Fifty years ago, 3,000 Cuban men took part in the best-known effort by the United States to overthrow Cuban leader Fidel Castro - the Bay of Pigs invasion, La Bahía de Cochinos.

In Miami’s Cuban exile community - where many of those men still live - the courage of Brigade 2506 is legendary.

Now, a fresh retelling by those who where there is available in a new coffee table book, Bay of Pigs: The Men Behind the Invasion (Bahía de Cochinos: Los Hombres Detras de la Invasión), available only at Navarro Discount Pharmacy stores or on their website for $39.99.

Navarro commissioned HCP/Aboard to produce the book based on a three-day series published in the MiamiHerald/ElNuevo Herald in April. Both the series and book commemorate the 50 year anniversary of the ill-fated invasion that left 1,200 in Cuban prisons and 104 dead.

The 144-page book, in Spanish and English, tells personal stories of the three-day battle in 1961. It offers first-person accounts of two horrible events - the Rastra and the Celia incidents, where 20 more brigade members died after the fighting stopped. It also offers new revelations about the face-to-face negotiations between Castro and two women, Berta Barreto de los Heros and Virginia Betancourt, to win the release of the captured brigadistas.

A memoriam to the dead is included and the book, for the first time, chronicles the name of every man who took part in the invasion. Go to the index to see the alphabetized names, from Clemente Abascal Moreno to Mario Zuñiga Rivas. Also included is each men’s cherished brigade number.

The book was edited by Ken Rivadeneira and designed by art director Carlos Martin, both of HCP/Aboard, the publishing division of the Miami Herald Media Company. It features the work of Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald reporters, editors and photographers.

“This is another heartfelt project for us and I’m glad to say Navarro was onboard from the beginning recognizing the anniversary series as a book that would resonate with many in our community,” said Garry Duell, publisher of HCP/Aboard.

For Navarro, which opened its first store in Little Havana 50 years ago, the book is a perfect fit for its shelves at this time of year.

“Many Navarro customers were touched by the Bay of Pigs invasion either directly or indirectly,” said Melanie Mendoza, marketing manager for Navarro. “They were there; their grandfather was there or they know someone who was affected by it. The brigadistas are a representation of courage and fortitude to many Cuban exiles in Miami.”

WHERE TO BUY IT: Bay of Pigs: The Men Behind the Invasion (Bahía de Cochinos: Los Hombres Detras de la Invasión) is available only all Navarro Discount in Miami-Dade and Broward for $39.99. The book is also available online at www.navarro.com