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 Age of Surveillance Capitalism
How Will You Measure Your Life?
In-N-Out Burger
The Hot Hand
The American Story
A Peace to End All Peace
The Infidel and the Professor
The British Are Coming
How to Read a Book
Happy Money
Beat the Wealth Management Hustle
Search Inside Yourself
More Than You Know
A Hall of Mirrors
The Great Book of Amber
Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero
Talent
Believe Me
Superforecasting
100 Deadly Skills
Billion Dollar Whale
A History of Rome
The Art of Possibility
The Neverending Story
The Essential Scratch & Sniff Guide to Becoming a Whiskey Know-It-All
The Aspirational Investor
101 Things I Learned in Engineering School
The Net & The Butterfly
Endure
The Story of Civilization: The Age of Louis XIV
The Psychology of Intelligence Analysis
Something Incredibly Wonderful Happens
Oranges
The Constitutional Convention
Trillion Dollar Triage
The Book of Why
The Skeptical Environmentalist
Scaling People
The Little Book of Bull Moves
The Box
Einstein
Prof. Arnold Ehret's Mucusless Diet Healing System
The Surrender Experiment
The Best We Could Do
Double your Profits
The Clash of the Cultures
Hidden Repression
Blue Ocean Strategy
Tales of the Unexpected
Mohandas K. Ghandi
Making The Modern World
Power Failure
Homo Deus
The Fear Book
Viral
Technopoly
Q.E.D.
The Airbnb Story
Army Of None
Natural Capitalism
The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross
No Bullshit Guide to Math and Physics
Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Barbarians At The Gate
Paradigms
Matthew Barney & Elizabeth Peyton
An Autobiography of Anthony Trollope
The True Believer
Modern Man in Search of a Soul
Rubicon
Nonviolent Communication
The Hate U Give
The Science of Success
A Mathematician's Apology
Chasing Hillary
Maps of Meaning
Golden Gates
A History of the Mind
Not The End of the World
The Talent Code
Margin of Safety
Stretching the School Dollar
My Forty Years with Ford
The Inner Lives of Markets
Confidence Game
A Year with Rumi
Dream Big
Originals
Endurance
The Man Who Fed The World
You Can Be a Stock Market Genius
Freakonomics
The Story of Civilization: The Reformation
Every Life Is On Fire
Measure What Matters
Black Edge
Traction
The Happiness Hypothesis
The Weather Makers
Night Sky with Exit Wounds