Douglas Hofstadter's long-awaited return to the themes of Gödel, Escher, Bach- an original and controversial view of the nature of consciousness and identity. I AM A STRANGE LOOP argues that the key to understanding the level on which consciousness operates-the higher-order equivalent of the atom, so to speak-is the feedback loop. "(B)rilliant... the most gripping 400 pages I've read in years.... (I AM A STRANGE LOOP) zings with puns, anecdotes and analogies." -The Times, London