Trevor Noah's 7 favorite works that explore life's challenges

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Trevor Noah's new book, "Into the Uncut Grass," is an illustrated fable about a child's journey beyond the security of home. Below, the former host of The Daily Show and the best-selling author of the memoir "Born a Crime" names his favorite books of 2024.

'The Message' by Ta-Nehisi Coates

The return of one of America's best writers to nonfiction, seven years after the publication of his 2017 collection "We Were Eight Years in Power," makes the publication of this book an unmissable literary event. Buy it here.

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'What If We Get It Right? Visions of Climate Futures' by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

Johnson is perhaps the most famous climate scientist in the world, and in her new book she brings together a range of experts to explore possible solutions to the climate-change crisis. "What If We Get It Right?" is a book full of joy, justice, and love for the future. Buy it here.

'All Fours' by Miranda July

Quirky and smart, July's second novel tells the story of a married middle-aged woman who throws herself into an affair with a younger man. It's about how we find the lives — and romantic constructs — that serve us, and it has been shortlisted for fiction's National Book Award. Buy it here.

'Martyr!' by Kaveh Akbar

Another of the current National Book Award finalists, this debut novel from poet Kaveh Akbar unfolds a hard-to-describe but totally original story about displacement, history, and family secrets. A brilliant voice and unlike anything out there. Buy it here.

'Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (Or Just Me)?' by Jay Ellis

A unique coming-of-age story from the actor, whose imaginary friend helped him survive a rocky childhood. Buy it here.

'Catalina' by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

This exceptional novel from the author of "The Undocumented Americans" follows an undocumented immigrant during her senior year at Harvard. It's about how we navigate a world of difference — a world that might not seem to have a place for us. It's also funny and raw and wise. Buy it here.

'James' by Percival Everett

Probably the best novel of the year, by a writer who is finally getting his due. Another National Book Award finalist, it retells Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" from the perspective of Jim, and it's unforgettable — subversive, but also genuinely entertaining. Buy it here.

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