Catch 22 by Joseph Heller

I have long wished I could come up with a word or saying that would make its way into everyday lexicon, so I'm totally impressed that everyone in the world knows the title to Joseph Heller's great book, Catch 22 even though they don't know that it's a book. The catch 22 in this book becomes apparent in the Second World War, specifically 1943, when a bomber pilot realizes he can only get out of flying missions if he is crazy, but wanting to get out of flying bombing missions proves he is sane. This is the kind of weird and interesting humor you will experience throughout this book. It is told from several points of view and can seem a little disjointed at times, but it is worth sticking with it. When this book was published in 1961 it was polarizing, half the reviews loved it and half hated it. It has endured however, with The Modern Library ranking Catch-22 as number 7 (by review panel) and as number 12 (by the public) on its list of the greatest English language novels of the twentieth century.