I read this book as my five years in the Marines were coming to a close. All of the absurdities portrayed in this book were regular occurrences for me. Sociopathic officers giving murderous orders to put a "feather in their cap"? Been there, done that. Orders from immediate superiors that contradicted those of their superiors? Lived in that hell for over a year as a recruiter. Questioning your own sanity as everyone else around you appears to have gone insane? Done that as well.

For most of my time I was just like that idealistic officer attempting to lecture the old man in the brothel, but circumstances changed and I started to question my service. Picking up Catch-22 literally changed my life, or at least my perspective towards life. Due to my experiences, I instantly felt a personal connection with the character of Yossarian. Thanks in large part to this book, my perspective has changed to more closely align with that of the old man than the foolishly idealistic officer.

When I decided to read Catch-22, it was because it is a popular anti-war book in college curriculums around America. Having read the story, I do not understand why it is so popular and has achieved the status of a classic among college students. I would think that for one to have a connection with the story, one would have to have lived similar experiences, as in my case. From the reviews here and on Amazon, I can see that is not the case.

Those of you who are college students, or simply someone without military experience who thinks this book is a classic, could you please share with me the reasons why you enjoy this book so much? Could you help me understand why Catch-22 is so popular, even among those who have never personally experienced the situations portrayed in the story?

I apologize if that initial post is hard to read. When I wrote it there were at least four paragraphs, but for some reason it appears to have been jumbled together by the program. Sorry.

I don't think of it so much as an antiwar novel as an epic screwball comedy with strong anti-establishment themes, and a bit of sobering horror thrown in for good measure. Find me a literate college student to whom that stuff wouldn't appeal. (One of the times I read it was for a contemporary American literature class in college, and the small contingent of sorority bimbos complained that the sentences were too long.) It's also freakin' hilarious.

Comedy, yes, although one laughs maybe so as not to cry... (yes, I realize "comedy" has an older and different sense.)

It's been awhile since I read it and I can't let that pass much longer :) but - "Classic" in that it's a comedy, an expose (what happens to the main characters that they get here from there?) among other things... against war I don't recall being at the time but against putting a person (the narrator for instance) between a rock and a hard place, as I think the situations in the novel, the enemy on one side and his friends and superiors on the other - squish - against that, always.

The great thing about stories and literature is that a good author can capture and communicate an experience to someone who has never seen anything like it. And besides that, good books are about so much more than setting and plot. I don't need to have been in the military to understand the chaos and contradiction that Heller lays down. It's why I can read Huck Finn and enjoy it and become engrossed in it despite living almost 150 years later. The fact that people without military experience enjoy and relate to the book in the way they do is probably more of a testament to Heller being a good writer than anything else.

You don't have to have served in the military to experience ineptness in bureaucracy. I've noticed it in the public school system, in college, and in the American workplace. Frankly, there are a lot of institutions out there that thrive on screwing the bottom of the pyramid while the most opportunistic get rewarded for very little good work. It also comments on the human condition in general. Though I have never served, I have nothing but the greatest sympathy for those who have witnessed the violence described in the Catch-22 chapter. Unfortunately, that kind of sadism happens in all walks of life, military or otherwise.

And as a postscript, thanks for your service, man.

I read it in 10th grade on my own, and while I wasn't in the high-stakes game of WWII like the characters were, I saw similarities in the themes in the book and what was going on in people's lives around me: People trying to do what they wanted, other people trying to stop them, other people just doing things so someone (who may not even know they exist) will hopefully promote/like them, people being promoted for reasons beyond their control or skills (like if they have a funny name.)

In general the themes in the book can be applied to almost an hierarchical organization in which the will of the individual is subverted to the will of the group, and the issues that some people have when those situations arise.

Also, there are brilliant characters, it's moving, and hilarious. Joseph Heller is able to poke fun at most everything in the world (the guy that ran the mess hall and also an international shipping cartel on the side comes to mind).

These other people made good points too.

Of course being in the military will give you a different perspective from any non-enlisted person, but many people can empathize with bosses or managers that make no sense or being amongst people that make you question your own sanity. What I took away from the book is that most established chain-of-command type atmosphere's are screwed up and that just keeps the shit-cycle going strong.

My credentials: I am former military and degreed in American Lit.

A simple answer to your thoughtful question would be that the military setting is incidental. This novel could be set anywhere (a corporate headquarters, a government bureacracy, etc.) The theme of a no-win situation is universal. Don't take that the wrong way, however. I think the military is the PERFECT setting of the many Heller could have chosen. Nowhere else are catch-22's so immediate, urgent, and at times final. Nowhere else are the stakes as high. (And, to truly appreciate that, one has to have served.)

I've been an honors student, a postal supervisor, and a fundamentalist.
In all of these groups, believing the insane allows you to survive, and being an individual equals exile.

I've been derided by honor students for getting a good PSAT score.
My friend who honors veterans got yelled at for flying a 48-star flag on Flag Day, because it wasn't current.
I've seen a biology major get yelled at in his own dorm room, for acknowledging evolution.

The book shows how civilized society transforms into some insane program,
where morons get rewarded and thinking people are discouraged.

It deals with the selling of bullshit, the nonpatriotism of capitalism, and sacrificing yourself to people who don't care.