Oblivious: Residential Schools, Segregated Hospitals, and the use of Indigenous Peoples as Slaves of Race Science

by Elaine Dewar

An investigative journalist reckons with the cost of settler privilege.

In the last thirty years, various parties have exposed government archives recording the facts of Canada’s genocidal attempt to destroy its Indigenous populations, a gradual holocaust of segregation, poverty, coerced labour, avoidable infectious diseases, forced migrations, and even unethical and cruel scientific experiments, all while the descendants of Prairie settlers enticed by the same government to take over Indigenous territories prospered at their expense. While performative statements of gratitude for being allowed to stand on the territories of various First Nations have become standard features of Canadian public events, the statements of claim, academic literature, and multi-volume commission reports setting out exactly what we stole, who we hurt and how, have been read by few, and the policies and decisions which crushed generation after generation of Indigenous people are still not broadly known.

In  Residential Schools, Segregated Hospitals, and the use of Indigenous Peoples as Slaves of Race Science, investigative journalist Elaine Dewar exposes the governmental machinery behind the unacknowledged Jim-Crow era of the Canadian Prairies. The granddaughter of settlers saved during their first Prairie winter by the generosity of their Indigenous neighbors, Dewar explores how even well-meaning Canadians who glimpsed the truth of what was being done by the government of Canada in their names did nothing to stop it. Part memoir, part investigation, Oblivious tells the story of a Jewish girl from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, who grew up in a society so segregated—its Indigenous people consigned to an alternate universe—that she failed to notice for decades.

Genres: Nonfiction

563 pages, Paperback

Published May 12, 2026

Reviews

[Raven · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book from my local library during Indigenous History Month because the cover and back-cover blurb caught my attention. Before I get into my review, I want to acknowledge that I read this book from an Indigenous perspective, as I am Indigenous myself. Because of that, my thoughts on it may differ from those of the average Canadian reader.

It's difficult to put my feelings about this book into words. What I will say is that it is very well written, but I found it hard to get into. Part of that may be because it reads more like a memoir than an investigation. I would estimate it's about 70% memoir and 30% investigation. There were sections that I skipped because I wasn't particularly interested in every detail of the author's personal life. I found myself wanting to get back to what I thought were the central topics and questions the book promised to explore. You will learn a lot from this book, but I often felt that some of the topics the author set out to discuss were either not fully explored or not fully understood. As an Indigenous reader, there were moments where I found myself thinking, "The answer is right in front of you."

Some parts of the book were particularly frustrating for me. In my opinion, the author comes close to denialism when discussing the experiments conducted on Indigenous children and the burial sites connected to residential schools, often citing a lack of evidence. In one section, she suggests to an Indigenous lawyer that the experiments were carried out to advance modern science rather than with the intent to harm Indigenous children. To me, that line of thinking is troubling in itself. After finishing the book, I learned that the author has since passed away, and I want to extend my condolences to her family.

I wouldn't tell people not to read this book. It's clear that an enormous amount of research, time, and effort went into it. However, I would encourage readers to approach it with a critical eye and take some of its conclusions with a grain of salt. There were many parts of the book that I thought were insightful and well done, but there were also sections where I found myself strongly disagreeing with the author's interpretation and conclusions.

If you're Indigenous and considering reading this book, I would also offer a trigger warning. Some of the topics discussed are deeply painful, and I found certain sections emotionally difficult to read. At times, they left me feeling angry, frustrated, and heartbroken.

[Heat · Rating 2 out of 5]

This non-fiction quickly becomes a memoir of the authors family history and life- while it is well written and engrossing, it neglects to actually dive into the promised subject matter. Additionally the dismissal of the plight of Palestinians- while showing sympathy in her analysis of literal Nazis...- and dismissal of indigenous perspectives shows a lack of familiarity with the subject matter and an ignorance of decolonial/anti-colonial studies and practices. I kept waiting for the moment in the book where she becomes aware of her biases and actually delves into the roots of her "obliviousness" and unpacks some her colonizer assumptions but the moment never came. Too much name dropping, especially about people tangental to the story. This could have been packaged much better as a memoir, because it doesnt offer anything of substance on the topics it claims to address. At times it verges on denialism when Dewar expresses doubt about burials without citation or further discussion or retraction of this claim. I am giving the benefit of the doubt that given the oppourtunity for more time (sincere condolences to Elaines family- may her memory be a blessing) she could have reached deeper conclusions, but as the book stands it is difficult to recommend.

[Ainsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend this. I loved the way Dewar wove together her family history and personal experiences growing up on the Prairies with her investigation into Canada's segregated hospital system and allegations that Indigenous people were routinely exploited, abused, and even killed in the name of science.

[George Hodgson · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I purchased this book, I thought it would confirm and perhaps add more color to what I already knew. But, in fact, for me, there is a lot of "new" that I did not know about. I, too, was oblivious to the segregated hospitals and medical testing done on aboriginal people and potential relationship to the cruelty of Nazi experimentation. Warning: Some parts are difficult to read.

[Graeme Courtney · Rating 1 out of 5]

First time I’m ever not finishing a book I’ve started. What is this lady even talking about? I signed up for the topic on the front, not to listen to the author ramble about her family and how great Israel is.

[Enid Wray]

DNF