U.S. History For Dummies, Wiegand S., 2001.
This book isn't a textbook. It focuses on people: famous, infamous, and obscure. It gives you a basic foundation of information about U.S. history. You can also use it as a handy reference. Haul it off the shelf to look up a fact, to settle an argument, or to store up ammunition for that next conversation with your know-it-all brother-in-law.