A review by cubanpete
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

It's funny how rereadings change perceptions. I still see Catch-22 as a brilliant book in many ways but the shine has certainly worn off. It's coming off my favourites list for its blatant sexism, I'm pretty sure there were racist moments in it too. What really rubbed me the wrong way (no pun intended) was the way

sexual assault - including rape - was portrayed as a great laugh

. Catch-22 still can be laugh-out-loud funny and the critique of state military/war is clever. However, for every book like this there are hundreds of great books waiting to be published or noticed. It's time for this particular star of the canon to move over. I'm afraid I'm now older, less easily awed and more demanding.