"[3] The original text begins with an introduction by novelist Richard Wright in which he relates some of the research to the themes of his work, particularly the novel, Native Son.

The book continues with explorations of the forces which created the separate Black Metropolis, and how the community related to the wider city.

[4] The authors identify five overwhelming concerns of the entirety of the community—"staying alive, having a good time, praising God, getting ahead, and advancing the race.

[6] In the American Sociological Review, Samuel Strong wrote, "[t]he style of the volume alternates between systematic analysis, literary excursions, and journalistic protest writing.

..."[4] The reviewer for The Journal of Politics, Rosalind Lepawsky, noted the breadth of the book but found it confusing, and thought it was missing an emphasis on psychology and would benefit from a more popular treatment.

[9][page needed] According to James N. Gregory, writing in 2007, the book emphasized physical segregation and social disorganization theory, tending to diminish the achievements of the Black community and "introduc(ing) the ghetto story that would guide (perceptions for) the next half century."