''The Edge of Tomorrow'' is a 1958 book by American physician Thomas A. Dooley about his humanitarian mission Operation Laos in the country of

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

. Dooley wrote about the "shaky beginnings" of his team's formation in the Laotian capital of

Vientiane Vientiane ( , ; lo, ວຽງຈັນ, ''Viangchan'', ) is the capital and largest city of Laos. Vientiane is divided administratively into 9 cities with a total area of only approx. 3,920 square kilometres and is located on the banks of ...

and the team's trips to

Vang Vieng Vang may refer to: People Vang is a common surname among Hmong Americans, including *Vang Pao (1929–2011), Lieutenant General in the Royal Lao Army and a leader of the Hmong American community in the United States *Ka Vang (born 1975), writer * ...

and

Nam Tha The Tha River (Nam Tha) is a river in northwest Laos, and one of the 12 tributaries on the Mekong River. It gave its name to the town of Luang Namtha Luang Namtha (''Luang Nam Tha'') ( Lao: ມ. ຫລວງນໍ້າທາ) is a district a ...

, from which he had a "triumphant departure". James T. Fisher, who published a biography about Dooley, said, "''The Edge of Tomorrow'' was even more successful than ooley's previous book''Deliver Us from Evil''; a best-seller, it also won virtually universal critical acclaim." Seth Jacobs, writing in a chapter of ''Making Sense of the Vietnam Wars'', said, "''The Edge of Tomorrow'' and ooley's other book''The Night They Burned the Mountain'', attracted almost as wide a readership as Dooley's debut." The

United States Information Agency The United States Information Agency (USIA), which operated from 1953 to 1999, was a United States agency devoted to "public diplomacy". In 1999, prior to the reorganization of intelligence agencies by President George W. Bush, President Bill C ...

distributed ''The Edge of Tomorrow'' (along with ''Deliver Us from Evil'') globally "as part of its cultural diplomacy efforts". Fisher described the book, "''The Edge of Tomorrow'' is both an American adventure story and a journal of the spirit that evokes the 'little way' of St.

Thérèse of Lisieux Thérèse of Lisieux (french: Thérèse de Lisieux ), born Marie Françoise-Thérèse Martin (2 January 1873 – 30 September 1897), also known as Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face (), was a French Catholic Discalced Carmelite ...

... and other participants in the 'lay apostolate' of the era." According to the biographer, Dooley exhibited a "naive idealism" about foreign aid to Laos amidst "the yawning void of"

Laos–United States relations Relations between Laos and the United States officially began when the United States opened a legation in Laos in 1950, when Laos was a semi-autonomous state within French Indochina. These relations were maintained after Lao independence in Octob ...

in the 1950s. Dooley asked if foreign aid planners' inability to relate to his mission was due to "spiritual barrenness". The royalties from sales of ''The Edge of Tomorrow'' enabled Dooley to help his brothers financially.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Edge of Tomorrow, The 1958 non-fiction books Books about Laos