Another theme in the documentary is Mr. Alvarez’s detachment from his heritage. He is a proud American patriot, his shop is covered with news clippings about his path to citizenship, and most of his customers don’t know his birth name or that he is, nor does he broadcast these details. Mr. Ghavamian was baffled by this indifference and found significance in Mr. Alvarez’s enduring devotion for ancient poetry. During his lonely night shifts, Mr. Alvarez reads a tattered copy of the Rubaiyat, the 12th-century tome by Omar Khayyám, which he keeps stored beneath his takeout window, and he has works of poets like Rumi and Ferdowsi by his bedside.
