Joe Gould's Teeth

In Joe Gould’s Teeth, historian and New Yorker staff writer Jill Lepore embarks on a compelling quest to uncover the truth behind Joe Gould's legendary manuscript, “The Oral History of Our Time.” Celebrated by modernist figures yet shrouded in mystery, Gould claimed to chronicle the voices of everyday people, amassing a staggering nine million words before his death in 1957, when the manuscript mysteriously vanished. Lepore's investigation blends elements of detection and madness as she examines archives and personal writings, revealing deeper narratives involving race, history, and Gould’s fixation on the African American sculptor Augusta Savage, ultimately arguing that Gould’s fragmented work holds a haunting reflection of our times.