Playa Girón/Bay of Pigs: Washington's First Military Defeat in the Americas
"A varied collection of speeches, communiqués and testimonies  from the time, by those such as Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, are  presented. These well catch the knife-edged political tension and  subsequent triumph of the momentous days in April 1961. Using fascinating  military maps, photographs and a full chronology of the time, the book  provides previously unpublished details surrounding the CIA-backed invasion  and the subsequent defeat of the 1,500 US mercenaries at the Bay of  Pigs.... [Gives] a real feel for the bravery and conviction of the  revolutionary Cuban forces, and their willingness to defend the socialist  principles of the Revolution at any cost.... provides invaluable  inspiration." --An Phoblacht/Republican news"Includes translations of a dozen Cuban primary source documents  on the U.S.-backed invasion at the Bay of  Pigs.... also contains a 48-page  transcript of José Ramón Fernández Alvarez's 1999 testimony about his  role leading Cuban troops against the invaders at Playa Giron.  Photographs, maps, and charts throughout the book provide a useful  supplement to the text." --Hispanic American Historical Review