Catch-22

Joseph Heller

Recommended By

Book Reviews

Book Synopsis

"Catch-22" by Joseph Heller is a satirical novel set during World War II. It tells the story of Captain John Yossarian, an American bombardier trying to maintain his sanity amidst the chaos and illogical bureaucracy of the military. The title refers to a paradoxical bureaucratic rule that makes it impossible for soldiers to escape dangerous situations or be considered insane if they seek to. Yossarian and his fellow soldiers face absurd challenges, including the relentless pursuit of missions that often result in death, a corrupt and indifferent hierarchy, and the constant fear of losing their lives. Heller’s brilliant use of dark humor and absurdity reveals the insanity of war and questions the logic of the institutions that perpetuate it. Through a series of interconnected vignettes and flashbacks, the novel explores the themes of trauma, mortality, loyalty, and the fragility of the human spirit. It confronts readers with the absurdity of war and the inherent contradictions that accompany it, leaving them pondering the true meaning of courage, morality, and human nature. Heller’s masterful storytelling, comic style, and biting commentary make "Catch-22" a timeless classic that continues to resonate with readers, reminding us of the inherent absurdities and paradoxes present in our own society.

Explore More Books

See All
The Biggest Con
The Cost Of Hope
The Art of Asking
A Technique for Producing Ideas
When Prophecy Fails
The Dream Machine
Traction
The New One
The Fourth Revolution
Superintelligence
Twilight of the Bombs
Certain To Win
Bobby Kennedy
Mapping the Mind
Vasistha's Yoga
Free Women, Free Men
Liberating Learning
Energy Myths and Realities
Learned Optimism
High
The Complete Novels of Jane Austen
The Singularity Is Near
Happy Money
Little, Big
An Unquiet Mind
The Giving Tree
Something Like an Autobiography
Mission
American Crusade
Our Mathematical Universe
The Adventures of Henry Thoreau
Walking
A Shot To Save The World
An Elegant Defense
What is Life?
Energy Transitions
The Enchiridion
Foundation and Empire
On the Genealogy of Morals
Mess
Fallen Dragon
Stories of Your Life and Others
The Romance of American Communism
Secrets of Sand Hill Road
The Devil in the White City
On Trails
The Economics of Microfinance
A History of Western Technology
A Universe From Nothing
More From Less
The Skeptical Environmentalist
Rational Expectations
Being Wrong
Malabar Farm
Where Mountains Roar
Thinking with Type
Code
Andrew Carnegie
The Wisdom of Crowds
Elvis Cole Series
The 48 Laws of Power
Layered Money
How Nature Works
The Future Is Asian
The Black Dahlia
Misbehaving
Alice in Wonderland
Only the Paranoid Survive
Startup
Walden
Work Rules!
Obsession
The Body Keeps The Score
Painting and Experience in Fifteenth-Century Italy
The Big Test
Kill It With Fire
Visual Explanations
Tales of the Unexpected
Rainbows End
The Blind Watchmaker
Powerful
The Story of Design
The Ones We Have Been Waiting For
What Do People Do All Day?
Be the Person You Want to Find
Turtles All The Way Down
Good To Great
The Princeton Companion to Mathematics
Linchpin
Home Game
The Dragons of Eden
The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers
The Aeneid
Jack
The Middle Kingdoms
The Curse of the Mogul
Modern Times
All Marketers are Liars
Deep Learning
Bass Culture