In this episode of Old School with Shilo Brooks from The Free Press, Elliot Ackerman discusses Joseph Heller’s Catch-22, one of the most acclaimed anti-war novels in American literature.
A Marine Corps veteran, former CIA officer, journalist, and novelist, Ackerman reflects on why Heller’s World War II satire continues to speak to readers during a period marked by conflict in Ukraine, Sudan, Venezuela, Iran, and beyond.
Catch-22 and the Absurdity of War
The conversation examines how Catch-22 captures the logic, absurdity, and moral disorientation of military bureaucracy. Ackerman and Brooks explore why a novel born from America’s “good war” became one of its most enduring anti-war works.
War Literature for the Present Moment
The episode also considers how literature helps readers understand the distance between political decisions and the human costs of war. For Ackerman, Catch-22 remains relevant because it exposes the systems and language that can obscure those costs.
Watch the Conversation
Watch Elliot Ackerman and Shilo Brooks discuss Catch-22, war literature, military satire, and the continuing relevance of Joseph Heller’s classic novel.