I love history. I'm a big believer in that old adage about understanding past mistakes so that they aren't repeated.
I don't have any books to recommend though. Most of my non-fiction U.S. history I picked up from encylopedias. I used to go to the library in school (didn't have anything to eat ) and I'd pick up one of the encylopedias and just start reading. I loved U.S. history. Just off the top of my head, if you want to get a feel for recent U.S. history read up on Watergate with "All the President's Men" and "The Final Days". Fascinating I think.
I'm blanking on authors and titles right now. Funny, I've read tons of books, but I've always been horrible at remembering who wrote them.