04/01/2024
Drummer Zoro, who’s toured with acts including Bobby Brown and Frankie Valli, debuts with an upbeat account of his musical career and deep connection to his Mexican immigrant single mother. Zoro grew up in Compton, Calif., as Daniel Donnelly. He and his five siblings, each with different fathers, bounced between tenement houses and spells of homelessness under the loving eye of their mother, actor Maria Islas-Bravo. The daughter of a Mexican Supreme Court justice, Maria remained unflaggingly spirited and optimistic even as her romances fizzled and her family’s money dried up. She took her children to the beach, to see movies and live music (including a Frank Sinatra show that proved formative for the author), and—when they were low on food—to a county fair eating contest. She provided early support to Zoro when he built and played makeshift drums from coffee and Almond Roca cans, a hobby which soon blossomed into a full-fledged passion for music and performance. As a teenager, Zoro marched into Beverly Hills High School’s band classroom, despite not being enrolled in the school, and met Lenny Kravitz, who connected him to his first professional gigs with groups including New Edition. Without downplaying his hardships, Zoro composes a tremendously hopeful ode to music and family. This bewitching rags to riches tale keeps an infectious beat. Photos. Agent: John Talbot, Talbot Fortune Agency. (Apr.)
Captivating…exhilarating…inspiring…riveting…An eight-course meal with dessert! Bravo, Zoro!”
three-time Academy Award–nominated actress Dyan Cannon
These pages aren’t just about how to live a beautiful life when it’s easy, but how to press forward with tenacity and courage and love when life is hard. If you’ve got a pulse, you are going to be touched by this book.”
Maria’s Scarf is emotional and inspiring. I couldn’t put it down!”
Engaging and evocative, Maria’s Scarf is a glorious portrayal of the poignancy of love, one that kept me turning each page. A magical story filled with surprise and delight, this unforgettable memoir serves as a testament to the power of a mother’s love and one boy’s sheer determination. Every mother who has dreams for her children needs to read this!”
Zoro’s beautiful and touching memoir, Maria’s Scarf , is a testament to the strength and tenacity of the human spirit.”
original cast member of The Real Housewives of New Countess Luann de Lesseps
Much like his drumming, Zoro’s memoir is filled with heart and soul and captures the rhythm of a life filled with adversity, adventure, and ascension. Through his unforgettable journey, he shows us all how to become a shining star. A deeply affecting book about overcoming the odds that will make your heart sing.”
Sometimes, we need to see how someone overcomes the obstacles in their life to muster up the courage necessary to meet our own. Maria’s Scarf is a portrait of courage that will inspire dreamers, both young and old. A timely immigrant story of a family pursuing the American dream. You’ll be thinking about these heartbreaking, hilarious, and harrowing adventures long after you put the book down!”
New York Times bestselling author Joyce Meyer
Zoro’s music and life lessons are about using your talents to the maximum.”
The rich and colorful details that are woven into every story make his book come alive. If ever there was a story about God making way for one of His own, this is it. Highly recommended!”
I can’t recall ever reading a book when I just wanted to stand up and cheer again and again, but that’s how Zoro’s memoir affected me. If I could, I would give this book to every young person in the world.”
New York Times bestselling author of October Sky Homer Hickam
Zoro’s memoir portrays a boy who is rich with faith, tenacity, resiliency, and drive! He reminds us that sometimes we just have to fake it ’til we make it! My whole-hearted applause for Maria’s Scarf.”
writer/producer Yvonne Vollert Noblitt
Filled with wit, wisdom, grit, and glory, Maria’s Scarf will leave you with a hopeful sense of possibility and the desire to rock the world in your own way!”
drummer and cofounder of the rock band Van Halen Alex Van Halen
This book had me laughing and crying, sometimes on the same page, but is more than a memoir. With its cinematic splendor, Maria’s Scarf is a movie that calls to be made—one that will inspire millions.”
legendary rock photographer Jimmy Steinfeldt
Zoro and our lifelong customer, Elvis Presley, were cut from the same cloth…Zoro’s book pays tribute to the heroes who shaped his life in such a beautiful and honoring way that you can feel the love seeping off the pages. Elvis would have loved Zoro and this book!”
Maria’s Scarf proves how becoming one of the world’s greatest drummers is not only about technique, but it’s also about the forging of a man’s soul so that each time he lays down a beat, you can feel the pain, joy, and love of Zoro’s improbable and incredible story.”
screenwriter/director Tony R. Abrams
Belief is powerful. It can cause us to persevere against all odds and do great things…An extraordinary example of how a mother’s faith in God and steadfast belief in her son can make all the difference. It will restore your hope even in the hardest of times.”
bestselling author and radio host Dave Ramsey
Both Zoro and I were blessed to live our dreams. Maria’s Scarf will inspire you to never give up on yours.”
Maria’s Scarf is an overcoming family saga of epic proportions, brimming with heart and soul, joy and pain, tribulation and triumph. The book is real at every level.”
Chief Counsel for the American Center for Law & Ju Jay Sekulow
If you have ever doubted the power to become what you dream despite your circumstances, then read Maria’s Scarf . The American dream comes alive in this wonderfully poignant and exquisitely written account of how an immigrant mother’s faith and fortitude transforms the lives of her children. You’ll be singing the Hallelujah chorus at the end!”
president of Renaissance Communications and author Joe Battaglia
Maria’s Scarf is the funny, touching, and inspiring story of a mother whose unending love…gave her son the faith and courage to relentlessly pursue his impossible dream.”
author of Writing Screenplays That Sell and Storyt Michael Hauge
You quickly fall in love with these characters. All the elements of a visual story leap off the page at you with every turn. It’s Whiplash meets Rocky meets The Blindside …with the heart of Forrest Gump . A must-read…and hopefully soon a must-see as well.”
Zoro’s memoir will make you smile. The story captures what it means to love hard, stay true to a dream, overcome huge obstacles, and reach for the stars. Like the author himself, Maria’s Scarf is triumphant in spirit, full of heart.”
New York Times bestselling author of The Long Marc Marcus Brotherton
This inspiring story will open hearts, fuel hopes, and restore faith for readers across multiple generations, backgrounds, and beliefs…Maria’s Scarf is the kind of uplifting story you’ll want to read and discuss with everyone you know. The absolute must-read of the year.”
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julie Cantrell
A must-read for anyone who has lived, loved, lost, and knew there was something greater waiting for them.”
One of the best books I’ve read in years. Uplifting, hilarious, heartbreaking, and heartwarming, Maria’s Scarf is a revelation. A love letter to those who love us unconditionally.”
New York Times bestselling author Tosca Lee
Although I make my living with words, I find myself at a loss for words to express how amazing Zoro’s story is. At times, it is hilarious; at other times, heartbreaking; at all times, deeply and beautifully human. I have never read anything like it.”
author of Windows of the Soul Ken Gire
With whip-smart prose and a talent for telling stories, Zoro catapults us into the world of music, but he also takes us on a journey of growing up and what it means to be a family. He captures his childhood as a dreamer that is authentic and pulses like a pattern of drum beats. Maria’s Scarf is a generous and moving story of sacrifice, family, and hope.”
award-winning author of Pieces of My Mother Melissa Cistaro
This story is for all who dream. It’s for all who have felt shut out and let down; it’s for all who have been buoyed up by someone who unrelentingly kept a candle of faith and hope lit.”
Hollywood agent Kim Dorr-Tilley
Zoro’s memoir reads like compelling fiction—a living testament to how love can nurture the soul for triumph amid life’s deep difficulties.”
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Laura Munson
I read the whole book in three days…There is an unbreakable spirit behind the man known as Zoro. Survival, invention, dedication, devotion, carrying the torch, breaking the cycles—it’s all in there. After finishing the book, the overwhelming feeling I had and the only thing I could think was that I was proud of Zoro.”
The descriptive way Maria’s Scarf takes you through the sights, sounds, and smells of a struggling family fighting to survive while taking you for an emotional roller-coaster ride…you quickly fall in love with these characters. All the elements of a visual story leap off the page at you with every turn. It’s Whiplash meets Rudy meets Blindside …with the heart of The Notebook . A must-read…and hopefully soon a must-see as well.”
CEO/producer at ReelWorks Studios (Bobby Jones: Rick Eldridge
Captivating…exhilarating…inspiring…riveting…An eight-course meal with dessert! Bravo, Zoro!”
three-time Academy Award–nominated actress Dylan Cannon
Everyone loves an underdog story. Maria’s Scarf is the telling of a true tale unimaginable to most of us and well worth the read!”
Zoro and I grew up on different ends of the country and in different periods, but we share one huge trait in common—we are both dreamers. Another amazing parallel is that, just like me, Zoro was inspired as a kid by Frank Sinatra. Like the Chairman of the Board, both Zoro and I were blessed to live our dreams. Maria’s Scarf will inspire you to never give up on yours.”
lead vocalist of Frankie Valli and the Four Season Frankie Valli
I can’t ever recall reading a book when I just wanted to stand up and cheer again and again, but that’s how Zoro’s memoir affected me.”
New York Times bestselling author of Rocket Boys Homer Hickam
Zoro’s beautiful and touching memoir, Maria’s Scarf , is a testament to the strength and tenacity of the human spirit. Like Zoro, I too came from a family of seven children. The book’s message—that a strong familial bond and a mother’s loving encouragement can help us realize our dreams, even in the face of difficult circumstances—truly resonated with me. I know it will for you too! Life is a cabaret!”
Countess Luann de Lesseps
Zoro’s memoir reads like compelling fiction—a living testament to how love can nurture the soul for triumph amid life’s deep difficulties.”
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author an Laura Munson
