 The book that Damien reads and references throughout the film is  called "Six OClock Saints". Popular in the UK in the 1950s, it is  surprising that any parent would give a copy to their child, as the  director points out, since it contains all the gruesome stories that  Damien tells in class, plus many more. Its inclusion is a sort of  homage to Martin Scorsese, who, according to Boyle, has cited it in  interviews as one of his favorite books growing up and that it gave  him a wider understanding of the human experience than had been  revealed to him as a child.