Turn Left - by Illah Nourbakhsh (Paperback)

About the Book

Illah Nourbakhsh has spent fifty years navigating the space between cultures in conflict, enduring adversity, becoming resilient and successful, and yet, still failing to satisfy the question: "Where do I belong?" As it turns out, the answer lies in the space between categories. Drawing from his experience as an Iranian-born immigrant, Nourbakhsh shares his journey from the Iranian Revolution to the AI revolution, electric car races to the dot-com boom, and National Geographic to NASA. Turn Left opens up the essential conversation of identity, community engagement, and the power of robotics.

Book Synopsis

Illah Nourbakhsh has spent fifty years navigating the space between cultures in conflict, enduring adversity, becoming resilient and successful, and yet, still failing to satisfy the question: "Where do I belong?"

As an Iranian-born immigrant in the United States, Nourbakhsh doesn't buy into the assigned categories of "bicultural" and "Iranian-American." What these phrases fail to recognize is that immigrants and their identities are not centered in one category, like those within monoculture. Rather, Nourbakhsh states, immigrants are in between, always watching the spectacle of conflict from a unique space.

As he follows the evolution of his sense of belonging from childhood to the present day, he discovers that the answer to his question lies in the space between categories. His journey takes him through the Iranian Revolution, the Gulf Wars, 9/11, the AI revolution, the dot-com boom, NASA, social robotics, and two American universities. An intriguing personal story of one man's life of invention, Turn Left invites us to explore our true identities and consider what it looks like to leave a legacy of community and connection.

Review Quotes

Not only is Illah Nourbakhsh's Left Turn a crisply written, witty and insightful tale of migration to the United States, it is simultaneously about the possibilities and limits of technology from someone who's curiosity has been as vast as his impact. If the relationship between immigration and technological innovation in America isn't already clear, then let this be the text that renders that relationship canonical.--Louis Chude-Sokei, Professor of English, Director of African-American and Black Diaspora Studies, Boston University

With Iran being a US foe for about 45 years, it is easy to fail to think of the humanity of Iranians. This moving book about an Iranian immigrant to the US reminds the American reader of our shared humanity. Illah Nourbakhsh tells the touching story of a young Iranian boy who immigrated to the US, became a professor of robotics in one of the best computer-science departments in the world, decided to dedicate his career not only to the betterment of technology, but to the betterment of the world. It is a story that makes me hopeful not only about America but also about the Middle East.--Moshe Vardi, University Professor, Karen Ostrum George Distinguished Service Professor in Computational Engineering at Rice University

About the Author

Illah R. Nourbakhsh is Professor of Robotics at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he has taught for twenty-eight years. He is vice president of the school board for Winchester Thurston School and on the board of directors of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project. He is also a trustee of the Benedum Foundation, which provides funding for local health, education, and small business development. Currently, Nourbakhsh is honored as a Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, a Hastings Fellow, and an inductee of the June Harless West Virginia Hall of Fame. Whether with NASA, the Jet Propulsion labs, or otherwise, Illah's research centers on ethics and technology, engaging with communities around the world to co-invent technologies that provide power and agency to marginalized populations that have a right to shape their own destiny. He has also authored Robot Futures, AI and Humanity, and Introduction to Autonomous Mobile Robots.