A December 1947 Ebony article called the figure "the biggest bonanza ever pocketed by a colored writer" and stated that the book was "the first Negro-authored novel ever bought by a Hollywood studio."
An Ebony article from December 1947 referred to the figure as "the largest windfall ever earned by a black author" and claimed that the book was "the first novel penned by a Negro artist acquired by a major Hollywood studio."