Tunis's social conscience informs all of his books. He extols the fundamental principles of individual integrity (his criterion for the sports hero), while recognizing the need for a community of purpose (the hero's team) to achieve the liberty and social justice required for these principles to survive.

Ail-American offered groundbreaking treatment of racism in the 1940s, revealing a festering wound in American society that most people chose to ignore.

Near the conclusion of the novel, Perry realizes that Whistleville, a black community, is not just "a part of town you avoided but someone's home." Tunis's world remains socially relevant because of his ability to address large-scale injustice in very human terms. Unfortunately, he falls back on stereotypes in his efforts to provide positive portrayals of members of various social and ethnic groups. The cast of characters includes a fiery, outspoken, pugnacious, and dependable Irish boy; a...