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Short Synopsis
From Erica Heller, daughter of Catch-22 author Joseph Heller, comes a mordantly funny, poignant, and incisive memoir about growing up with her father.

Full Synopsis
Like his most famous work, Joseph Heller was a study in contradictions: eccentric, brilliant, and voracious, but also mercurial, competitive, and stubborn, with a love of mischief that sometimes cut too close to the bone.

Yossarian Slept Here is a daughter's mordantly funny, poignant, and incisive memoir about growing up Heller—from her colorful family members and her parents' passionate and tumultuous 38-year marriage, to her father's celebrity friends and the family's eccentric neighbors in New York City's historic Apthorp apartment building. Mel Brooks, Zero Mostel, and Mario Puzo were close confidantes of Joe; George Balanchine, Sidney Poitier, and Lena Horne shared the elevator. This authentic and vibrant portrait of life in the Heller household unfolds alongside the saga of the family's move into four distinctive apartments within the Apthorp, each representing a different phase of their lives together—and apart. It is a story about achieving a dream, about fame and its aftermath, about lasting love, squandered opportunities and how to have the best meal in Chinatown.

"For those with an interest in Joseph Heller, this is a must-listen as the details on his family and life experiences provide insights into how his life influenced his prize-winning writing." ---AudioFile

"A rare combination of candor, humor, and compassion, this book is for all [listeners], especially of literary and family memoirs, and all fans of Heller. A fine combo with Tracy Daugherty's Just One Catch: A Biography of Joseph Heller." ---Library Journal Starred Review

"An affectionate family scrapbook crafted with a bittersweet blend of humor and pathos." ---Kirkus

"Charming and combative." ---The New York Times
Library Journal Review

Yossarian Slept Here

When Joseph Heller Was Dad, the Apthorp Was Home, and Life Was a Catch-22

Author Erica Heller

Narrated by Karen White

Publication date Sep 27, 2011

Running time 10 hrs

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