I can only hope it has gotten a little better in the last 3 years since publication.
I've been there 3x and one thing I felt immediately was related to race. Nothing happened to me, no real incident to point to, but I perceived an immediate coolness/mistrust between people of different races that I rarely experience here in Atlanta. Here, it's usual for people to meet on a platform of equality and open dialog and give each other the benefit of the doubt, but occasionally you do run into old thinking (typically from older people.)
My first impression of Memphis was that it was the opposite: races generally do not have in place a sense of mutual respect or trust. It hasn't developed or been nurtured, and I can see that it makes for difficult politics and daily living. Really sad, because Memphis has a lot going for it: river, history, entertainment, weather, food, pretty neighborhoods, etc. Augusta, GA is very similar (but less dangerous) in it's politics and racial divide.