Notes on Heller's "Catch 22"

View books by C. A. Peek.

An enticing read, both thrilling and thought provoking - Rated
Catch 22 follows the attempts of Yossarian, (modeled on Joseph Heller himself), a bombardier in the US Army Air Corps, to have himself disqualified from flying missions on the grounds that he is insane.

He wishes to do this so that he does not have to face the terrors of the German anti aircraft guns the threaten to shoot down his plane and kill the entire crew every time he takes to the air.

There is only one problem - if you want to fly you must be mad, so if you don't want to fly you must be sane and therefore are OK to carry on with the bombing raids and this is our hero's(?) dilemma.

Catch 22 is an extremely witty book following Yossarian's and his friends adventures. Heller has filled his book with Catch 22's as we know them today, characters like the paltry Major Major, who because of his name, which he has the misfortune to bear and this alone has achieved his rank. In order to speak with the good Major one must wait until he is unavailable at which time the interview can begin, (it never does).

Milo Minderbender the entrepreneur of the company is another of these characters who swaps the airmen's parachutes for share certificates and then sells them on to whoever will have them, "for the good of the country", Milo goes about setting up M&M enterprises who's defining moment comes when they bomb there own Airfield in order to save planes and time and to get rid of some much hated cotton which he has accumulated.

Joseph Heller is a master story teller and in this book has created an excellent read, I would thoroughly recommend this book