Extraordinary Young Women of the First Jewish Transport to Auschwitz

The untold story of some of WW2's most hidden figures and the heartbreaking tragedy that unites them all has been revealed in Heather Dune Macadam's latest work, "999." This haunting true story has been recognized as a PEN America Literary Award Finalist, a Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee, and an Amazon Best of the Year Selection.

On March 25, 1942, nearly a thousand young, unmarried Jewish women, many of them teenagers, boarded a train in Poprad, Slovakia, believing they were going to work in a factory for a few months. They left their parents' homes wearing their best clothes and confidently waving goodbye, eager to report for government service. However, the young women were instead sent to Auschwitz, and only a few would survive.

Macadam's book, "999," draws on extensive interviews with survivors, as well as consultations with historians, witnesses, and relatives of those first deportees, to create an important addition to Holocaust literature and women's history. The book has been praised for its intimate and harrowing portrayal of this tragic event, with Publishers Weekly describing it as a "careful, sympathetic history" that "illuminates an incomprehensible human tragedy."

Library Journal has recommended the book for all collections, stating that it "presents a compassionate and meticulous remembrance of the young women profiled throughout." Gail Sheehy, the New York Times bestselling author of "Passages" and "Daring: My Passages," has praised the book for offering "insight into the passage of these women into adulthood, and their children, as 'secondhand survivors.'"

Foreword Reviews has described "999" as "an important addition to the annals of the Holocaust, as well as women's history," and Susan Lacy, the creator of the American Masters series and a filmmaker, has praised Macadam's deep qualification, insightfulness, and perceptiveness in handling such material.

Anne Sebba, the New York Times bestselling author of "Les Parisiennes" and "That Woman," has praised the book, saying that "the story of these teenage girls is truly extraordinary" and that "Congratulations to Heather Dune Macadam for enabling the rest of us to sit down and just marvel at how on earth they did it."

Finally, Dr. Rochelle G. Saidel, the founder and executive director of the Remember the Women Institute, has described "999" as "an important contribution to the literature on women's experiences."

Overall, "999" is a powerful and important work that sheds light on a lesser-known aspect of the Holocaust and the experiences of the young women who were its victims. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of World War II and the experiences of women during this tumultuous time.

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