CONNECTIVE TISSUE

An experienced medical device salesman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist explains his field and offers a broader philosophy for professional and personal success.

Normandeau spins an all-American rags-to-riches tale while drawing on his experience in a highly specific career: ensuring that high-tech medical devices for spinal surgeons get from manufacturers to operating rooms. The author grew up poor in Concord, New Hampshire, in the 1990s, leaning heavily on his adoptive grandfather, Ron, and stepfather, Jeff, for paternal support. Jeff, in particular, cultivated Normandeau’s love of sports, and he credits his early athletic career, playing hockey and lacrosse, with teaching him the values of determination and teamwork. Although Normandeau initially dreamed of becoming a surgeon, a family friend suggested that he go into the medical device industry instead. The author frequently likens people in this career to caddies in professional golf, since they bear a great deal of behind-the-scenes responsibility for the success of surgical procedures. The text’s middle section gives readers a sense of the medical device industry itself. As in other sales industries, it can be fast paced and even cutthroat; sabotage of a competitor’s tools is infrequent, the author says, but not unknown. At its core, however, the field is an industry of care, where success allows patients to live longer, healthier, happier lives; Normandeau also extols the virtues of giving back through mentorship and philanthropy. While the author’s final lessons are simple and self-evident (“Show up, do your homework, and build real relationships”), readers will find that his mastery of his field of study is compelling. Chapters often begin with a description of surgical preparation, rendered with vivid sensory detail, as when the author notes the antiseptic smells of the operating room or the uncomfortably hot spotlight that’s directly over the patient. Medical devices may seem like a niche interest, but Normandeau draws out the field’s most engaging aspects, as when he describes a situation in which a patient’s 30-year-old spinal hardware from a prior surgery must mesh seamlessly with modern tech. Such exceptional, practical knowledge enlivens a fairly straightforward narrative.

A clear, brisk, and satisfying reflection on an underdiscussed industry.