Historical fiction book · Curated
Catch-22
Joseph Heller · historical fiction
Series: Catch-22
On the Mediterranean island of Pianosa in 1944, bombardier John Yossarian is told he can be grounded if he is crazy, and that asking to be grounded proves he is sane, while Colonel Cathcart raises the number of missions again. Joseph Heller’s 1961 novel is World War II military historical fiction of an American bomber squadron, the rule they call Catch-22, and a man the paperwork will not let leave the war.
Why read it: A widely searched war novel—the Heller title readers look up by name (and the phrase it put into English), and a bomber-squadron counterpart to From Here to Eternity already on the shelf (not a Closing Time sequel).
About this historical novel
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller is historical fiction set around 1944 in the World War II era period with key settings including Pianosa, Mediterranean, Italy, Rome. On the Mediterranean island of Pianosa in 1944, bombardier John Yossarian is told he can be grounded if he is crazy, and that asking to be grounded proves he is sane, while Colonel Cathcart raises the number of missions again. Joseph Heller’s 1961 novel is World War II military historical fiction of an American bomber squadron, the rule they call Catch-22, and a man the paperwork will not let leave the war.
On HisFic we tag it under 5. Military & war and 1. Literary historical fiction so you can pair it with similar story types. Recurring themes include war, bureaucracy, survival, sanity, and duty. A widely searched war novel—the Heller title readers look up by name (and the phrase it put into English), and a bomber-squadron counterpart to From Here to Eternity already on the shelf (not a Closing Time sequel).
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Plot summary
On the Mediterranean island of Pianosa in 1944, bombardier John Yossarian is told he can be grounded if he is crazy, and that asking to be grounded proves he is sane, while Colonel Cathcart raises the number of missions again. Joseph Heller’s 1961 novel is World War II military historical fiction of an American bomber squadron, the rule they call Catch-22, and a man the paperwork will not let leave the war. A widely searched war novel—the Heller title readers look up by name (and the phrase it put into English), and a bomber-squadron counterpart to From Here to Eternity already on the shelf (not a Closing Time sequel).
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Eras
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Regions & places
Europe
Pianosa · Mediterranean · Italy · Rome
Themes
- war
- bureaucracy
- survival
- sanity
- duty
Tags
war · classic · series