenge this is a book for you.