Adventures In Black and White, a memoir-travelogue originally published in 1960, is being re-released with a critical introduction and some minor edits and annotations by scholar Tara Betts. Philippa Duke Schuyler, recognized as a prodigy from a young age, was celebrated as America's first internationally-known mixed-race celebrity. Her father, a conservative black journalist, and her mother, a white Texan heiress, focused on Schuyler's upbringing in the context of integration, believing that racial mixing could create a superior hybrid individual. Although Schuyler resisted this notion, it ultimately led her into a damaging identity crisis that affected her throughout her life. When transitioning from child prodigy to concert pianist became difficult in America, Schuyler, like many black artists before her, sought larger audiences abroad during the 1950s. Her experiences witnessing the disintegration of European colonies in Africa and the Middle East form the core of Adventures In Black and White. This narrative links the Harlem Renaissance to the early stages of the Civil Rights Movement, at a time when discussions about interracial identity in America were just beginning. As Schuyler reflects on Africa-"the homeland of her ancestors"-readers can gain insight into how the young musician eventually evolved into an author and journalist, leading to her subsequent works.
