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Maria's scarf : a memoir of a mother's love, a son's perseverance, and dreaming big
2024
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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.)
Summary

A beautiful and transformative memoir, Maria's Scarf is the incredible story of a mother's love, a family's unbreakable bond, and a starry-eyed boy who never lost sight of his dreams.

As the fatherless biracial child of a Mexican immigrant, Danny Donnelly was never expected to amount to much. Before the age of nine, his single mother had moved her seven children more than thirty times--from the impoverished streets of South Central Los Angeles to rural Oregon and everywhere in between.

Sometimes there was no home to go to, so they slept in their '62 Chevy; sometimes dinner was a slice of bread; sometimes they showered in a nearby park. Desperate yet ever hopeful, they clung to the only thing they had--each other. Through it all, Danny longed for his father's love and approval, ultimately channeling his pain and transforming himself into Zoro, one of the world's greatest drummers.

Eloquent, hilarious, and remarkably tender, Maria's Scarf: A Memoir of a Mother's Love, a Son's Perseverance, and Dreaming Big, tells the story of a family fighting for survival against almost insurmountable odds. Through laughter, tears, and many misadventures, Zoro touches the heart of every reader--young or old, citizen or immigrant--and speaks to the dreamer in all of us, emboldening everyone to live fantazmical lives.

An Educator's Guide is available: https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/www.blackstoneaudio.com/Maria%27s_Scarf_Educator%27s_Guide.pdf

Table of Contents
Prologue1
Introduction: Wind Beneath My Wings5
Chapter 1Straight Outta Compton9
Chapter 2Living For The City17
Chapter 3Loves Me Like A Rock21
Chapter 4How Can You Mend A Broken Heart28
Chapter 5Soul Man36
Chapter 6Beyond The Sea43
Chapter 7High Hopes51
Chapter 8I Feel The Earth Move58
Chapter 9Food, Glorious Food64
Chapter 10The Little Drummer Boy71
Chapter 11We Are Family78
Chapter 12Livin' On A Prayer83
Chapter 13Kung Fu Fighting90
Chapter 14Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy97
Chapter 15Get Up, Stand Up103
Chapter 16With A Little Help From My Friends110
Chapter 17Another Brick In The Wall120
Chapter 18The Hustle130
Chapter 19Hound Dog135
Chapter 20Listen To The Music143
Chapter 21Come Fly With Me147
Chapter 22Take Me Home, Country Roads156
Chapter 23A Change Is Gonna Come166
Chapter 24I'll Be Home For Christmas170
Chapter 25Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens203
Chapter 26Take The Money And Run209
Chapter 27I Will Survive215
Chapter 28Gonna Fly Now220
Chapter 29Bang The Drum All Day225
Chapter 30New Kid In Town232
Chapter 31Stayin' Alive237
Chapter 32I Just Called To Say I Love You241
Chapter 33I'm Gonna Make You Love Me247
Chapter 34California Dreamin'254
Chapter 35Dazed And Confused262
Chapter 36The Great Pretender267
Chapter 37Hollywood Swinging277
Chapter 38Don't Stop Believin'283
Chapter 39Heroes290
Chapter 40Dream On297
Chapter 41Eye Of The Tiger311
Chapter 42When You Wish Upon A Star318
Chapter 43It Was A Very Good Year325
Chapter 44Life In The Fast Lane334
Chapter 45Can't Take My Eyes Off You340
Chapter 46Mama Liked The Roses347
Epilogue357
Acknowledgments363
Reading Group Guide371
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