Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Catch-22 is possibly the best book i've ever read. I love to read, do it often, and have held many great books but this work by Heller floored me. Almost every page had me cracking up and laughing out loud. The way Heller writes and describes these, scarcely based in reality situations was spectactular. For example, our protagonist, Yossarian, moves a string on a mission map in the middle of the night. Because no one knew who had done it, they simply assumed the change was accurate. This was just one of the countless examples of outrageous reactions in the military. Most are aware that this novel is set near Italy during world war two. We join the conflict after Italy's fascist party has already crumbled and Americans are fighting the Germans to regain possession of Italy. Our characters are all part of a flight group. Yossarian is a man who has come to realize that he really doesn't want to be fighting this war any longer. He attempts various means of removing himself from combat as the story progresses. In the preface, Heller mentions that he has written another piece following Yossarian after the events of this chapter of his life. I would be very curious to read this and see what external or internal conflict would catapult Yossarian through the plotlines. The themes of bravery vs willingness for sacrifice and the moral evaluation of the true costs of war make such great framework in which Yossarian is to exist that any other circumstances sound underwhelming by comparison. I hope I will get the chance to read more Heller. His wit and mastery of the absurd make me feel intelligent and amused. As the slogan reads, 'Yossarian Lives'.