A powerful memoir about Lexi, who is growing up without bodily-control or the ability to speak due to a brain injury she suffered as a baby. The timeline jumps between thirteen year-old Lexi as she prepares for her second brain surgery and five year-old Lexi in search of the gifts she believes will grant her the use of her body. The memoir was heartfelt, funny, sad, and inspiring. It packs a punch—sometimes literally via the superheroes Lexi vicariously lives through and is currently obsessed with. It’s a look into disability and the uncertainties many disabled folks face throughout their lives, along with the not-usually-recognized hard work their families endure to ensure their loved ones have the best lives possible. 

The Year of the Buttered Cat reminds readers, as Lexi writes, that "people with disabilities, even severe ones, have interesting internal lives and a lot to offer as friends.”