July 07, 2026
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For women approaching midlife who have abandoned themselves in service of others, a memoir of jumping feet first into a new life, reclaiming long-forgotten joys, and discovering a renewed sense of self after divorce
As Kate Washington approached her 50th birthday, she was also ending a 23-year marriage in which she had become so focused on serving others that she’d lost her sense of self. She embarked on what she calls the 50 Dunks Project: visiting 50 different bodies of water—swimming holes, hot springs, rivers, lakes, creeks, and oceans—before her milestone birthday. Midstream: A Life Remade in 50 Swims combines self-examination, wry humor, lyrical description, and cultural critique to tell the story of how her quest helped her recover from burnout and find herself again, making the case for embracing pleasure as a necessary act of resistance.
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In her “wrenching debut,” Kate Washington tells the story of her struggle to care for her seriously ill husband, offering a revealing look at the role unpaid family caregivers play in a society that fails to provide them with structural support. Available in hardback, paperback, audio, and ebook editions, Already Toast: Caregiving and Burnout in America (Beacon Press, 2021) shows how all-consuming caregiving can be, how difficult it is to find support, and how the cultural narratives that have long locked women into providing emotional labor also keep them in unpaid caregiving roles. In a starred review, Booklist called Already Toast "an eye-opening account from a full-time caregiver...a timely and crucial appeal."
Kate Washington is a writer in Northern California whose first book, Already Toast: Caregiving and Burnout in America (Beacon Press, March 2021) has been called "an eye-opening account from a full-time caregiver...a timely and crucial appeal." Her second book, Midstream: A Life Remade in 50 Swims, will be out July 7, 2026.
Kate is a frequent speaker on the systemic challenges facing family caregivers and recovery from burnout. She also appears regularly on podcasts and is available for interviews and to meet with book clubs. For her availability or to learn more, please contact her.