Catch 22

on
Again and Again
By Joseph Heller
American, 1961
Black Comedy, Satire, War, Historical 

Top Attractions  

1. Dark humour
2. Chapter long punchlines
3. Tonnes of events
4. Lots of unique characters
5. Must re-read it
6. You’ll cry or come close
7. Raw and honest parts
8. Raw and memorable parts
9. Multiple: What am I reading?
10. That ending!


Video Postcard
Coming Soon!


Travel Advisory:

It'll make you question your sanity by causing you to laugh, out loud, alone.... repeatedly.  Then laugh in memory at the most inappropriate times.  Forcing you to explain yourself.  But laughter is good.. right? 

Cuisine & Delicacies

Ranked as: Mystery Meat
In all honesty, many people will not finish this one.  It’s disjointed and reads like 50 war veterans in a room shouting about their experiences in the military.  By the end, if you finish, you’ll be as confused as a fan of Ulysses or Infinite Jest.  I’m sure the more recipes you create for this mystery meat read, the more you can enjoy it.  In other words, it’s an acquired taste that gets better with each reading.  


Why Visit Here?

It’s essentially a potpourri of stories.  They piece together an event or the plot line.  The end solution is so simple it’s almost comical how simple it is.  In this book, some of the events are so damn funny you have to laugh out loud, even when alone.  It’s also believable.  How could some of it not happen.  That’s why it’s so damn funny.  Then again, I remember very little of this book’s mash up of events.

The very premise is funny as hell.  He wants to be crazy to get out of having to fight in the war.  If he wants that, he cannot be crazy so he must stay in and fight.  What’s left for him to do?  Simply fight.

Packing List
  • A box of tissues for heavy laughing.
  • Sense of abandon.  Settle in for pages of nonsense that lead up to an amazing single punchline.
  • Any tragic military movie of your choice so it can remind you of the gut wrenching that is war.
    • Platoon (1985)
    • Enemy at the Gates (2001)
    • Schindler’s List (1993)
  • A parody of the military movie genre to sharpen your ability for understanding dark humour
    • Apocalypse Now (1979)
    • Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Recommended Resources:
Film Adaptations:

Catch-22 (1970), Directed by Mike Nichols



M*A*S*H* (1970), Directed Robert Altman.  I’m sure was inspired by this book.










Alternate Books:

  • Probably anything by Kurt Vonnegut
  • Coming Soon!!

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