Use these links to supplement and complement students’ reading of the work and to increase their overall enjoyment of literature. Challenge them to discern parallel themes, engage through visual and aural stimuli, and delve deeper into the thematic possibilities presented by the title.

Recommended Texts for Pairing

On the Beach

• the 1959 film version of the book about nuclear war that Eli gets for his birthday
• Consider how both texts treat relationships and innocence and experience.

“Ashes” by Susan Beth Pfeffer

• a 7-page contemporary short story about a father manipulating his daughter into unethical behavior
• Compare and contrast how “Ashes” and The Compound treat shame, guilt, and relationships; power, control, and intimacy; and innocence and experience.

“Guilt” by Judy Budnitz

• a contemporary short story about a man who is manipulated into giving his own heart to save his mother’s life
• Students can listen to actor Matt Malloy reading the story aloud.
• Compare and contrast how “Guilt” and The Compound treat shame, guilt, and relationships.

Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss

• a young adult novel detailing the ingenious ways a family survives after being stranded on a deserted island
• connects to themes of relationships, innocence, and experience
• Compare and contrast the relationships in the Robinson family during their isolation with those in the Yanakakis family in The Compound.