. . . perhaps the best reason to read The Perfect Tuba is for Mr. Quinones's winning point of view, which might be distilled to this: Life gains part of its significance from striving toward a goal; from clearing away distraction and concentrating hard on something good; from extending your reach-and remembering what that feels like, so that you can continue to extend yourself, throughout your life, toward other things worth reaching for. When Sam Quinones wraps up his book by telling us to 'work to discover your own perfect tuba,' I take him to imply, 'whatever it may be.'

John Check, The Wall Street Journal

Riveting . . . Quinones, who was bummed out by the bleak reporting he had to do for his award-winning book about the opiate epidemic, Dreamland, responded by pivoting to something kinder and more life-affirming . . . The Perfect Tuba is packed with intriguing factoids . . . Quinones is a terrific reporter . . . That meticulousness is the only way a book gets all of those totally tubular nuggets.

The Minnesota Star Tribune

I loved this book . . . This story fascinated me from page one and never let up, and by the end I felt uplifted. Technically speaking, there's no such thing as a perfect tuba. But perfection isn't the point of the story Sam Quinones tells so masterfully: purpose is the point. The Perfect Tuba is about what happens when we find something we can devote our creative energy to achieving.

California Review of Books

[A]n eclectic and affectionate ode to the tuba and those who devote their lives to it . . . Quinones finds in the tuba and those who play it a surprisingly moving symbol of tenacity in today's hectic, destabilizing world . . . Attesting to the tuba's central place in American music, this exuberant love letter resonates

Publishers Weekly

Fascinating, often moving ... The Perfect Tuba will prompt readers to cheer ... Mission harmoniously, joyfully accomplished.

BookPage, Starred Review

Quinones reflects on the musical instrument, its sound, players, and culture.

Library Journal