Chasing Daylight: How My Forthcoming Death Transformed My Life

“Eugene O’Kelly made a generous gift of this book. He left behind something wise and insightful; it’s something we all can use.” —Paul Newman

Chasing Daylight is the inspirational memoir of former KPMG CEO Eugene O’Kelly, written in the three-and-a half months between his terminal diagnosis with brain cancer and his death in September 2005. Interweaving details of his illness with reflections on life, death, and success, this passionate, deeply insightful book provides an unforgettable account of O’Kelly’s final journey, and is a compelling reminder of the importance of living a balanced and meaningful life.

"Voicing universal truths not often found in business or how-to tracts...[O'Kelly] made a success out of his final mission."-The New York Times

”One of the most unexpected and touching books you're likely to read this year.”-Bloomberg News

"A moving memoir."-The Times (London)

Eugene O'Kelly started at KPMG as an assistant accountant in 1972 and ended his 30-plus year career as CEO, in which capacity he served from April 2002 to June 2005 before becoming a Senior Partner of the firm. He passed away September 10, 2005.

The New York Times - Janet Maslin

… Chasing Daylight is far from uniformly flattering. It reveals a chilly, manipulative side to Mr. O'Kelly - or, as Mrs. O'Kelly puts it, "a 'cut to the chase' approach that had made him so successful in business but could sometimes come off as abrupt in personal interactions." When he set out to bid farewell to everyone he knew, one at a time, the meetings were arranged strictly on his terms. But it is the crumbling of this very rigidity that makes the book affecting. The author taught himself new survival strategies when the habits of a lifetime failed him.