Catch-22

I've just finished Joseph Heller's classic anti-war novel. Set on, I think, an Italian island during the Second World War, the novel tells the story of Captain Joseph Yossarian who is part of the US bombing crew stationed on the island and his various attempts to be sent home due to his increasing fear of being shot down during his numerous bomb raids. He sees the war as in very personal terms and not in the typically patriotic notions that conventional text is written and movies filmed.

The text takes a shot at the lunacy of war and the bureaucracy involved in fighting them and introduces us to many characters who are trying to live through the war as successfully as possible, whether it be in terms of commercial gain as in the case of Milo Minderbinder who uses his mess funds to create international havoc in an attempt make money for himself or Major Major who deals with his feelings of inadequacy by avoiding contact with everyone; asking his subordinate to only admit people into his office when he is not actually in it.

I's an excellent read and well worth fishing out of your local book shop or library.

I want to see the film now.

It's incredibly funny