Regina Rheda

Humana Festa, A Novel is an original, pioneer work of contemporary literature in that it dwells upon veganism and animal rights. Exploring connections between feminism, the environment, and the abolition of animal exploitation, Humana Festa, A Novel narrates the relationship between Megan, a young American woman who advocates for vegan causes, and the Brazilian Diogo, a college student of Forestry in the USA who stands to inherit his wealthy father’s livestock farms. Complementary intrigues involve Megan’s mother, Sybil, a bisexual vegan feminist and animal rights advocate, and Mizz Orchid, a smart but illiterate rural worker in Brazil who refuses to eat animals because she doesn’t want to harm them and who acquires political consciousness as she gets involved in a farmworkers’ movement. From Florida to Massachusetts and Mississippi, and then to a large rural property in Brazil, conflicts flare between people with different life experiences as they pursue common ideals. A witty page-turner, Humana Festa, A Novel will interest readers of diverse backgrounds and worldviews.
Regina Rheda is the author of First World Third Class and Other Tales of the Global Mix (University of Texas Press). Born in Brazil, she's been living in the US since 1999. Her works of fiction have been adopted in translation and in the original Portuguese in numerous courses at American universities. Translator Charles A. Perrone is Professor of Portuguese and Brazilian Literature at the University of Florida.