Don’t Cry in America is a memoir that chronicles Antonio Russo’s extraordinary journey from a small, poverty-stricken town in southern Italy to becoming one of America’s most celebrated high school wrestling coaches. Co-written with his daughter, Tonya Russo Hamilton, the book exemplifies the transformative power of sport.

The narrative begins with Antonio’s early life in Roccarainola, Italy, where he grew up in hardship but surrounded by a close-knit family. At the age of ten, he was sent alone to America, a traumatic experience that shaped his determination to succeed. The memoir vividly recounts his struggles as an immigrant, from navigating cultural barriers to enduring loneliness and adversity.