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 her own—and the culture-at-large’s—obliviousness.

Over the last thirty years, Canadians have been forced to face their country’s genocidal attempt to destroy its Indigenous populations through segregation, poverty, coerced labour, and infectious diseases. Few have read the statements of claim, academic literature, or multi-volume commission reports setting out exactly what we stole and who we hurt (and how); and the policies and decisions which harmed generations of Indigenous people are still not broadly known.

In Oblivious, investigative journalist Elaine Dewar exposes the governmental and psychological machinery that allowed this to continue for so long. The granddaughter of settlers saved during their first Prairie winter by the generosity of Indigenous neighbours, Dewar explores how even well-meaning Canadians who glimpsed what was being done did nothing to stop it. In the process, she uncovers further evidence of crimes against Indigenous people, including unethical and cruel scientific experiments, a segregated and woefully inadequate health care system, and a callous indifference to Indigenous well-being that has almost entirely eroded the sense of trust true reconciliation must be based on.

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, like so many of us, failed to notice their plight for decades.

Genres: Nonfiction

563 pages, Paperback

Published May 12, 2026

Reviews

[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.

[Jane Mulkewich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elaine Dewar passed away in September 2025, shortly after submitting this book to her publisher, and it was published posthumously in May 2026. I found it to be a bit of a rambling book, with many stories about Dewar’s family history which were only loosely connected to the central theme of how “oblivious” white settlers are to the systemic racism and treatment of indigenous people in Canada. Dewar grew up in a Jewish family in Saskatchewan, and showed a keen interest in researching this story when it was suggested to her that indigenous peoples had been subjected to medical experiments without their consent, both in segregated hospitals and residential schools in Canada, along the same lines of what had happened in Nazi Germany to Jewish people. Her research did uncover the story of Otto Schaefer, who had completed his Ph.D. thesis in Germany under the guidance of high-ranking Nazis, and then immigrated to Canada with his Nazi past well-hidden, and began doing medical research in Canada’s north with the Inuit. As Dewar wrote, “then the government of Canada handed him authority and resources and an oppressed population to study”. Her views came into sharp focus when she wrote about the events of October 7, 2023, and went on to deny (for example) that Gaza is an open-air prison, and the reason for this denial is because she said that before the war, Gazans were able to go to Israel for medical appointments. So, she recognizes indigenous people in Canada as an oppressed population, but cannot see the parallels with Palestinians. Her research and her book clearly show that indigenous people in Canada were able to get medical treatment, although that medical treatment came in a segregated setting and sometimes involved experimentation without consent. She held fast to her role as a researcher or journalist, so that she refused to confirm anything (such as burials of children at residential schools) without explicit proof; in contrast to, for example, journalist Tanya Talaga’s book “The Knowing” in which she emphasizes “the knowing” of what happened to indigenous communities. Dewar’s book does shed some light into some dark corners, but the author still seems “oblivious” to some of her blind spots.

[Matea Ceric · Rating 2.75 out of 5]

It takes a long time before the book discussed the actual title of the book. More of a memoir.

[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.

[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.

[Brittnay · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

Really important book for oblivious people like myself.
I could have done without all of the personal connections in brackets- my friends uncle sat next to him at such and such event or telling where people live? I found it took away from the general message.

Overall fantastic book. It gave me a lot to think about

[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

[ML Icely · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding research and extremely well written. Story of a extremely disgusting time in our history. Shocking what we are oblivious to, and causes one to be more alert to others and their lives