It is 1957, Amal is an inmate of the “Bethlehem Oasis for Troubled Women,” having feigned insanity to avoid being put to death for the murder of her abusive husband. When attacked by a fellow inmate, Amal must confront her traumatic memories.

Rosine Nimeh-Mailloux was born in Bethlehem, Palestine, and raised in Jerusalem until 1948, when war forced her family to move back to Bethlehem. In 1951, she was among the 18 girls who petitioned the local government to open the first high school for girls. That made 1955 a memorable year for the first graduating class, and an important milestone in the education of women. After two years of teaching in Hebron, she received a scholarship to study at Arizona State University, where she received her BA and MA in English Language and Literature. Since then, she taught English in Ramallah at the teacher Training Centre for Refugee girls, and in Schenectady, New York, before moving to Ontario, Canada, where she taught for 28 years. After retirement, she embarked on her new adventure of writing. The Madwoman of Bethlehem is her first novel.

Rosine Nimeh-Mailloux's profile page

A tale of one woman dealing with a cruel society, this book is a unique piece of historical fiction, sure to please.

The Midwest Book Review

But is Amal insane, or is her insanity feigned as a survival mechanism in an insane world? The author subtly raises this questions, hinting at a parallel between Amal’s mental breakdown and the breakdown of a whole nation.

Herizons magazine

From the beginning, when Rosine Nimeh-Mailloux sets up the present, where Amal is incarcerated in an asylum for women, the writing captivated me. … Amal the character may be fictional, but she is based on the lives of women in the author’s family. She is also the voice of oppressed women in today’s world. She is me and you when we learn to stand up to abuse against women and children.

The Feminist Review Blog