Just what is that Catch 22?

So I decided it would be a great idea to read Catch 22 on the beach...

Let me tell you this was one of the harder books I have read. Joseph Heller wrote and published this WWII novel in the late 1950s and released the book in the early 1960s. All 400 pages describe a not so patriotical view of military life primarily in the 1940s Mediterranean Sea.  The story is centralized around Yossarian desire to quit the war since he has flow his required number of missions. His support group of friends and comrades allow the readers to see how Yossarian boarders on brilliance and craziness. Morality, respect, family, loyalty among others come together to shape this interesting book.

Catch 22 refers to the idea that he is crazy for constantly flying out to the war zone to have the chance of being killed, yet he will be called crazy for asking to leave the war as well. In a sense, it is a lose-lose situation. Reflecting back, I have heard this phrase used before and it is part of everyday slang or lose American language. I am not sure everyone uses it correctly. When you are stuck with no good solution, you are forced to chose the best alternative. These situations are not always Catch 22s as sometimes they are portrayed. Looking back at Stephen Covey and The Secret, they would tell us there is always an alternative if we try hard enough. I'm a pretty positive person and I look for the good in things. I say try to avoid the Catch 22 in your life.

Heller is well-praised and sited for this work in Catch 22. It is an atypical portrayal of military life. This book however, did not make my favorite lists. It is tough book to manage with non-chronological story telling, detailed character descriptions, and weird plot twist. I appreciate this book and I am glad I read it, but it was not a good choice for the beach.

Reading this book made me appreciate the amazing English teachers I have had in the past. I was able to navigate this book just fine because I learned how to read literature for themes, plot, characters  etc. through their guidance. This book showed me I was okay doing it on my own. Read the book if you like classics or if you want to understand Catch 22 a little more.

Happy Reading!

(Vacation put me a little behind on blogging. Lovely Bones post and June Books coming today!)