Books by Jill Lepore, Eric Ripert and Elnathan John

JOE GOULD’S TEETH, by Jill Lepore. Joe Gould was a crazy Greenwich Village bohemian of the early 20th century — befriended by E.E. Cummings, Marianne Moore and other artists — who claimed to be writing a 9-million-word “Oral History of Our Time,” a manuscript that was never found. Historian Lepore set out to discover the truth of Gould’s book — and his life. (Knopf, $24.95)

32 YOLKS: From My Mother’s Table to Working the Line, by Eric Ripert with Veronica Chambers. The chef and co-owner of Manhattan’s acclaimed Le Bernadin reflects on a frequently unhappy childhood and youth in France, marked by his parents’ divorce and father’s early death. His consolation was food, a passion that led him to culinary school, high-end Paris restaurants and, ultimately, New York. (Random House, $28)

BORN ON A TUESDAY, by Elnathan John. This debut novel by a Nigerian author couldn’t be more timely, or powerful. It’s the coming-of-age story of the likable young narrator, Dantala Ahmad, who has finished his Quaranic studies and lives with a gang of troublemaking street kids. Taken in by the imam at a local mosque, Dantala finds himself in the midst of the terrible sectarian violence of his country. (Black Cat, $16 paper)