Lively . . . A sprightly, entertaining hodgepodge of all things tuba.

Kirkus

The Perfect Tuba is a delightful jaunt through the history of this ungainly, thoroughly demanding instrument and the quirky, lovable folks who play it. With this book, Quinones reminds us to look to outsiders who show us how to forge inspiration from persistence and hard work. I was especially moved by Tuba Fats and Linda Young and could have read a whole book about those two.

Anna Lembke, New York Times bestselling author of DOPAMINE NATION

Sam tells stories of priceless treasures, selfless dedication, long-term collaboration, transcendent meaning and human excellence. You read that right, all this is in a book about the tuba.

Lucas Cantor, two-time Emmy Award winning composer and author of UNFINISHED: THE ROLE OF THE ARTIST IN AN AGE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

An instrument produces more than a sound. In the right circumstance, as Sam Quinones convincingly demonstrates in his wonderfully engaging book, an instrument calls forth a community. By association the most ignoble and clumsy horn, butt of innumerable fat jokes, so unwieldy that it often obscures its handler, the tuba is in fact not only the anchor of music in diverse genres, it's the central node in a web of extraordinary individuals whose storylines Quinones masterfully follows, uncovering a surprising undercurrent of optimism, commitment, and self-determination.

John Corbett, author of PICK UP THE PIECES: Excursions in Seventies Music