I'm thinking we should maybe give them Shawshank Redemption. It shows that we're a flawed species, but that love, friendship, and belonging are more important. Music? You couldn't go wrong with any classical music, really. But how about some Phillip Glass? Koyaanisquatsi:The Grid? As far as a novel, I don't think I've read enough to make a good judgement. I'll have to think on that. It feels like the answer is easier than I'm making it. Maybe it should be one of those simple novels that made you cry as a teenager. Where the Red Fern Grows or something like it. Culturally speaking, I'd be better to have something more representative of our world than my white-bread, boring culture, though.
Koyaanisquatsi is definitely the film to show them. It's perfect. I'm going to read Where the Red Fern Grows. It sounds like exactly the kind of book I love, but I've never come across it - I guess boring white-bread UK culture is a little different than boring white-bread american? I heard "Che Farò Senza Euridice" today, and I thought that might be music for the alien? There's a version of it here. Although it might be way too cheesy for him...