Fall Reading

The book I chose to read was Catch-22. I had heard it come up in everyday conversation enough times that I figured I should learn what it's really about. After reading an overview about it, I learned that it has to do with military life during World War II. I knew I would learn about the politics behind and the results of the war, but I figured it would be interesting to understand more about what life would actually be like as a soldier in this time, and get a better cultural perspective. Catch-22 involves a condition in which soldiers may opt out of flying missions if they are insane. However, the fear of flying the missions that would cause someone to want to opt out is a sign of having a rational mind and being sane. Therefore, anyone who tries to opt out due to insanity proves their sanity. The book is full of other illogical instances like this, and makes the reader hope that the book is more satirical as opposed to less since the military in Catch-22 is not by any means well run. I knew that this book was long, but decided to read it anyway, figuring I would find time over the course of the year. I failed to realize that junior year was going to be as busy as it has a reputation for being, and I couldn't really find time to read it outside of class. The parts that I read really were interesting and entertaining, though, and I hope to find time to read the rest over the summer, if I'm not too busy then.