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Monday, September 15, 2008

Classic book monday

"Yossarian, on the other hand, knew exactly who Mudd was. Mudd was the unknown soldier who had never had a chance, for that was the only thing anyone ever did know about all the unknown soldiers-they never had a chance. They had to be dead. And this dead one was really unknown, even though his belongings still lay in a tumble on the cot in Yossarian's tent almost exactly as he had left them there three months earlier the day he never arrived-all contaminated with death less than two hours later in the same way that all was contaminated with death the very next week during the Great Big Siege of Bologna when the moldy odor of mortality hung wet in the air with the sulphurous fog and every man scheduled to fly was already tainted."
-Catch-22, Joseph Heller, p.108

MM picked up Catch-22 in an airport when he went back for the Great Iowa Wedding extraveganza, right after we moved into the house.
It's been, oh, more than 20 years since I looked at this book, and, not having something I was currently reading this week, I am re-reading this now.
I forgot how much I love this book.
The twisted humor. Where else can you find someone named Major Major? And the premise of the book. The Catch-22. The back of the book says this:
"Yet if Yossarian makes any attempts to excuse himself from the perilous missions that he is committed to flying, he is trapped by the Great Loyalty Oath Crusade, the hilariously sinister bureaucratic rule from which the book takes its title: a man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but if he makes the necessary formal request to be relieved of such missions, the very act of making the request proves that he is sane and therefore ineligible to be relieved."
So, what is Yossarian to do?
go, read it. And find out. You won't be disappointed.

10 comments:

Bubblewench said...

That really is a great book. I keep a copy of that around and re-read it every so often myself..

Daryl said...

I know its hard to believe since I read Confederacy of Dunces, Springhill Mining Disaster and The Stand many, many times but I have never read Catch-22!

My bad.

:-Daryl

NanaKaos said...

I loved the book, but the movie left me wondering if the screen play writer even read the whole thing. Maybe he just read the Cliffs notes.

david mcmahon said...

I think I still have my copy of the book!

MM said...

I lost the copy that I had originally, It's a great book and always wanted to get another copy. Too bad I had to pick it up in Denver during a layover. I still comb the used book stores for this one and a couple others. I will find an original copy again... oh yes I will... :)

Lia Hollander said...

does it count at all if i saw the movie? pretty please.

NanaKaos said...

missburrows like I said the movie is all wrong, but if you are happy with that it's your loss. Nana

Mimi said...

I've not read it, good reminder to do so.

holly said...

i have tried a couple times to read this, but it has always been when i was way to preoccupied to give it proper attention. now would be that time again.

sybil law said...

I love that book!