Catch-22

By: Joseph Heller

Narrated by: Jay O. Sanders

Length: 19 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

Fifty years after its original publication, Catch-22 remains a cornerstone of American literature and one of the funniest - and most celebrated - novels of all time. In recent years, it has been named to "best novels" lists by Time, Newsweek, the Modern Library, and the London Observer. Set in Italy during World War II, this is the story of the incomparable, malingering bombardier Yossarian, a hero who is furious because thousands of people he has never met are trying to kill him. But his real problem is not the enemy - it is his own army, which keeps increasing the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service. Yet if Yossarian makes any attempt to excuse himself from the perilous missions he's assigned, he'll be in violation of Catch-22, a hilariously sinister bureaucratic rule: A man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but if he makes a formal request to be removed from duty, he is proven sane and therefore ineligible to be relieved.

Since its publication in 1961, no novel has matched Catch-22's intensity and brilliance in depicting the brutal insanity of war. This 50th-anniversary edition commemorates Joseph Heller's masterpiece with a new introduction by Christopher Buckley; personal essays on the genesis of the novel by the author; a wealth of critical responses and reviews by Norman Mailer, Alfred Kazin, Anthony Burgess, and others; rare papers from Joseph Heller's personal archive; and a selection of advertisements from the original publishing campaign that helped turn Catch-22 into a cultural phenomenon. Here, at last, is the definitive edition of a classic of world literature.

©1955, 1961 Joseph Heller. Copyright renewed (c) 1989 Joseph Heller. All rights reserved (P)2017 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved

Anyone who wants to fly combat missions is crazy!

One of the joys of specifically seeking out unabridged versions of classic novels is discovering how much is lost when publishers are permitted to take an axe to a great work. I read an abridged version of Catch-22 decades ago and thought it was okay. The true madness and beauty of the work can only be fully appreciated in the multiple overlapping viewpoints of the unabridged version. While you do not have to have a military background to appreciate the insanity of the circumstances, it helps. And while an absolutely masterful satirical work, so many of the scenarios ring home so true. As a young enlisted Marine I became painfully aware of the silly games those with rank play in order to fulfill their obligation to follow orders no matter how ridiculous. Now, dealing on a daily basis with Air Force culture where people do ridiculous stuff not even knowing why they do it and never questioning it because to do so would suggest one is not a "team player," Heller perfectly captures a culture that still exists 60 years after the writing. The upshot is that a measure of insanity is natural and necessary in a business which exists only for the sake of killing with discipline. No one could be truly sane and do what needs to be done in the profession of arms, and Heller captures that truth magnificently.

One of the most entertaining books I’ve read

and the reading was superb as well! It also expanded my vocabulary quite a bit because I had to look up so many unknown words.

Why did I wait so long to read this book?

This book is a work of genius. You could fill pages with just the descriptions of Hellers character’s faces throughout the book and it would be an hilarious read. The book is a peep show into the bizarre, absurd sometimes grotesque world that came into focus in the 1960s in America. It’s understandable how important this book was to the US counterculture of the time. And still is today given current trends in American political life. As for the performance: incredible! Sanders voices were distinct, imaginative and downright lovable! The musical interludes were were annoying but I could hold the narrative thread while they interrupted. If you’ve never read this book, listen to it!

This is the best audiobook reading ever!

Jay O. Sanders so intricately performed all the different characters while also keeping the comedic ridiculousness perfectly under control, like a balloon ready to pop, but never does. A brilliant performance!!

can't believe I didn't read it sooner

First let me start by saying Jay O Sanders is an incredibly talented individual. Being able to pull off as many different characters' voices as he did is no easy task. While listening to this audio, I had a time to pause and remember that all these different voices are actually one person!!

On to the novel. The beginning of the story was hard for me to get into originally. Being that you are introduced to so many characters so quickly. As the story goes on you get a better sense of the characters and are actually able to laugh at how crazy everyone is ! Every chapter people seem more and more crazy. Turns from laughter to a serious feeling of how chaotic and crazy things really are. I really loved this book, I like how it was written and how we were able to develop with the characters. So glad I read this and will ABSOLUTELY be reading again!

brilliant story, fantastic read!

I absolutely loved this audiobook, it is definitely the best one I have heard thus far.
the story itself is nothing short of a masterpiece, it is funny to the point of laughing out loud at times, and philosophically inspiring and eye opening at other times. and the way Sanders tells it tops any other reading I encountered with audiobooks, just listen and you'll understand (I'm filtering audiobooks now based on Sanders as the narrator! he's that good). the only downside I experienced is actually somewhat of a success for the author I guess, where the frustration of the characters is passed on so well that you can genuienly feel frustrated yourself at times.

Catch 22 is one of the finest literary works

This audible presentation does much credit to the novel. I've honestly not been as moved in so many ways in other audibles as I have with this.

The GREAT American Novel

I saw the movie version decades ago and filed the memory away with a fond smerk. I only recently decided to go back and take a deeper look into this fantastic piece of literature and revisit the memory with the suspicion that there was more to it than Hollywood had the time or inclination to reveal. As it turned out, Catch-22 may well be the GREATEST American novel ever written!

Fantastic listen.

Catch 22 is a well written book with great insight and reminds me of black adder. Listened to the book in a short time while training and really enjoyed listening to the clever way the story is put together from each characters perspective.

Great story, although redundant at times

This is a great story showing the hypocrisy, duplicity, and gullibility of man, especially in the military during war time. It is comical, but at times becomes rather annoying with its repeated lines, although part of the annoyance might come from the narration. Being in the military, this book hit close to home for me in its mockery of the military's bureaucracy. It made me laugh out loud, and would sometimes frustrate me due to its accurate depiction of stupidity and unenthusiastic carelessness within the military.