Sunday, August 17, 2014

Catch-22

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller  544 pp.

Before MASH turned the Korean War into hilarious mayhem Joseph Heller gave us Catch 22, the book that satirized the horrors of war and "military intelligence." I first read this book about 35 years ago and decided to revisit it in audiobook form. I discovered so much I had forgotten or that just didn't register in my young brain the first time around. The main character, Yossarian, would today be diagnosed as having PTSD from watching too many friends and fellow soldiers die and flying too many bombing missions. As long as Yossarian's superior officers keep raising the number of missions required before going home, he continues to try to find a way to get out of the madness of WWII. The story includes flashbacks to the bombing mission when tail-gunner Snowden is hit and Yossarian tried to save him. I'm glad I decided to read this once again even if the narrator frequently sounded like the U-Man, John Ulett. 

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