Star Crossed

Praise for Star Crossed 

“A worthwhile addition to Holocaust literature focused on young artists navigating occupied Paris.” —Kirkus Reviews


Praise for 999 by Heather Dune Macadam         

A PEN AWARD FINALIST

“Researched over the course of the last decade and building on a narrative thread (author Heather Dune Macadam) followed since the 1990s, (the book) draws on interviews and testimonies from survivors of that first transport and their families.” —Time.com

“The library of books about the Holocaust is broad and deep. Still, 999 is an important addition with its focus on the lives of women and its unbearably vivid details. It should be considered essential reading for any modern history class.” —New York Journal of Books

“An intimate and harrowing account of dozens of young Jewish women who were on the first convoy to arrive at Auschwitz in March 1942 . . . Macadam doesn’t shy away from the gruesome details but also notes the women’s close-knit bonds and willingness to protect each other when they were sick. She movingly describes how the legacy of trauma has impacted the children and grandchildren of the handful of survivors. This careful, sympathetic history illuminates an incomprehensible human tragedy.” —Publishers Weekly

“A fresh, remarkable story of Auschwitz, on the 75th anniversary of its liberation. The author makes great use of her interviews with witnesses, survivors, and families, and USC Shoah Archive testimonies. Throughout the book, readers will be consistently astounded by the strength of these women. An uplifting story of the herculean strength of young girls in a staggeringly harrowing situation.” —Kirkus Reviews

“A staggering narrative about the forgotten women of the Holocaust. In a profound work of scholarship, Heather Dune Macadam reveals how young women helped each other survive through one of the most egregious events in human history. Her book also offers insight into the passage of these women into adulthood, and their children, as ‘secondhand survivors.’” —Gail Sheehy, New York Times bestselling author of Passages and Daring: My Passages

“It is so humbling to read of these young girls and their courage. Where did they find that? However much one reads about the Holocaust there is always something more with the power to shock. I kept thinking as I read this powerful book, we must never allow ourselves to become numbed by thinking we know all there is to know since clearly we do not. The story of these teenage girls is truly extraordinary and the willpower, guts and determination to live of those few who survived demands to be celebrated. Congratulations to Heather Dune Macadam for enabling the rest of us to sit down and just marvel at how on earth they did it…” —Anne Sebba, New York Times bestselling author of Le Parisiennes and That Woman

“An important contribution to the literature on women’s experiences. . . With passion and extensive research, Heather Dune Macadam gives the first official women’s transport to Auschwitz its rightful place in Holocaust history. Readers can relate to these very young women as individuals, while getting a sense of all women’s horrors of daily life and death in Auschwitz-Birkenau.” —Dr. Rochelle G. Saidel, founder and executive director, Remember the Women Institute

“999 girls who were transported to Auschwitz became the initial victims of the Final Solution, but the girls disappeared from the historical record . . . Heather Dune Macadam’s 999 rights this wrong and reinstates the girls to their rightful place in history.” —Foreword Reviews

“Against the backdrop of World War II, this respectful narrative presents a compassionate and meticulous remembrance of the young women profiled throughout. Recommended for all collections.” —Library Journal

“Compelling…. “999” clearly illustrates how the women of the first transport had an advantage over the Jews who arrived later, many of whom were immediately sent to the gas chambers — including many of the girls’ own family members. Those of the women who managed to survive the initial shock of adjusting to the nightmarish conditions learned how to keep themselves and their friends and relatives alive.” —The Times of Israel