Book · 1961 · Open Library Staff Picks
Catch-22
#174 of 16,672 books, ranked by how many different people bring it up on podcasts
- mentions
- 23
- people
- 15
- podcasts
- 13
- episodes
- 20
- critical mentions
- 0
Where did the expression Catch-22 come from comes from Joseph hyler's 1961 classic novel Catch-22 a satirical depiction of the American Military bureaucracy in World War II.
Bill Burr · Monday Morning Podcast · Jun 2023 Listen at 59:36 What they say about it
- Kurt Vonnegut and Joseph Heller story“How does it make you feel”7
- Origin of the expression“Explain the origin and meaning”3
- Read in high school“One of the first writing assignments”2
The best things said about it
We should probably definitely mention Catch-22 cuz we'll get emails if we don't because that's sort of well, it's a satire, of course. Uh so, you hate it. But, it's built on it's built on irony.
Very specific voice in that book, comedic, satirical.
Noah Hawley SmartLess · Dec 2025 I reread that a couple years ago, I split a gut.
About the absurdity of rules and bureaucracy that don't make sense.
Maajid Nawaz The Joe Rogan Experience · Jul 2024 Yeah, but I have something he'll never have.
The book review did this great feature recently about Classics that are you know now considered just these incredible parts of the cannon that were completely panned by the book review like Catch 22 the book review hated and of Green Gables the book review hated.
Where and when it comes up
Mentions per year
1
2
2
7
3
5
3
How it comes up
15 people who brought it up
Why people recommend it
Catch-22 is Joseph Heller's famous satirical novel about the absurd bureaucratic paradoxes and psychological toll of military life during World War II. While the book itself was not directly recommended for purchase, multiple podcast hosts and guests frequently discussed its literary impact and associated anecdotes. Mark on The Daily Stoic and Robert Evans on Behind the Bastards both mentioned Heller's authorship when exploring World War II bomber culture and broader writing achievements. Josh Clark and Chuck explored the novel's reliance on irony and satire on Stuff You Should Know. Noah Hawley reflected on SmartLess and How I Write about reading the book in high school and how a specific writing assignment imitating its satirical voice shaped his career. Finally, Ryan Holiday on The Daily Stoic and Sahil Bloom on Modern Wisdom referenced Heller's work while recounting the famous Hamptons anecdote involving Kurt Vonnegut teasing Heller about wealth and having enough.
Every mention
Bill Burr where did the expression Catch-22 come from comes from Joseph hyler's 1961 classic novel Catch-22 a satiric… 5
Discussed
“catch-22 all right”
Discussed
“I was listening to try to explain the origin and meaning of Catch-22 and had to write in yeah I didn't I had never seen the movie and I was unfamiliar so thank you for writing in to set me straight here in the book the soldiers are required to complete uh all right so anyway there's the expression catch-22”
Discussed
“to set me straight here in the book the soldiers are required to complete”
Discussed
“the phrase Catch-22 is mentioned when the characters talk about this one catch to the rules that they have to follow in order to go home”
Discussed
“where did the expression Catch-22 come from comes from Joseph hyler's 1961 classic novel Catch-22 a satirical depiction of the American Military bureaucracy in World War II”
Ryan Holiday And Vonagget is teasing Heler and he says, "You know, this guy made this week more than all of the sales of… 3
Discussed
“And Vonagget is teasing Heler and he says, "You know, this guy made this week more than all of the sales of Catch 22. How does that make you feel?”
Discussed
“It's that uh the famous story of uh Kurt Vonagget and Joseph Heler going to the house of that billionaire in the Hamptons and Vonagget says, "How does it feel that this guy just yesterday made more money than your most famous book, Catch22, made in its entire lifetime?"”
Discussed
“there's a there's a story that i tell in one of my books about joseph heller who wrote catch 22 and kurt vonnegut who wrote slaughterhouse five”
Noah Hawley One of the first writing assignments that I remember in high school was we were reading Catch 22, the Josep… 2
Discussed
“One of the first writing assignments that I remember in high school was we were reading Catch 22, the Joseph Heller book”
Discussed
“We were reading the book Catch 22, right? And and very specific voice in that book, comedic, satirical, and there was an assignment which is write your own chapter of Catch22, right? And I remember that being the first thing and kind of interesting considering I ended up, you know, write a Cohen brothers movie and write a Ridley Scott”
Alexandra Alter the book review did this great feature recently about Classics that are you know now considered just these… 1
Discussed
“the book review did this great feature recently about Classics that are you know now considered just these incredible parts of the cannon that were completely panned by the book review like Catch 22 the book review hated and of Green Gables the book review hated”
Edward O. Thorp Joseph Hower wrote this famous book C 22 uh of which they made a movie way back maybe 50 years ago 1
Discussed
“Joseph Hower wrote this famous book C 22 uh of which they made a movie way back maybe 50 years ago”
Gabor Mate Cat 22 yeah I I reread that a couple years ago I split a gut who was it not John sck who wrote that uh Jose… 1
Discussed
“Cat 22 yeah I I reread that a couple years ago I split a gut who was it not John sck who wrote that uh Joseph heler”
Jimmy Carr And Kurt Vonnegut, incredible writer, says to Joseph Heller, 'This guy made more money one day last week th… 1
Discussed
“And Kurt Vonnegut, incredible writer, says to Joseph Heller, 'This guy made more money one day last week than you made out of Catch-22.'”
Josh Clark we should probably definitely mention Catch-22 cuz we'll get emails if we don't because that's sort of well… 1
Discussed
“we should probably definitely mention Catch-22 cuz we'll get emails if we don't because that's sort of well, it's a satire, of course. Uh so, you hate it. But, it's built on it's built on irony.”
Maajid Nawaz right we understand uh darkness at noon right these books catch 22 joseph hel about the absurdity of rules… 1
Discussed
“right we understand uh darkness at noon right these books catch 22 joseph hel about the absurdity of rules and bureaucracy that don't make sense”
Mike Maughan and vonnegut who if you know anything about him was very funny and and this hilarious guy and he says to jo… 1
Discussed
“and vonnegut who if you know anything about him was very funny and and this hilarious guy and he says to joseph heller how does it make you feel to know that our host only yesterday made more money than your novel catch-22 has earned in its entire history”
Pamela Paul I want to go back to this idea of humor in war novels because when we think of slaughterhouse 5 and catch 2… 1
Discussed
“I want to go back to this idea of humor in war novels because when we think of slaughterhouse 5 and catch 22 these kind of two iconic uh World War II novels”
Robert Evans I read that other really good book about this by Joseph Heler. 1
Discussed
“I read that other really good book about this by Joseph Heler.”
Robert Gottlieb you know the most famous of which was Catch 22 1
Discussed
“you know the most famous of which was Catch 22”
Sahil Bloom and vonette asks heler how does it feel that just yesterday the owner of this house made more money than yo… 1
Discussed
“and vonette asks heler how does it feel that just yesterday the owner of this house made more money than your book Catch 22 made in the entirety of its lifetime”
Steven Bartlett Don't remember when Joseph Heller's at the house of the of the billionaire, and someone walks up and says,… 1
Discussed
“Don't remember when Joseph Heller's at the house of the of the billionaire, and someone walks up and says, 'Heller, like, this guy just made in one day what your gross sales were for Catch 22, or whatever.' And Heller just goes, 'Yeah, but I have something he'll never have.'”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker1
Discussed
“Like, yes, he wrote Catch-22, but that's not the only book that he wrote.”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
Other mentions (13: passing, ad reads, own books)
Passing
“there was a great play by uh Joseph heler who was the author of catch22 called we bombed the New Haven and there was a character in it who says we're g to bomb Constantinople off the map”
Passing
“there was a the uh the dialogue that Joseph heler and um Kurt vonagard had about money you've heard that one yeah you have Kurt Von good and and uh Joseph hel Joseph fell wrote catch22 and they're at this B billionaires party”
Passing
“and the sellout appeared on our critics list from earlier this year of the funniest books since Catch 22 is that correct”
Passing
“I'll tell you one story that you probably read my book it's about Joseph heler and Kurt vonet please Joseph how wrote his famous book C 22 of which they made a movie way back maybe 50 years ago”
Passing
“it's very like it's like Catch 22 level stuff you know where they're like well I guess we're going to start a war and they're like a war like a war against who”
Passing
“the fellow who wrote cash 22 it's a lot of interesting folks out there”
Passing
“but various government agencies had to put out warnings to their employees that it was very Catch-22 it's very heller-esque”
Passing
“OR HE READ CATCH22 AND HE'S LIKE, "THIS IS A GOOD IDEA. We can just glue the satellites together and they'll fall to the earth."”
Passing
“We did Catch-22. But we all agree that the greatest thing we've ever read together was Anna Karenina.”
Passing
“that's sort of the milo minder binder from catch-22 is that's not the way to make a rich ecosystem uh work”
Passing
“and then the other one was in catch too when hungry”
Passing
“I got him all these pirated copies of like 1984 and like James Baldwin and catch22 and stuff to read”
Passing
“Although, to paraphrase Joseph Heller, just because you've got vaccine paranoia doesn't mean they aren't after you. So, what's to be done about it?”