Sutherland Library Classics Book Group

There is no commitment required; just turn up ready to share your thoughts. Each month a book from classic literature is selected by the group to be read for the following meeting.

July meeting: Catch-22 / Joseph Heller

At the heart of Joseph Heller's bestselling novel, first published in 1961, is a satirical indictment of military madness and stupidity, and the desire of the ordinary man to survive it.

Set in Italy during World War II, this is the story of the incomparable, malingering bombardier, Yossarian, a hero who is furious because thousands of people he has never met are trying to kill him. But his real problem is not the enemy—it is his own army, which keeps increasing the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service. Yet if Yossarian makes any attempt to excuse himself from the perilous missions he’s assigned, he’ll be in violation of Catch-22, a hilariously sinister bureaucratic rule: a man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but if he makes a formal request to be removed from duty, he is proven sane and therefore ineligible to be relieved.

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The Fine Print

It is up to you to source a copy of the selected book. The library does have some copies for loan, but these are available for all library members to borrow so may be unavailable. You can check availability in the library catalogue. Alternatively, we may be able to source a copy from another library service via our interlibrary loans service (standard charges apply).