This book is a treasure trove of flagrant incompetence. The 1961 book: Catch 22 could be said to be an extended illustration of [b:The Peter Principle|890728|The Peter Principle|Laurence J. Peter|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347586680l/890728._SY75_.jpg|875969], which was published in 1969. It seems like everyone in the unit is incompetent. They each have misguided goals that seldom align with the organization goals. The book describes interactions between them, not the German enemy.

The first few chapters are people talking nonsense past each other, frequently there long conversations that are deliberate misunderstandings of simple communication. It seems as if everyone hates and fears everyone else in their unit.

After reading it for a while, I found myself falling into the same miscommunication patterns that they were using. That almost caused me to stop reading, but it is so highly rated by other people that I kept on in hopes that it would get better. It only got marginally better.

I struggled to give it a rating of 3 stars, but after reading more decided to give it 2 stars, which feels more appropriate for a book where nonsense, misunderstanding, belittlement, mayhem, and rage are the standard fare. Lies, including blatant lies are the order of the day. Consequences are rare, random, and often applied to the innocent with truth being totally irrelevant. Meanness to each other and misdeeds are followed by more misdeeds. This book only serves as an example of doing things wrong.

With military like this, it’s amazing that we won the war. But then, this purports to be a work of fiction. Doesn’t it? A review of [b:The True Story of Catch 22: The Reality that Inspired one of the Great Classics in American Literature|45486006|The True Story of Catch 22 The Reality that Inspired one of the Great Classics in American Literature|Patricia Chapman Meder|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1557174422l/45486006._SY75_.jpg|70264505] caused me to read Catch-22.

The front material and the after material caught my interest more than the book.

I am delighted that I did not purchase a copy of this book. ( )

"Did not like it" is awfully generous. Zero stars "I hated it" is more accurate.
This is a sexist, misogynistic waste of paper! ( )

Excellent read

The fast paced wit that Heller brings keeps the story wildly entertaining throughout. This is then balanced by the thought provoking reality of the insanity the characters have been thrown into. ( )

This classic felt a little disjointed at times for me. Even though I was never in the military, the reader should be able to connect with most of the characters on some level. There are a few peculiarities in the story that are probably a generational thing, but if you push past those the overall story has a lot of universal appeal. Lots of humor there, but often relies on a lot of back-and-forth repetition (also felt very "old school"). Still funny, but definitely from a different era. ( )

It was okay. The book was kind of hard to understand most of the time and there were many moments where my eyes started to glaze over. There is also a lot of explicit material in it. There were some funny moments though. My favorite characters were Major Major and the Chaplain. 6/10 - January 19, 2024 ( )