“Catch-22” is a book that manages to perfectly capture the anti-war sentiment of the 1960s and 70s. The author, Joseph Heller, actually served in the United States Army during the Korean War, although the book takes place during the Second World War.

It combines humor, romance, tragedy and frustration to make an incredibly relatable story of an everyday man confronting the challenges of bureaucracy, duty, self-preservation, and friendship in the confusing times he spends serving in the U.S. Air Force.

Some are surprised and deterred by “Catch-22’s” unconventional storytelling technique: the book is told out of order. In the hands of a lesser writer, this would create a confusing and annoying read for any potential audience.

However, Heller pulls it off with remarkable skill. He effortlessly is able to switch time periods and uses it to the real benefit of the story, rather than as a cheap gimmick.

The story follows an American bombardier stationed at a fictional Italian island late in the Second World War. His name is Jon Yossarian.

Yossarian, despite being in the military, is the ultimate coward. He has no sense of patriotism or honor and his only concern is that he survives the war.

In fact, the very nature of the war confuses him. After all, the Germans never did anything to him, and he never did anything to the Germans, but he still is forced to bomb them, and they are forced to try and shoot him down.

Yossarian has one chance at getting out of the war: flying his required number of missions. If he reaches the number of missions that the military requires, then he will be free to go. There is one obstacle is his way, however.

Colonel Cathcart is an ambitious military officer whose ultimate goal is to become General Cathcart, no matter what it takes. He hopes to achieve this by making one of the best fighting squadrons in the U.S. Air Force. In order to do that, he raises the number of required missions every time someone gets close.

Yossarian is a man we can all relate to. We have all found ourselves struggling against forces we can’t possibly beat; things so large and broad that we alone could never make a dent in them. This is the same struggle Yossarian faces in the novel.

Catch-22, despite these rather grim premises, is told in such a comedic fashion that you are guaranteed to burst out laughing more than once. The book is perfect for a wide variety of audiences, from young adults looking to explore satire, to older readers looking for a book that captures the essence of the era.