This is an anthropological study of a black ghetto in Washington, D.C. The focus of the book is on the nature of ghetto culture and its relationship to mainstream American culture. The author contends that the ghetto has developed a unique culture of its own which co-exists with aspects of mainstream American culture. The discussion dwells on the black family and the nature of male behavior, the cohesive force of black community culture in what has come to be called "soul," and the controversy surrounding the "culture of poverty." (KG)