How Much of a Catch Was Joseph Heller?

Fifty-one years ago, nobody used the term "Catch-22" to describe a victim trapped in a contradictory, often bureaucratic, paradox. Not even Joseph Heller, who'd spent seven years writing his satirical World War II novel; he was still calling it "Catch-18." Then, just months before its publication, news that bestselling author Leon Uris had grabbed the numeral for "Mila 18" forced Heller and his editor to change the title. In 1961, Yossarian, Milo Minderbinder and Major Major met their public in "Catch-22."