Turn Left

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.