‘O Avesso da Pele’: MS deputies who signed a document to collect the book assume they have not read the work | Mato Grosso do Sul

The discussion on the subject lasted a little over 40 minutes. In plenary, Workers’ Party (PT) deputy Pedro Kemp repudiated the order to collect books from schools in Mato Grosso do Sul.

In response to Kemp’s repudiation, deputies Pedro Caravina and Zé Teixeira, both from the PSDB and from Governor Eduardo Riedel’s base, asked to speak on the stand. The two parliamentarians, who signed an official document asking for the work to be removed from the state’s schools, stated that they had not read the book.

On the microphone, Caravina said that he limited himself to reading just two of the 100 pages of the book by writer Jeferson Tenório.

“I haven’t read the book, so I can’t say anything about the content. […] I have to disagree with the terms described. Without polemicizing, but given the level of words put there for high school students, we cannot encourage It is not a book to be made available by the Ministry of Education”, said Caravina.

Before deputy Zé Teixeira takes over the speech, Pedro Kemp says: “I’m going to listen to you, even though I haven’t read the book”. The toucan confirms in the stand that he has not even looked at the work of Jeferson Tenório.

“I saw a speech by a deputy in the legislative assembly of Goiás. […] I don’t accept that book for my children”, exclaimed Zé Teixeira.

“If in some parts swear words are used, it is because it portrays everyday life. There’s nothing erotic about it. It would be important for the discussion of structural racism in society. The plot sheds light on structural racism”, said the deputy about the work.

With the books already collected from schools in Mato Grosso do Sul, Kemp suggested that the Executive donate the collected copies.

Copies of the book “The reverse of the skin”, by writer Jeferson Tenório, were collected from 75 public schools in Mato Grosso do Sul, following a determination by governor Eduardo Riedel (PSDB).

According to the State Department of Education (SED), the measure is due to the language used in excerpts from the book that contain expressions considered inappropriate for the age group of the majority of students served by the State Education Network (REE).

In Paraná, copies are also being collected from state schools that offer high school in Paraná. The determination was made by the State Department of Education (Seed).

Writer Jeferson Tenório talks about ‘The reverse of the skin’; work is the subject of controversy in RS

On social media, writer Jeferson Tenório classified Seed’s measure as “violence and an unconstitutional attitude”.

According to the author, “you cannot decide what students should or should not read with the stroke of a pen. We will not accept any type of censorship.”

The work was published in 2020 and tells the story of Pedro, whose father was murdered in a police attack.

Racism is one of the themes covered in the book, which won the Jabuti Prize in 2021, considered the most important in Brazilian literature.

“The reverse side of the skin” is part of the National Textbook Program (PNLD), of the Ministry of Education (MEC), which buys and distributes textbooks to public schools in Brazil.