Blind Spot

Set in the entertainment world in France, this searing memoir explores the realities of being a mixed or biracial French citizen. In Blind Spot, Myriam Tadess exposes the difficulty, even the impossibility, for France to truly understand and celebrate the lived realities of mixed or biracial French citizens. What the French word mtiswhich translates to half-breed or mixed-racehides is how central the notion of race actually is in a society that claims to repudiate it. The French film and theater world, in which Tadess has made her career, appears unable to confront the individuality of the performers. They are required to correspond to categoriesoften based on racethat dont allow for biracial identities. This classification not only contradicts Frances asserted ideals but also views as anomalies those who defy ethno-racial assumptions. Drawing on her personal experiences as a biracial Ethiopian-French woman and her family history, Tadess explores the realities of life for mixed-race individuals in France through her searing and honest memoir.