Review of The Bay of Pigs: An Oral History of Brigade 2506

I have traveled to (including the Bay of Pigs), researched about, and written about Cuba but this is the first extensive oral history that I’ve read from the perspective of those that participated in the Bay of Pigs invasion in April 1961. The author, Victor Andres Triay, has made a valuable contribution to the vast literature on the topic by focusing on the story in the words of the participants and their families and how this event permanently changed their lives. The words of all the participants reveal an idealism and a quixotic hope that they were going to rid the island of communism. The strength of the book is that it takes a pivotal event in the Cold War and personalizes it in a way in which the reader can empathize. I highly recommend it.