Catch-22

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There was a time when reading Joseph Heller's classic satire on the murderous insanity of war was nothing less than a rite of passage. Echoes of Yossarian, the wise-ass bombardier who was too smart to die but not smart enough to find a way out of his predicament, could be heard throughout the counterculture. As a result, it's impossible not to consider Catch-22 to be something of a period piece. But 40 years on, the novel's undiminished strength is its looking-glass logic. Again and again, Heller's characters demonstrate that what is commonly held to be good, is bad; what is sensible, is nonsense.

Yossarian says, "You're talking about winning the war, and I am talking about winning the war and keeping alive."
"Exactly," Clevinger snapped smugly. "And which do you think is more important?"
"To whom?" Yossarian shot back. "It doesn't make a damn bit of difference who wins the war to someone who's dead."
"I can't think of another attitude that could be depended upon to give greater comfort to the enemy."
"The enemy," retorted Yossarian with weighted precision, "is anybody who's going to get you killed, no matter which side he's on."
Mirabile dictu, the book holds up post-Reagan, post-Gulf War. It's a good thing, too. As long as there's a military, that engine of lethal authority, Catch-22 will shine as a handbook for smart-alecky pacifists. It's an utterly serious and sad, but damn funny book.

Book Description

Catch-22 is like no other novel. It is one of the funniest books ever written, a keystone work in American literature, and even added a new term to the dictionary.

At the heart of Catch-22 resides the incomparable, malingering bombardier, Yossarian, a hero endlessly inventive in his schemes to save his skin from the horrible chances of war. His efforts are perfectly understandable because as he furiously scrambles, thousands of people he hasn't even met are trying to kill him. His problem is Colonel Cathcart, who keeps raising the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service. Yet if Yossarian makes any attempts to excuse himself from the perilous missions that he is committed to flying, he is trapped by the Great Loyalty Oath Crusade, the hilariously sinister bureaucratic rule from which the book takes its title: a man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but if he makes the necessary formal request to be relieved of such missions, the very act of making the request proves that he is sane and therefore ineligible to be relieved.

Catch-22 is a microcosm of the twentieth-century world as it might look to some one dangerously sane -- a masterpiece of our time.

Customer Reviews:

Painfully poignant.......2007-10-06

It seems most criticism of this book on the site asserts claims of dull repetitiveness and trite anti-war arguments. Even Yossarian however admits that the war against Germany had to be fought (of course to know this you would have had to get past the first hundred pages as so few of the critics have).
The book is about capitalism, relationships, friendship, duty, service, love and the eternal paradox inherent in each. There is something human in this book that touches us as the reader in the depths of their humanity and throws us naked from the tree of knowledge (and good and evil too!) into the world around us. Enjoy the fall!

Keeps me laughing.......2007-09-26

This book is absolutely hilarious. I didn't expect that I would like it, but I have found it extremely enjoyable. Despite the age of the book, the humor is pretty relevant considering the situation of the world today. This is definitely turning into one of my favorite books.

Favorite Book of All Time.......2007-09-25

Simply brilliant. Requires some effort, but it is so worth it. Amazingly ironic and truthful throughout, I can read this masterpiece again and again. Highly highly recommended.

What a story!.......2007-09-22

Catch 22 was written before MASH became a TV show. This book has action and tells what goes on when our soldiers are not fighting. Make love,not war!

War is hellarious.......2007-09-15

A very, very funny book. Damn sad too, when you see that nothing's changed in 50 or 2,000 years. We're still killing strangers in the name of our flag while the men who send us to be killed make vast fortunes from the deaths of endless innnocents.
I'm guessing they don't make recruits read this during base camp.
It would empty out rather quickly...

Average customer rating:

The Foremost Aviator of his Generation
Lucky
Great Read
Pleasant, self-aware reflections of a WWII hero
i highly recommend this book

I Could Never Be So Lucky Again
James Doolittle , and Carroll V. Glines
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0553584642
Release Date: 2001-04-24

Book Description

After Pearl Harbor, he led America’s flight to victory

General Doolittle is a giant of the twentieth century. He did it all.

As a stunt pilot, he thrilled the world with his aerial acrobatics. As a scientist, he pioneered the development of modern aviation technology.

During World War II, he served his country as a fearless and innovative air warrior, organizing and leading the devastating raid against Japan immortalized in the film Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo.

Now, for the first time, here is his life story — modest, revealing, and candid as only Doolittle himself can tell it.

Customer Reviews:

The Foremost Aviator of his Generation.......2007-10-08

"I Could Never Be So Lucky Again" is the personal memoir of James Harold (Jimmy) Doolittle as told to Carroll Glines. Jimmy Doolittle was simply the foremost aviator of his generation.

No one else even comes close.

He was born in Alameda, CA in 1896, the son of a carpenter. He spent much of his childhood in Nome, AK. His parents split up and he and his mother moved to Los Angeles. As a child he was taught boxing to properly channel his pugnacious disposition. He attended Manual Arts High School and was initially a mediocre student.

In another book, Frank Capra describes Manual Arts as the school that got the students Los Angeles High School didn't want. Interestingly enough both the famous movie director Frank Capra and Jimmy Doolittle were classmates as well as gymnastics team members. This high school was pivotal in Doolittle's life. It was where he met Josephine Daniels. Josephine was at the top of their class. Doolittle modified his behavior becoming a better student and goal oriented in order to be worthy of Josephine.

Jimmy became an Army aviator. He immediately displayed considerable talent along with a wild streak which aggravated his commanding officer. Fortunately Mrs. Doolittle proved to be a moderating influence on her husband. Along with his flying excellence, LT. Doolittle earned one of the first doctorates in Aeronautical Sciences from MIT. He led a team that standardized aircraft control panels. Doolittle was the first to make an all instrument flight, taking off and landing his plane (within feet of the take-off point) while the cockpit windows were covered.

He set numerous aviation records and won every major air race. Despite this, he remained a 1st LT in the Air Force. Peacetime promotions were slow. Even with his air race winnings, he needed more money to support his family. He accepted an executive position with Royal Dutch Shell.

Doolittle returned to active duty as Lieutenant Colonel. In this capacity he planned, executed and led a bombing attack on Tokyo. This was the only time land based bombers were launched from aircraft carriers. Most of the planes did drop their bombs over Tokyo. It was also the first successful attack on the Japanese home islands in recorded history. However none of the planes survived the mission and Doolittle was ordered back to Washington.

Instead of a court martial, he was promoted to Brigadier General and awarded the Medal of Honor.

This may seem like the reviewer has told the whole book but don't worry there's a lot more for the reader to enjoy. The book is well written, never drags and sets a comfortable pace. It is full of interesting stories and facts. Mr. Glines has a proven track record as aviation historian and his expertise shows.

Any money spent on this book would be well spent.

Lucky.......2007-02-04

This book is for the fans of "The Greatest Generation"-type books. Both Patton and Macarthur got cinematic limelight, but we hear less about Admiral Nimitz, and even less about Doolittle. This book completes the Temple of the World War II Titans.

As I read, two things impressed me. First was Doolittle's down-to-earth and conversational style. I felt like he was sitting next to me, chatting on the on the golf course, and just reminiscing between tees. The second was the drastic changes in flight that occurred during his fourscore and ten years. He saw aviation from the Wrights brothers to the Space Shuttle. All in one lifetime!

I was also surprised how involved he was in developing aviation technology--he had a hand in the modern cockpit instrumentation. Things such as the artificial horizon, radar, and the dashboard layout came, in part, from him.

Other surprising things were behind-the-scene info Billy Mitchell, supply problem in WWII, and also the three friendly fire incident he was involved with. It puts a perspective on the current conflagration.

In order to round out the book, you need two supplementals. The first is to see "Patton." Doolittle provided the air cover for Old Blood and Guts, and the book contains many references and quotes from Patton. Yes, he was accurately portrayed in the movie, except for his voice. Doolittle mention he had a high, almost feminine quality to his voice, which explains his potty tongue.

The second is to read "Catch-22." Yes, Heller is writing about serving under Doolittle. As I read, I wondered if Dreedle=Doolittle.

This book is even-tampered in its approach to war. It is not as idealized as John Wayne, but did not swerve into the demoralizing MASH or Platoon.

Great Read.......2006-11-10

I really enjoyed this book. Doolittle was your classic underachiever in school and had what some could call a troubled youth. This book paints the picture of a guy who overcomes those shortcomings to excell in life. Along the way he provides a few hints on how to be more effective in your own life. A great view into one of Americas true heros.

Pleasant, self-aware reflections of a WWII hero.......2006-06-01

A pleasant, easy read, I Could Never Be So Lucky Again contains the self-aware reflections of a World War II hero and one of the giants of military aviation, General James Doolittle. The book starts with the real climax of his story, the surprise air raid over Japan a year after Pearl Harbor that was a huge morale boost to America. After pulling you in with that story, Gen. Doolittle starts back at the beginning, and just works his way through his life, telling interesting anecdotes and offering personal reflections along the way.

The book's title is apt: this guy crashed more airplanes and had more close calls than I imagined someone could, without a scratch to show for it. His worst injury wasn't even from flying, but came from showing off some stunt moves in South America, when he fell from a second story balcony. He lived a full life--stunt pilot, doctorate from MIT in aeronautical engineering, military aviator, national hero, business leader.

But don't expect an engrossing thriller that yanks you through the book. At times he goes into excruciating details, especially about air raids during his time in the African and European theaters in WWII. And in terms of excitement, the Tokyo bombing raid is definitely the peak of his life, after which he became a general and wasn't even allowed to fly on missions over enemy territory. How exciting can planning strategic bombing and selling aviation fuel be?

Yet he really lets you into his heart, more than you would expect from a crusty old general from his generation. He loved his wife, whom he knew to be a huge support and foundation for his successes--she shows up in almost every chapter (and plays sweetly in the books final lines). His reflections often turn to regrets and mistakes he made, such as a serious faux pas during his first meeting with General Eisenhower. He allows his humanity to show through, and gives you a chance to learn from his mistakes. As a result, I left knowing that this national hero didn't deserve a pedestal after all--which I almost think is the way Doolittle wanted it.

i highly recommend this book.......2004-03-02

James H. Doolittle (Jimmy) went to school in Los Angeles where he became interested in airplanes and engines. During college he joined the Army and went to flying school. After flying school he received his pilot's license and became a stunt pilot. He than married Josephine Daniels (Joe.) Than in 1941 World War 2 broke out and President Roosevelt wants to attack the home islands of Japan. For some reason Jimmy ends up leading it. They succeeded but have to bail out over China. When he returns he gets chosen by General Eisenhower to lead the invasion of Africa. While he was in Africa the German code "Ultra" was broken, giving America the advantage over Germany. The War in Europe ends and he gets transferred to the Pacific to "end the war." Jimmy never flies a mission and the war ends with the dropping of two atomic bombs. Although the war has ended the fight begins in Washington to create a new but equally powerful service to be known as the Air Force. They also wanted there to be a Department of National Defense; this is harder due to the Navy. After the Air Force and the D.N.D. are established the Korean War breaks out and ends. After this war General Dwight Eisenhower (Ike) becomes the president of America. More happens I'm just not going to tell you the ending...
This book includes a great amount of detail and knowledge of the 2nd World War. It tells you a little to a lot about most of the battles that occurred during the war. It really shows the depth of the war.
The only part I don't think works is how the beginning takes place during the 1940's. The 2nd chapter tells about his childhood.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who's interested in World War 2, airplanes, aircraft technology, the history of Shell, or anyone who needs to read an autobiography.

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Catch-22

Manufacturer: Simon and Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: B000BJV3E2

Product Description

1961 Simon and Schuster hardback, reprint edition distributed by Bookthrift, New York, with classic blue cover. Jacket has minor shelf wear and small tear. Small inscription and ink stamp on inside cover. Will ship internationally. Fast shipping from NYC.

Coping With Depression: From Catch-22 to Hope

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Best Book I've ever read on the subject
Learn the latest facts about depression
Buy This Book: For Sufferers and Caretakers Alike

Coping With Depression: From Catch-22 to Hope
Jon G. Allen
Manufacturer: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1585622117

Product Description

Distilling years of experience in educating psychiatric patients and their families about depression, Jon Allen has written a practical book that addresses the challenges depressed patients face on the road to recovery. Allen advocates approaching depression by focusing on the importance of hope, and he helps patients understand depression through two simple ideas: catch-22 and stress pileup. This book conveys how the symptoms of depression impede all the things depressed persons must do to recover, thus defusing self-criticism while encouraging patients to take satisfaction in small steps toward improvement. And the concept of stress pileup encompasses a developmental perspective respecting the full range of accumulated biological, psychological, and interpersonal stresses that play into depression. This broad understanding helps patients become more compassionate toward themselves and puts them in a stronger position to make use of professional care.
Coping With Depression is written for a general audience, including depressed persons and their family members, as well as professionals seeking a readable integration of current knowledge that they can use to educate their patients. Although written in nontechnical language, the book provides a sophisticated and comprehensive understanding of the psychological development of depression, the neurobiology of the illness, and the full range of evidence-based treatment modalities. All material is buttressed by extensive references to theoretical, clinical, and research literature.
Coping With Depression emphasizes the concept of agency, encouraging readers to take an active role in their recovery. Countering today's trend toward exclusive reliance on antidepressant medication, the book employs the perspective of developmental psychopathology to integrate psychosocial and neurobiological knowledge. The book explains how biological vulnerability is intertwined with stress stemming from insecure attachment, childhood adversity, stressful life events, emotional conflicts, and problems in close relationships. Going far beyond the "chemical imbalance," the author illustrates how the experience of depression is linked to changes in patterns of brain activity as evidenced by neuroimaging studies. Coping With Depression will help readers

understand the development of depression from a biopsychosocial perspective
appreciate how depression is compounded by related conditions, including bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, personality disorders, general medical conditions, and suicidal states
understand how recovering from depression entails working on many fronts, including improving physical health, participating in pleasurable activities, countering negative thinking, resolving internal conflicts, and-above all-establishing more stable and secure attachment relationships
become knowledgeable about the treatment options that facilitate coping, including cognitive-behavioral, interpersonal, and psychodynamic psychotherapy as well as medication and combined treatment
appreciate the centrality of hope in recovery from depression and the challenges to hope that depression poses

To maintain hope, patients, their family members, and clinicians must face the seriousness of the illness of depression and the daunting obstacles to recovery, including catch-22 in all of its manifestations. Throughout the book, Allen reiterates the theme of agency: depressed persons can use their intelligence to understand their illness and do something to recover and remain well, making use of help from others along the way.

Customer Reviews:

Best Book I've ever read on the subject.......2007-09-30

Dr. Allen has written an excellent book on the realities of living with depression. His compassion and understanding come from years of working with patients with severe, difficult to treat episodes of mental illnesses. I was fortunate to have been able to receive education and treatment from Dr. Allen at the Menninger Clinic in Houston,Texas. With help from Dr. Allen and the rest of the staff, I have been able to better cope with my depression and anxiety than ever before. I have suffered from depression and anxiety for over 20 years, and this book helps to bring me back to stability every time and to again restore hope. It is as if I have been able to bring home one of the most valuable portions of my treatment home to return to again and again as I need the help. Those of you who are not familiar with the Menninger Clinic should be aware that it is one of the top hospitals in the world for the treatment of difficult to treat mental illnesses. This is also an excellent book for sufferers to share with family and friend who are open to learning more about the realities of living with the illness.

This is not a quick read but it is worth the time it takes to read and absorb it. Although he does not sugar-coat the experience of the illness, he walks us through it and back out again to find hope.

People who have suffered from trauma may also want to read "Coping With Trauma" by Dr. Allen.

Learn the latest facts about depression.......2007-04-20

This book is an excellent survey of the latest ideas and theories about depression. The book contains up-to-date research with over 500 literature citations throughout the text. In contrast to some experts, the author believes that mood changes are not just due to a single neurotransmitter (such as serotonin). Rather the increase in synaptice levels of neurochemical levels leads to a cascade of changes in the neurons.

Cognitive therapy was pointed out to be an effective, proven method of dealing with depression. This therapy involves identifying automatic negative thoughts, challenging them, examining the evidence for the thoughts, and brainstorming for other alternatives.

Among the best strategies for getting yourself out of a bad mood is to exercise. Regular aerobic exercise at 70% maximum heart rate seems best.

Manic episodes in polar depression can be brought on by sleep schedule disruption. Also, positive life events like a promotion or new romance can trigger mania. This notion goes along with my struggles with polar. The times I've experienced a mania phase have been times of major achievemnet.

If you want the lastest ideas about depression, this is the book for you.

Buy This Book: For Sufferers and Caretakers Alike.......2006-12-05

People who are depressed often have impaired concentration and attention spans. People who are living with or caring for depressed people often have no real clue what the difference is between "ordinary depression" and "clinical depression" and how many kinds of clinical depression there are, etc. This book is written with all these factors in mind. I recommend you read it slowly from beginning to end but if you need to just go to the chapter that addresses what you are experiencing or need to understand the chapters stand alone as well and are broken up into Boldly Headed segments to easily find and re-find the parts of the book one might need to read and re-read over and over to really absorb all the various parts that make up this complex, widely suffered yet misunderstood disease. Most of all, Dr. Allen's compassion and wisdom for his patients and for trying to write a book that is truly accessible is what separates this book from most others. There is nothing gimicky about this book. He makes no claims to "quick fixes" or "magical remedies". But he is highly qualified both professionally and personally to guide the reader to a better understanding and even hope. I recommend this and "The Noonday Demon" by Andrew Solomon as the two best books to buy on depression if you can only get two.

Average customer rating:

A Great Read
The insanity and inanity of war

Catch-22
Joseph Heller
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0099477319

Customer Reviews:

A Great Read.......2007-06-04

This was a very popular book when it first came out. Millions of copies were sold in the paperback version in the 1960s. There are a few different versions on the market. The present version has an introduction by the author in which he describes the process of getting the manuscript accepted for publication, and then he describes the first book reviews after it came out. It was his first novel and he received a $1500. advance. The book was written after he taught English composition at Penn. State and while he was working in the advertising business in New York City in the 1950s .

When the book first appeared, the reviews were mixed. The Sunday Times, for example, thought that the book was far too "repetitious" and it lacked "craft and sensibility." But a reviewer from the Herald tribune in New York thought it was "a wild, moving, shocking, hilarious, raging, exhilarating, giant roller coaster ride of a book." Those two reviews summarize the basic traits of the book. I quote Joseph Heller himself who wrote a piece on the reviews in the introduction.

The reviews were not unanimous because - and this is a simplification that I make here - this is not a novel in the purest sense as one might think of a novel such as Madame Bovary. It is not a well balanced work of art where one has a few strong characters and a strong plot. Rather, it is a wandering story or a series of short stories all linked by a common protagonist. The hero, Yossarian, is an air crew member in a bomber wing which is stationed off the coast of Italy during World War II. The book has a series of strong characters, all held together by a weak plot; it is a series of very funny portraits of various characters in the bomber wing. Each chapter is about a different member of the wing: various colonels, generals, fellow crew members, the chaplain, etc. It describes their actions, motivations, and inner thoughts.

The book describes how they cope with the isolation, the pressures of war, and the ambitions of the regular officers, especially the colonels who want to become generals.

So, this is a great piece of literature but perhaps not the great American novel. It took Joseph Heller about 8 years to write this story of World War II, and we assume that he has drawn on his knowledge of the bomber wing from his own time in the air-force. It is irreverent humor which leaves the reader laughing out loud on many occasions during the read.

The only other similar book that I have read is Slaughterhouse Five, but the present work is much longer and more complex than that book.

This is an interesting and entertaining read that can be read in a day or two.

The insanity and inanity of war.......2006-07-15

War, for all its glory, gore, bloodshed, tragedy and horror, in the end is often one continuous story of insanity and inanity. People find themselves in circumstances that to the outsider, might seem quite funny. So goes this book; Catch-22, by Joseph Heller. Probably one of the great 20th century classics in war literature along with "Farewell to Arms" and "All Quiet on the Western Front", this is the ultimate tragi-comedy of WW2. Based on the life of a group of bomber pilots based in Italy; the story focuses on Yosarian, and his group of buddies who do their best to survive the war, execute their missions, avoid their commanding officers, lay with hot nurses and escape vengeful widows of slain comrades. As the war progresses and their comrades are killed in bunches and spurts, the remainder find various ways to cope with the emotional loss and the inevitable sense of doom. They all want to go home alive; but the only way to go home alive is to fly a required number of bombing runs. But each bombing run exposes you to death from enemy fire. So here is the catch; fly your runs as quick as possible, hope you survive each one, so you can go home after the last one. Or, try to postpone each flight you have to take knowing that you will live longer in the short run, but also knowing that you eventually will have to fly them. The risk with the latter is that you might also get killed in other ways on the ground; example is Yosarian's friend - Hungry Joe who suffocates to death in his sleep because a cat slept on his face. In between the author shows in funny detail the life of soldiers, and those civilians who have to put up with them. The loss of life throughout the book keeps the tears flowing after you stop crying from the absurd comedy. This book is quite a classic of 20th century English literature, though it is probably not appropriate for anyone under high school.

Slow Walk in a Sad Rain: The Catch-22 of Vietnam

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Point of view
A Great Book
Great Book About a Confusing Little War

Slow Walk in a Sad Rain: The Catch-22 of Vietnam
John P. McAfee
Manufacturer: Alexander Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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On Rims of Empty Moons

ASIN: 1570901775

Book Description

Hailed as the Catch-22 of the Vietnam war, it?s the poignant, darkly comic debut novel that established John P. McAfee, former Special Forces officer and combat veteran, as an extraordinary new voice in wartime fiction.

Customer Reviews:

Point of view.......2005-10-08

This story is very exciting in the sense it's as if a relative or friend were telling you a story. And war stories are always cool. It is an embellished truth, to make the event(s) more exciting. I know when ever I recall a story, I make it funnier or more dramatic then what took place, who hasn't? A slow walk in the sad rain is written very smartly, with a quick pace. There's a good story with great characters. I loved it because it's original, and I have yet to read anything like it.

A Great Book.......2003-02-03

This book is very intense, moving and offers an insight to how war is perceived by those induring the events first hand. I was pulled into the book by both it's writing and subject matter.

Great Book About a Confusing Little War.......2002-05-24

The book starts out fast and never slows down. It captures your attention with the all too real descriptions of the men in a US Army Special Forces detachment at a firebase in VietNam. The book pulls every emotion out of you from crying over the loss of a trooper to laughing with tears rolling down your cheeks at the attempts to get rid of an elephant carcass left over after a firefight with the NVA.

The only problem I have with this book is the over the top tales of American's having to hijack a helo in order to get out of an area where they found the CIA to be running drugs.

Book Description

The phrase Catch-22 has entered the language since this classic was published in 1961.

The title, Joseph Heller's Catch-22, part of Chelsea House Publishers' Modern Critical Interpretations series, presents the most important 20th-century criticism on Joseph Heller's Catch-22 through extracts of critical essays by well-known literary critics. This collection of criticism also features a short biography on Joseph Heller, a chronology of the author's life, and an introductory essay written by Harold Bloom, Sterling Professor of the Humanities, Yale University.

Customer Reviews:

This is my most favorite book.......2002-01-18

I read Catch-22 in my first semester of college in '91. What inspired me was a "Life in Hell" cartoon by Matt Groening about the stages of growing up. There's one frame captioned, "realizing that everything you've ever believed is a lie," which shows the wide-eyed Bongo reading Catch-22. My english teacher had also listed it as one of the books we should read sometime in our lives. It put into words a lot of disillusionment that I felt, and also I laughed really hard.

In-depth analysis for students.......2001-05-30

Three new additions to Harold Bloom's 'Modern Critical Interpretations' ($36.95 each) series will reach high school into college levels, compiling critical articles from a variety of sources and offering the in-depth analysis students will need to assist on detailed reports of an author's single work. Joseph Heller's Catch 22 (0-7910-5927-8) provides articles which examine how the sane can survive under insane wartime circumstances; Elie Wiesel's Night (5924-3) gathers critical writings on his story of life in a Nazi concentration camp, and the focus on Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings (5665-1) considers the contents and impact of the three-volume epic fantasy. All include essays by notable critics who offer different interpretations and focus perfect for classroom discussion or essay pursuit.

Average customer rating:

It was hard for me to be hard on this book
Past closing time for Heller
Closing Time on Catch-22
Not really a sequel.
Just Not the sAme ...

Closing Time: The Sequel to Catch-22
Joseph Heller
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0684804506

Book Description

A darkly comic and ambitious sequel to the American classic Catch-22.

In Closing Time, Joseph Heller returns to the characters of Catch-22, now coming to the end of their lives and the century, as is the entire generation that fought in World War II: Yossarian and Milo Minderbinder, the chaplain, and such newcomers as little Sammy Singer and giant Lew, all linked, in an uneasy peace and old age, fighting not the Germans this time, but The End. Closing Time deftly satirizes the realities and the myths of America in the half century since WWII: the absurdity of our politics, the decline of our society and our great cities, the greed and hypocrisy of our business and culture -- with the same ferocious humor as Catch-22.

Closing Time is outrageously funny and totally serious, and as brilliant and successful as Catch-22 itself, a fun-house mirror that captures, at once grotesquely and accurately, the truth about ourselves.

Customer Reviews:

It was hard for me to be hard on this book.......2007-06-02

I am a big Heller fan who has read most of his work and enjoyed almost every minute of it, but Closing Time was just a painful read.

The book is basically nothing more than a sub-par Catch-22. Heller attempts to catch some of the old magic, but Yossarian as a disappointed geriatric made me want to cry. I would much rather have kept Yossarian sitting naked in a tree inside of my imagination rather than ever see him as a feeble old man. I compare seeing him as a vulnerable old man to the feeling I had when, as a kid, I figured out my dad couldn't beat up everyone else's dad. I didn't want to see my dad as a mortal man nor did I want to see my favorite literary character as a mortal either.

Other than the disappointment of seeing my favorite characters as old timers, the book tries to read like its predecessor but falls very short. The humor is the same but the jokes have become as old and tired as the characters. Catch-22 had me rolling on the floor one minute and then crying a few minutes later, but this book had a few smirks and no tear jerkers. The conversation about where the water went (if you read the book you know what I am talking about) was a brief, shining moment among many lusterless ones.

I would advise anybody who is as big a fan of Catch-22 as I am not to even read this book, even if you get a free copy. I wish I hadn't. The image you want in your mind is Orr paddling away to freedom and Yossarian flying off into the sunset on his trail, but if you read this book that image will be gone forever.

Review from a huge fan of Catch-22 telling other fans do not read this book for your own good.

Past closing time for Heller.......2006-09-27

Joseph Heller's career path described a long slow decline. This book will be very depressing to anyone-- and I imagine this is every single one of its readers-- who reveled in the glorious transcendent wisdom/humor of "Catch-22." That's the only reason to read it and precisely why it will disappoint. "Another book about Yossarian? You know, I always did wonder whatever happened to him..." Man, what a bummer. Turns out he's more or less the same, just older and even more disillusioned and bitter. And the world hasn't changed much (and certainly not for the better.) As a young man, part of Yossarian's appeal was his lust and smugness-- he was smarter and cooler than everyone in the room and that's what made his situation, trapped as he was by the infernal Catch-22, so intriguing... how was he going to escape his purgatory? As an old man, he's (perhaps realistically, but that doesn't mean it's entertaining) become nothing so much as a pathetic nihilist.

You know how at the end of the long run of "MASH" on tv, Hawkeye had over time been so beaten-up he had become a pitiful shell of his former self and it just wasn't funny anymore? Did you find it painful to watch? "Closing Time" is the same way. My guess is most will prefer to remember Yossarian as he was in the first book, or as Alan Arkin's excellent portrayal of him in the movie.

(By the way-- if you transcribe this review and substitute Larry McMurtry, "Duane's Depressed" and "Last Picture Show / Texasville," you'll save yourself some time and a couple of bucks at the remainder rack there as well...)

Closing Time on Catch-22.......2005-12-14

Everyone remembers the famed Catch-22. (Almost as though being Murphey's Law on speed). The famed line of "Thats some catch". And everyone whom has ever read the origional novel first published in 1961 remembers how hard Yossarian struggled to be rid of the Catch, the island of Pianossa and the war itself. However whenever young Yossarian thought that he had found a loophole in the catch his hopes were rapidly crushed by the un-stopable and un-merciful catch. Catch-22.
Although Yossarian did finally find a way to overcome the catch and the island by running away altogether.
In the sequal to the famed Catch-22, Heller picks up with the old caracters from his original novel nearly sixty years after WWII. They are all aged with time and have familys and pasts of their own and are all still struggling with the immortal Catch-22. Only this time it effects their everyday lives in the world that we live in today. Dealing with love affairs, slums, poverty, wealth, political aspects, buisness, death, age and the end.
Joseph Heller uses the same intensity and feirce wit as in all of his writtings however this time his subect matter seems to deal very near to his heart and soul which makes for one of the most passionate and beautiful use of word play and vissuality. Even more so at times than Catch-22 itself.
This book to me is so strong that it could almost stand on its own without its predesesor. (No disrespect intended). I would reccomened it to anyone who would like to visualize our economy, society and life in general from the eyes of an author whom sees the world as it really is; One gigantic Catch-22.

Not really a sequel........2005-09-25

If you're looking for a zany follow-up to Catch-22, don't get your hopes up with this one.

Closing Time is a wonderful take on life. I was rarely bored while reading it, but some of Heller's stabs at politics (George Bush) felt a little forced and unnecessary. I first read samples from this book in Catch As Catch Can, a collection of Heller's short stories, and I was a little put-off at first.

This book is just exquisite; it really captures (what I perceive will be) old age with so many insightful passages. It's not laugh-out-loud funny like Catch-22, it's more philosophical and has different goals than that novel did. It is superbly constructed (as you would expect from any Heller novel), and has wonderful imagery, characters, metaphors, etc. Very high tier as far as fiction goes.

Just Not the sAme ..........2005-08-25

If you loved Catch-22, do yourself a favor, DON'T find out what happens to Yossarian! The book is boring, and drags on, and the worst part is ... there's no more catch! The only person from the first book that is with Yossarian is Milo, and it seems like Heller is trying to recapture the success of his first novel. I mean ... this book has no story line whatsoever. If you're really thAt curious, then I suggest you go to the library and borrow it, or go to Barnes&Noble, sit on the big sofas, sip your grande cappucino and read it for free ... you'll see I'm right, and it's NOT worth buying!

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my thoughts of "catch 22"
Catch-22
THE BEST NOVEL I HAVE EVER READ!
Catch 22
Catch-22

Heller's Catch-22 (Cliffs Notes)
C. A. Peek
Manufacturer: Cliffs Notes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0822002965

Book Description

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background.

CliffsNotes on Catch-22 takes you into this unforgettable novel that is full of satire, exaggeration, grotesque and comic caricatures, and telling allusions. Heller’s main characters are two Jewish boys from Brooklyn at the end of World War II – one from an orthodox family, one from a secular background. The growing friendship between the boys reflects the tensions within American society.

With this study guide, you’ll be able to follow the unique structure of the novel and supplement your reading with insights into the life and background of author Joseph Heller. Other features that help you study include

Life and background of the author
Character analyses of major players
A character map that graphically illustrates the relationships among the characters
Critical essays
Review questions

Classic literature or modern modern-day treasure — you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.

Customer Reviews:

my thoughts of "catch 22".......2004-05-01

"catch 22" captures the war through the eyes of yossarian- a soldier the wants to be immortal and despises the war.
it starts off very interesting but towards the end it becomes a bit slow.
Heller uses black humor to present the charachters- which adds to the book a lot. recommended.

Catch-22.......2001-02-28

Joseph Heller's work, Catch-22, is an unequivocal satire on postmodern American life, with messages of dissident revolt that were well suited to the decade in which it appears. Heller is almost systematic in the issues he touches: the frustration of the individual up against powerful and faceless bureaucracies; the anticommunist purges of the Cold War and its smug hypocrisies; and strong antiwar issues that dominated postmodern America. In Heller's work, escaping these traps and inconsistencies of government is essential in the pursuit of moral and self-preservation. After all, "The enemy," as Yossarian puts it, "is anybody who's going to get you killed, no matter which side he's on." (Joseph Heller)

THE BEST NOVEL I HAVE EVER READ!.......2000-12-11

That about says it all. I had no idea what to expect when I picked up Heller's masterpiece. I was left breathless with my outlook on life completely thrown for a loop. No book has ever made me think and reevaluate as this one did. A perfect novel - it makes you laugh, it makes you sad, it makes you think and it stays with you. I reread Catch-22 regularly.

Catch 22.......2000-04-10

Catch 22 is like no other novel. It has its own rationale its own extraordinary character. It moves back and forth through OUR conception of time. The humor and overallvitality and power of the novel create the master piece that is a catch 22.

Catch-22.......2000-03-30

I am a high school senior and am currently doing an independent study on American satire. Catch-22, to say the least, is brilliant. It is long and complex, but is a fascinating study of World War II. It is the story of fighter pilots in World War II and the underlying theme is of the insanity of war. Heller captures the very essence of war through his chaotic plot and timeshifts. His characters, especially our lovable protagonist Yossarian, are crazy and yet very real. The book is very humorous, and yet accurately depicts the grotesqueness of war. The book is a challenge, but it is definitely the best book I have ever read. In short, I highly recommend it.

Average customer rating:

Catch-22(Dell 1120)

Manufacturer: Dell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: B000G96ELY

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