I love Catch-22; I have read it several times over my life, and it has resonated a little differently each time. I think it's time to check in on it again!
Yeah, I've read it twice, and it was striking how different the experiences were for me. For whatever reason, the first time through roughly jived with Rebacca's review -- I loved it, laughed extensively, thought it was hilarious -- twisted and dark, but hilarious. Somehow (and I hypothesize that it was because I knew what was coming and therefore the absurdity factor didn't work the same? but I dunno, maybe I was just in a different place in my life or whatever), the second time through I borderline hated it. All the darkness was there, and none (or almost none) of the laughter. I wanted to re-read it because I wanted it to be fresher before reading Closing Time... which... I still haven't read. Maybe I'll get back to them both one day? We'll see. Would be curious to hear about the differences in your own experiences in different passes through it.
At 60, I am re-visiting a lot of books and films I loved as a teenager to see how I respond to them now, and because I have forgotten all but fragments. Thank you for reminding me to add Catch-22 to the list. That book was probably banned by my rural school library, but I found my way to it anyway. I had a couple of good subversive English teachers. The book Solaris is impossible to adapt to film in any fully satisfactory way, although I found both attempts to be good films on their own terms. I have a lot to say about so much related to your video, but I am trying to get better at self-editing.
I will now be adding "chronicallogically" to my lexicon as a way of describing one's journey living with, getting disturbed by, getting diagnosed with, and then ultimately finding a way to live with a chronic condition.
“You have a morbid aversion to dying. You probably resent the fact that you're at war and might get your head blown off any second." "I more than resent it, sir. I'm absolutely incensed."
I read Catch-22 in high school. It was the only time I ever skipped class (I was a goody two shoes). I got so lost in it that I didn't even notice the bell had rung. I just sat there reading it in the library. Depending on what day you catch me I'll list either Catch-22 or... wait for it, Things Fall Apart, as my favorite book of all time. The Hulu series was pretty good.
I tried to read Catch-22 when I was in secondary school (High School) but bounced off it and didn't get more than a couple of chapters in. A few years later I watched the film (Alan Arkin plays Yossarian) then went back to the book and "got" it that time, after which it became one of my favourite books.
I didn't care for the film when I saw it as a kid; when I saw it again in my 30s I felt like I finally understood a lot of Henry's & Nichols' choices. I'm not sure it could've been adapted without major changes; if it was gonna get major changes, Buck Henry was the guy to make them.
I started reading in high school and hated the tone. I think that I was just too conservative and naive at the time. It was perhaps 8 or 9 years later when I picked it back up. I was a different person, and I had been exposed to much more of the world, so it rang more true. The multilingual jokes were funny, as was the way that it laid the human absurdity (and inhumanity) of military bureaucracy bare. While I have no experience with military service, I can only imagine that it has gotten worse, with the rise of the military-industrial complex and poor treatment of veterans.
I haven't seen any film adaptation, I read the book when I was 12 and found it great and very amusing. Occasionally amazing. The prior book I read was Catcher in the Rye, a meh experience that might have made me like Catch-22 more than for example if I had skipped Catcher in the Rye and read it after the prior prior book which was The Master and Margarita. Which I loved, very much, a masterpiece. Elevated my relationship to literature. Still one of my favourites. Sorry for rambling sentence structure, Covid has done a number (or two) on my brain.
I read Catch-22 last year and it was challenging to get through it owing to the non-narrative style. I did enjoy it though and am glad that I read it through to the end. Funny and tragic is a perfect description. And I don't think you're high. Here's another movie to add to your list, Swedish sci-fi based on a epic poem published in the 1950s: Aniara.
Rebecca - thanks for this rec! Finally got my library copy and started it today. A steady flow of dark humour. Really enjoying it :) I do find myself, however, needing to googling things like"what is the difference between enlisted and officer?" and "what is higher general or colonel?" I think I gleaned the gist of the first from ST:TNG, but got the second wrong :/
I thought Ender's Game was alright, but I like really trashy power fantasies and read alot of light novels and manga that essentially can be boiled down to "people underestimate me, but I got so many different powers even Superman would be jealous." :P Have you read Song of the Beast by Carol Berg, btw? (That's not a trashy light novel) It's a really interesting fantasy book that shows how a character can be a pacifist in a really violent world, while still taking action and being a major force of change in the world. High recommend from me.
Thanks - I'll give it a go. Raised in a 1960's pro-war family, aging has led me to feel distress that people use the cause of a given war to glorify the gore. I worked with a man who'd been in the Battle of the Bulge. He said he'd do anything to keep his sons out of a war. People who love any war, just or not have probably never been shot at.
Catch-22 is hilarious and powerful. A truly great book. Sadly, Heller was never able to write anything else nearly as good in his long career after it.
I read Catch-22 in high school. I didn’t really find it that funny, but I found that a lot of the book’s narratives resonated with me. I mean I definitely understand the feeling of being ensared in an injust system, with the people pulling the strings who are completely oblivious to the realities you face. And I relate to Yossarian, although maybe this is specific to just ME, as someone with a lot of anxiety haha. The idea that the airmen risking their lives weren’t actually brave, but actually they were just “too stupid to be scared” really hit me. Maybe that feels even more relevant now, in a global pandemic and impending climate disaster. That feeling of being terrified, while everyone around you is seemingly unbothered, resigned to carry on like normal. It is not until they are forced to confront the danger in gruesome firsthand detail, that they wake up. But by then its maybe too late. For those of us living in fear, there is an urgency, but it falls on deaf and indifferent ears. In your desperation, you look and feel a little bit crazy.
I loved the book, but it really threw me, at first - I was nearly halfway through _Catch-22_ before I finally realized that I couldn't reasonably be expected to memorize the scores of quirky characters! As I was growing frustrated, trying to keep track of everyone, it occurred to me suddenly that most of 'em seemed to exist solely within their own disparate chapters/vignettes. It went against what I was used to in written stories, but I had to keep reminding myself that almost everyone aside from Yossarian simply existed as storytelling devices; if they don't appear again after the first chapters, or don't appear until the middle of the book, _they're probably not critical!_ I wish I was aware of its collection-of-anecdotes style, though, _prior to_ picking up _Catch-22._ Until I eventually, belatedly got wise to what Joseph Heller seemed to have been going for, each new chapter had me thinking "damn, _more_ character intoductions?! At this rate, I'm going to have to remember more individual people than when I decided it would be fun to read _Doctor Zhivago!"_
I've passed over that audiobook multiple times recently, you've inspired me to give it a go! Gutted to hear about Alan Arkin, but made myself feel better by #1. deciding to take the hint and finally introduce my 16yo daughter to "Little Miss Sunshine" for family movie night this weekend, and #2 being grateful to have gotten the news from a good person, so thank you for that :)
Catch 22 a classic? It was a controversial new release when I was in high school. It is like calling "Stranger in a Strange Land," a classic. This reminds me of an old friend who was drafted and ended up becoming a Navy Seal. They gave him a section 8 release after he requested a 4th tour of duty in Viet Nam. He ended up fighting in the Rhodesian/Zimbabwian civil war and was wounded taking part in Reagan's Contra affair in Nicaragua.
I am very glad to have read "Starship Troopers" when I was primed for jingoistic manifest destiny. Because otherwise I would not have appreciated it when I reread it as a disillusioned veteran who realized ... that is satire. It was a "let's see if they publish THIS!" challenge from a libertarian who was against the military industrial complex (he had a lot of bad takes, too, don't go too deep into Heinlein fandom).
I read SO MUCH Heinlein in highschool. It was only right before I graduated that I realized he was practically Rand Lite. I never read Starship Troopers but I saw (and still love) the movie. I still remember seeing it in the theater with a friend and we were laughing our asses off, but were just about the only ones. We thought people just didn't think it was as funny. It wasn't until years later that I found out that not everyone realized it was satire.
Haven't read Catch-22 yet but have read most of Good as Gold, which I was enjoying. Joseph Heller, good author. I'll have to skip to Catch now. Enjoyed the video!
An obligatory read in the '60s. My memories after seeing the film were of being terribly disappointed. Years later I saw it again on TV and didn't hate it as much. Since the words had faded from memory, I guess I could accept the film on its own merits.
Point of curiosity, related to your point around 8:55 : "We had a really good reason to fight Nazi Germany" That's obviously true, of course, and I've heard American friends say this sentence many times before. But one sentence they never say after this one is: "Nazi Germany had formally declared war on _us_ a day or two after Pearl Harbor; not being at war was literally not an option any more." So I'm curious: Do American schools even teach students that the decision to be at war had already been made, and that the US wasn't the one who had made it? Anyway, sorry for the tangent, thank you for the review, and I think I might check Catch-22 out myself!
I only thought you were high once, and it's because I was high! I even apologized. I think being used to your main channel, the vibe is very different. Wasn't what I was going to say anyway... My dad gave me Catch 22 when I was in college, and it kind of blew me away, though I don't remember it at all. I may still have the same copy, but would probably have to get it as an audiobook. He also gave me MASH, which I also loved (he was dishonorably discharged after earning his helicopter wings at the tail end of Vietnam). I had seen the show (also largely because of him) but didn't see the movie until after reading the book. Neither was what I expected and both I still recommend. (you mentioned MASH while I was typing that) In a similar vein is Gravity's Rainbow which I was only able to get through because my first job after college was to answer the phone and accept packages at a place where whole days would go by with neither happening and without seeing another person. It was in a decaying was warehouse district with nothing nearby, and standing outside was sketchy. I just had to stay awake. I still recommend it for people with the time, but it takes that kind of time. Ender's Game I loved when I read it in high school. I did not like what it had me rooting for even then, but I loved it. I read three of them (is that the whole series?). By the time the movie was coming out, I couldn't bring myself to see it because of Card's homophobia, but I still had my original copy. I read it one more time before giving it away. As an adult almost 20 years after reading it the first time, I still enjoyed the hell out of it, despite the obvious fascism and different perspective. I will chalk that up to nostalgia. I'd be curious if you read Foundation and/or what you think of the series, if you've seen it. Again, loved both. I will look back and see if you've mentioned them.
I always feel like the "justification" for WWII is something of historical revisionism. The UK (where I live) certainly didn't join the way to stop the Holocaust, they did it for political and economic reasons (e.g. alliances and wanting to be the top dog in Europe). I feel the same is true for the US. It stayed out for as long as it could, happily selling arms via debt to beggar the British and the Russians, and only got involved when Japan bombed it. The fact that it stopped the Holocaust seems to be something of a PR move by the Allies. ps: The book wasn't something on the reading lists of the school I went to, I read it aged 20 and thought it was fantastic and so couldn't understand all the hate it got online. But "it was studied in AP English" makes it more understandable. I think everyone hates the books they study in school.
'Surprisingly great' to me in my 50s seems like a REALLY FUCKING APT way to describe Catch-22. I remember finding it shockingly misogynistic when I read it as a kid - but I still kept re-reading it, because it was just so powerful. Joe Heller was apparently a major jerk as a person, & Yossarian is a major jerk, but those actually help it work. Sort of like: Even an asshole like Yossarian can figure this shit out!
Glad you enjoyed the book. Definitely not for everyone. Just a quick question: should the UN have ignored the NK invasion? IMHO, the war was waged poorly, but was just. Curious to hear your take. 🙂
I was hoping you’d do this one Edit: Regarding the idea of the “good war”. Not even World War II. That war started when Hitler invaded Poland. Much of it was the result of evil actions on all sides, most especially from the countries that would eventually make up the Allied forces, that propelled Hitler to power. It was the chickens coming home to roost. To say that it was a “good war” is to say that the acts of aggression were done for a good cause. That the greed and exploitation that created the war were “good”. They weren’t. The response to this already evil act of war was not “good”. It was necessary. Imagine all that destruction and loss of life. What of it was “good” and justified? This is why I love Catch-22.
What! You Don't like Ender's Game! Just kidding. We all be differnt. I still like Ender's Game. I reread it a couple years ago, and I think it still has some interesting themes and such.
WWII was a paradox for me. Though I think it was terrible what the NAZIs did it was terrible I feel like it didn't justify some of our actions. I think about the child spy that the US army executed in front of a firing squad. Yes the Germans knew that being out of uniform would label him a spy and get him shot but I doubt the kid knew that. And the US had found other children spying and told them to go home. But I still don't think it was justified to shoot one kid to send a message. There were other problematic things done by US soldiers. I get it that they had seen the camps and atrocities committed by the NAZIs but I still don't think it justified rape and murder.
Also consider that the US built Japanese internment camps, where over 100,000 people were uprooted to live in very poor living conditions. Lacking medical care, poor food, extreme weather conditions. And when the camps finally closed, there were some who refused to leave because they no longer had homes to go back to. The American government forcibly uprooted them again, saying we don’t care where you go, just get out.
Ender's Game _is_ a pile of garbage. I posted a review of it on Reddit and, while there were a good number of "yup!" responses, the nerd outrage pile-on was cray-zee. One claimed it was taught in upper University physics courses?!? Um, nope.
Anything can be taught in upper University courses. Ender's game might be included for a good reason (plot twist) or a bad reason (white supremacy and "death of the author"). Would be tough to base an entire class on it, but I've seen similar done.
@@jcspoon573 I forgot to mention it was purportedly a _physics_ course. But even a full-on humanities course, Ender's Game is so pithy and vacuous that I cannot see the best of my professors stretching it out for more than a week.
By the way thank you for the fun video. agree that this book is a 5 out of 5. I read it during one of my summers in college and just loved it to death. I think your analysis was spot on. This book also solidified my opinion of humor as high-minded.
I love Catch-22; I have read it several times over my life, and it has resonated a little differently each time. I think it's time to check in on it again!
Yeah, I've read it twice, and it was striking how different the experiences were for me. For whatever reason, the first time through roughly jived with Rebacca's review -- I loved it, laughed extensively, thought it was hilarious -- twisted and dark, but hilarious. Somehow (and I hypothesize that it was because I knew what was coming and therefore the absurdity factor didn't work the same? but I dunno, maybe I was just in a different place in my life or whatever), the second time through I borderline hated it. All the darkness was there, and none (or almost none) of the laughter. I wanted to re-read it because I wanted it to be fresher before reading Closing Time... which... I still haven't read. Maybe I'll get back to them both one day? We'll see. Would be curious to hear about the differences in your own experiences in different passes through it.
At 60, I am re-visiting a lot of books and films I loved as a teenager to see how I respond to them now, and because I have forgotten all but fragments. Thank you for reminding me to add Catch-22 to the list. That book was probably banned by my rural school library, but I found my way to it anyway. I had a couple of good subversive English teachers. The book Solaris is impossible to adapt to film in any fully satisfactory way, although I found both attempts to be good films on their own terms. I have a lot to say about so much related to your video, but I am trying to get better at self-editing.
Don't worry, I don't charge by the word!
I should have qualified that both Solaris films are good if you ignore all the misogyny.
I will now be adding "chronicallogically" to my lexicon as a way of describing one's journey living with, getting disturbed by, getting diagnosed with, and then ultimately finding a way to live with a chronic condition.
RIP Alan Arkin (I thought the 1970 movie was excellent, I know others disagree).
“You have a morbid aversion to dying. You probably resent the fact that you're at war and might get your head blown off any second."
"I more than resent it, sir. I'm absolutely incensed."
I read Catch-22 in high school. It was the only time I ever skipped class (I was a goody two shoes). I got so lost in it that I didn't even notice the bell had rung. I just sat there reading it in the library. Depending on what day you catch me I'll list either Catch-22 or... wait for it, Things Fall Apart, as my favorite book of all time.
The Hulu series was pretty good.
I thought his second novel "Something Happened" was so much better. Talk about a soul crushing reality check, both back when I read it and today.
I tried to read Catch-22 when I was in secondary school (High School) but bounced off it and didn't get more than a couple of chapters in. A few years later I watched the film (Alan Arkin plays Yossarian) then went back to the book and "got" it that time, after which it became one of my favourite books.
I didn't care for the film when I saw it as a kid; when I saw it again in my 30s I felt like I finally understood a lot of Henry's & Nichols' choices. I'm not sure it could've been adapted without major changes; if it was gonna get major changes, Buck Henry was the guy to make them.
I started reading in high school and hated the tone. I think that I was just too conservative and naive at the time. It was perhaps 8 or 9 years later when I picked it back up. I was a different person, and I had been exposed to much more of the world, so it rang more true. The multilingual jokes were funny, as was the way that it laid the human absurdity (and inhumanity) of military bureaucracy bare. While I have no experience with military service, I can only imagine that it has gotten worse, with the rise of the military-industrial complex and poor treatment of veterans.
I haven't seen any film adaptation, I read the book when I was 12 and found it great and very amusing. Occasionally amazing. The prior book I read was Catcher in the Rye, a meh experience that might have made me like Catch-22 more than for example if I had skipped Catcher in the Rye and read it after the prior prior book which was The Master and Margarita. Which I loved, very much, a masterpiece. Elevated my relationship to literature. Still one of my favourites.
Sorry for rambling sentence structure, Covid has done a number (or two) on my brain.
I read Catch-22 last year and it was challenging to get through it owing to the non-narrative style. I did enjoy it though and am glad that I read it through to the end. Funny and tragic is a perfect description. And I don't think you're high. Here's another movie to add to your list, Swedish sci-fi based on a epic poem published in the 1950s: Aniara.
Rebecca - thanks for this rec! Finally got my library copy and started it today. A steady flow of dark humour. Really enjoying it :) I do find myself, however, needing to googling things like"what is the difference between enlisted and officer?" and "what is higher general or colonel?" I think I gleaned the gist of the first from ST:TNG, but got the second wrong :/
I thought Ender's Game was alright, but I like really trashy power fantasies and read alot of light novels and manga that essentially can be boiled down to "people underestimate me, but I got so many different powers even Superman would be jealous." :P
Have you read Song of the Beast by Carol Berg, btw? (That's not a trashy light novel) It's a really interesting fantasy book that shows how a character can be a pacifist in a really violent world, while still taking action and being a major force of change in the world. High recommend from me.
Oh that sounds interesting! I'll make a note of it.
Thanks - I'll give it a go. Raised in a 1960's pro-war family, aging has led me to feel distress that people use the cause of a given war to glorify the gore. I worked with a man who'd been in the Battle of the Bulge. He said he'd do anything to keep his sons out of a war. People who love any war, just or not have probably never been shot at.
Catch-22 is hilarious and powerful. A truly great book. Sadly, Heller was never able to write anything else nearly as good in his long career after it.
Good As Gold is good, and Something Happened is crazy, but worth reading.
I read this in college ... 45 ! years ago and enjoyed it with my adolescent brain. I haven't tried it as an adult though! I may have to do that.
Milo Minderbender = greatest villain in all fiction.
Would you like some chocolate coated cotton?
I read Catch-22 in high school. I didn’t really find it that funny, but I found that a lot of the book’s narratives resonated with me. I mean I definitely understand the feeling of being ensared in an injust system, with the people pulling the strings who are completely oblivious to the realities you face. And I relate to Yossarian, although maybe this is specific to just ME, as someone with a lot of anxiety haha. The idea that the airmen risking their lives weren’t actually brave, but actually they were just “too stupid to be scared” really hit me. Maybe that feels even more relevant now, in a global pandemic and impending climate disaster. That feeling of being terrified, while everyone around you is seemingly unbothered, resigned to carry on like normal. It is not until they are forced to confront the danger in gruesome firsthand detail, that they wake up. But by then its maybe too late. For those of us living in fear, there is an urgency, but it falls on deaf and indifferent ears. In your desperation, you look and feel a little bit crazy.
I loved the book, but it really threw me, at first - I was nearly halfway through _Catch-22_ before I finally realized that I couldn't reasonably be expected to memorize the scores of quirky characters! As I was growing frustrated, trying to keep track of everyone, it occurred to me suddenly that most of 'em seemed to exist solely within their own disparate chapters/vignettes. It went against what I was used to in written stories, but I had to keep reminding myself that almost everyone aside from Yossarian simply existed as storytelling devices; if they don't appear again after the first chapters, or don't appear until the middle of the book, _they're probably not critical!_ I wish I was aware of its collection-of-anecdotes style, though, _prior to_ picking up _Catch-22._ Until I eventually, belatedly got wise to what Joseph Heller seemed to have been going for, each new chapter had me thinking "damn, _more_ character intoductions?! At this rate, I'm going to have to remember more individual people than when I decided it would be fun to read _Doctor Zhivago!"_
I've passed over that audiobook multiple times recently, you've inspired me to give it a go!
Gutted to hear about Alan Arkin, but made myself feel better by #1. deciding to take the hint and finally introduce my 16yo daughter to "Little Miss Sunshine" for family movie night this weekend, and #2 being grateful to have gotten the news from a good person, so thank you for that :)
I love puns and wit... yet for some reason, I've never been able to finish Catch 22. Tried several times
Great video and review. Thanks!! Take care!!
actually, that lighting is better imo....
I had no idea Arkin died…that just ruined my day. Brilliant comedic delivery. He was great.
Sorry :(
Based on your review I have bought the book. Thank you!
Catch 22 a classic? It was a controversial new release when I was in high school. It is like calling "Stranger in a Strange Land," a classic. This reminds me of an old friend who was drafted and ended up becoming a Navy Seal. They gave him a section 8 release after he requested a 4th tour of duty in Viet Nam. He ended up fighting in the Rhodesian/Zimbabwian civil war and was wounded taking part in Reagan's Contra affair in Nicaragua.
I am very glad to have read "Starship Troopers" when I was primed for jingoistic manifest destiny.
Because otherwise I would not have appreciated it when I reread it as a disillusioned veteran who realized ... that is satire. It was a "let's see if they publish THIS!" challenge from a libertarian who was against the military industrial complex (he had a lot of bad takes, too, don't go too deep into Heinlein fandom).
I read SO MUCH Heinlein in highschool. It was only right before I graduated that I realized he was practically Rand Lite. I never read Starship Troopers but I saw (and still love) the movie. I still remember seeing it in the theater with a friend and we were laughing our asses off, but were just about the only ones. We thought people just didn't think it was as funny. It wasn't until years later that I found out that not everyone realized it was satire.
Haven't read Catch-22 yet but have read most of Good as Gold, which I was enjoying. Joseph Heller, good author. I'll have to skip to Catch now. Enjoyed the video!
An obligatory read in the '60s. My memories after seeing the film were of being terribly disappointed. Years later I saw it again on TV and didn't hate it as much. Since the words had faded from memory, I guess I could accept the film on its own merits.
Was assigned Catch 22 in high school by someone who HATED Douglas Adams and was so confused because I liked both.
Point of curiosity, related to your point around 8:55 : "We had a really good reason to fight Nazi Germany" That's obviously true, of course, and I've heard American friends say this sentence many times before. But one sentence they never say after this one is: "Nazi Germany had formally declared war on _us_ a day or two after Pearl Harbor; not being at war was literally not an option any more." So I'm curious: Do American schools even teach students that the decision to be at war had already been made, and that the US wasn't the one who had made it?
Anyway, sorry for the tangent, thank you for the review, and I think I might check Catch-22 out myself!
I only thought you were high once, and it's because I was high! I even apologized. I think being used to your main channel, the vibe is very different.
Wasn't what I was going to say anyway...
My dad gave me Catch 22 when I was in college, and it kind of blew me away, though I don't remember it at all. I may still have the same copy, but would probably have to get it as an audiobook.
He also gave me MASH, which I also loved (he was dishonorably discharged after earning his helicopter wings at the tail end of Vietnam). I had seen the show (also largely because of him) but didn't see the movie until after reading the book. Neither was what I expected and both I still recommend. (you mentioned MASH while I was typing that)
In a similar vein is Gravity's Rainbow which I was only able to get through because my first job after college was to answer the phone and accept packages at a place where whole days would go by with neither happening and without seeing another person. It was in a decaying was warehouse district with nothing nearby, and standing outside was sketchy. I just had to stay awake. I still recommend it for people with the time, but it takes that kind of time.
Ender's Game I loved when I read it in high school. I did not like what it had me rooting for even then, but I loved it. I read three of them (is that the whole series?). By the time the movie was coming out, I couldn't bring myself to see it because of Card's homophobia, but I still had my original copy. I read it one more time before giving it away. As an adult almost 20 years after reading it the first time, I still enjoyed the hell out of it, despite the obvious fascism and different perspective. I will chalk that up to nostalgia.
I'd be curious if you read Foundation and/or what you think of the series, if you've seen it. Again, loved both. I will look back and see if you've mentioned them.
I always feel like the "justification" for WWII is something of historical revisionism. The UK (where I live) certainly didn't join the way to stop the Holocaust, they did it for political and economic reasons (e.g. alliances and wanting to be the top dog in Europe). I feel the same is true for the US. It stayed out for as long as it could, happily selling arms via debt to beggar the British and the Russians, and only got involved when Japan bombed it. The fact that it stopped the Holocaust seems to be something of a PR move by the Allies.
ps: The book wasn't something on the reading lists of the school I went to, I read it aged 20 and thought it was fantastic and so couldn't understand all the hate it got online. But "it was studied in AP English" makes it more understandable. I think everyone hates the books they study in school.
You could post the credits for the audiobook in the description maybe?
Great idea, done! It was Jay O. Sanders, fyi
@@RebeccaVersusOh, he has a lovely voice. I might get the audiobook just for that reason.
The easier translation for Catch-22 is "Damned if you do, damned if you don't."
My English prof said it was "heavy handed" .... I argued a bit with him ... I'll have to reread it to see if I now agree with him
'Surprisingly great' to me in my 50s seems like a REALLY FUCKING APT way to describe Catch-22. I remember finding it shockingly misogynistic when I read it as a kid - but I still kept re-reading it, because it was just so powerful. Joe Heller was apparently a major jerk as a person, & Yossarian is a major jerk, but those actually help it work. Sort of like: Even an asshole like Yossarian can figure this shit out!
I was the one who promoted Major Major.
Glad you enjoyed the book. Definitely not for everyone.
Just a quick question: should the UN have ignored the NK invasion? IMHO, the war was waged poorly, but was just. Curious to hear your take. 🙂
You watched the MASH movie? I love Robert Altman movies, but the misogyny in that one is definitely worth reviewing.
Yeah, definitely a few cringe moments in there
The movie is super good. The Hulu series is also good.
I didn't even know there was a Hulu series! Thanks, I'll check it out
I second the Hulu series. Still have to watch the movie.
Fellow bottom of the overachiever set, are ya?
I was hoping you’d do this one
Edit: Regarding the idea of the “good war”. Not even World War II. That war started when Hitler invaded Poland. Much of it was the result of evil actions on all sides, most especially from the countries that would eventually make up the Allied forces, that propelled Hitler to power. It was the chickens coming home to roost. To say that it was a “good war” is to say that the acts of aggression were done for a good cause. That the greed and exploitation that created the war were “good”. They weren’t. The response to this already evil act of war was not “good”. It was necessary. Imagine all that destruction and loss of life. What of it was “good” and justified?
This is why I love Catch-22.
What! You Don't like Ender's Game! Just kidding. We all be differnt. I still like Ender's Game. I reread it a couple years ago, and I think it still has some interesting themes and such.
The book is great...the TV series movie thing...not so much
Not high!? Did you not just say "chronicological"? 😅
Btw great thumbnail on this one! Looks like some very genuine enjoyment there.
You might not be high but i am.
i didn't agree with your I'm Glad My Mom Died review, but didn't comment because I knew gen z was gonna come for you lmao i hope it wasn't too bad.
WWII was a paradox for me. Though I think it was terrible what the NAZIs did it was terrible I feel like it didn't justify some of our actions. I think about the child spy that the US army executed in front of a firing squad. Yes the Germans knew that being out of uniform would label him a spy and get him shot but I doubt the kid knew that. And the US had found other children spying and told them to go home. But I still don't think it was justified to shoot one kid to send a message. There were other problematic things done by US soldiers. I get it that they had seen the camps and atrocities committed by the NAZIs but I still don't think it justified rape and murder.
Also consider that the US built Japanese internment camps, where over 100,000 people were uprooted to live in very poor living conditions. Lacking medical care, poor food, extreme weather conditions. And when the camps finally closed, there were some who refused to leave because they no longer had homes to go back to. The American government forcibly uprooted them again, saying we don’t care where you go, just get out.
Ender's Game _is_ a pile of garbage. I posted a review of it on Reddit and, while there were a good number of "yup!" responses, the nerd outrage pile-on was cray-zee. One claimed it was taught in upper University physics courses?!? Um, nope.
Anything can be taught in upper University courses.
Ender's game might be included for a good reason (plot twist) or a bad reason (white supremacy and "death of the author").
Would be tough to base an entire class on it, but I've seen similar done.
@@jcspoon573 I forgot to mention it was purportedly a _physics_ course. But even a full-on humanities course, Ender's Game is so pithy and vacuous that I cannot see the best of my professors stretching it out for more than a week.
I hated the book and the movie. I'm a Vonnegut guy. Heller couldn't write.Huge fan of Arkin, though.
Wait, you’re not high?? UNSUBSCRIBE!!!1! 😆😆
Enders Game, pile of garbage by a pile of garbage
Chronic--ologically. Plea: innocent. Verdict: high. 😂
By the way thank you for the fun video. agree that this book is a 5 out of 5. I read it during one of my summers in college and just loved it to death. I think your analysis was spot on. This book also solidified my opinion of humor as high-minded.