THE ADVENTURES OF A CEARENSE CABRA DA PLAGUE

The Adventures of a Fearless Cearense

He had a Honda CG 83, a heart bigger than the Amazon River, and a special talent for attracting jealous husbands.

Wellington Marques Santana is not just a man from Ceará; he is a certified cabra da peste — a true adventurer at heart. And when such a man decides to see the world, the world trembles — or at least tries to run him over.

In this hilarious and electrifying memoir, Wellington takes us on a journey from 1986 to 1989, leaving Ceará behind and heading into the unknown. In Patos, Paraíba, he learns that love comes at a price: an angry truck driver threatening to crush him on the road. Between worn-out shoe soles and death threats, he still finds time to fall for the pastor’s daughter — and accidentally run over a pig in Olho D’Água.

Back in Maracanaú, Ceará, life seems calm… until girlfriends start piling up and a city councilman’s wife decides he is her new favorite pastime. The result? Another hasty escape.

But it is in Belém, Pará, that the adventure reaches full action-movie level. After being betrayed at the bus station, Wellington finds comfort in the arms of Nina, a market vendor at the famous Ver-o-Peso. The catch? Her husband is a bus driver, fiercely jealous, and carries a very sharp knife. The final escape involves a race against death, a heroic leap onto a speedboat, and a defiant wave as the INASA ship sails toward Manaus.

And the journey doesn’t end there. Six days sailing up the Amazon River, six days