Gio

Giovanni “Gio” Russo, an eighteen-year-old newsie with tousled hair and sharp, expressive eyes, navigates the bustling streets of 1900 New York with a determined swagger that belies his fragile circumstances. The son of Italian immigrants, Giovanni has known the sting of poverty all too well, his small frame often burdened with stacks of newspapers that he hawks at street corners, calling out headlines in a voice that echoes the hopes of his family. Each day, he fights against the relentless tide of circumstance, dreaming of a brighter future beyond the grime of the tenements. With a heart full of ambition and a spirit hardened by hardship, Giovanni is a boy on the brink of manhood, determined to carve out a better life amidst the cacophony of the city that never sleeps.