One of my favorite history books to give Americans as a gift is James Loewen's Lies Across America. It goes state-by-state (except Missouri, for reasons). It identifies wildly inaccurate historic markers and misleading monuments, providing the real story and sometimes how the myth evolved. It's amazing inspiration for planning a short- or long-distance road trip. The site-by-site organization also lends itself to being read in small bits at a time, which is great if you're a commute or bathroom or breaks in meetings reader.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Fehrenbach's Lone Star: A History of Texas and the Texans is pretty much the authoritative history of the state, and it is 800 pages long to show for that. The BIG caveat on this one is that it was written in the 1960s, and the, uh, racial politics and language reflect that.

Historical fiction wise, you would want Harrigan's The Gates of the Alamo.

I don't know enough about Latin American history to recommend really good books there, unless you're interested in nuns. :P

Simple answer for those interested in US history is any of the books in the Oxford History of the United States. These books are written by eminent scholars and manage to combine readability with immense usefulness.

Take a look at the sidebar. There is a whole list of great books there.

Tons of suggestion. Be as specific as possible.

Is historical fiction what you're looking for?

Obligatory books this person will consult on the reg?

Just interesting books on the region?

I ask in part because the good books I know of about that period of chile's history are probably already in their possession.

As previously mentioned, books can be a little risky because they might have already been read. If it were me, I'd probably appreciate something else that's culturally related.

For instance, one of my favorite albums that might interest your recipient is by SAVAE (the San Antonio Vocal Arts Ensemble), called Guadalupe: Virgen de los Indios. It's a collection of medieval hymns written in Nahuatl, by some of the first Christian converts in Mexico and Central America - so it's kind of a mash-up of baroque European church music (think: Monteverdi or Bach) with indigenous drum improvisation and clay flutes. I think SAVAE has done a few more things along the same lines more recently.

In a more Chilean vein, though I can't recommend these from personal experience, I bet your recipient would get something out of either a Chilean guitar sampler or, more relevant, a Victor Jara box set. Jara was a protest singer who died in the Santiago stadium in Pinochet's coup... your student might have heard some of the songs, but if they haven't, this would be an important piece of the story that might not come through quite as vividly in the written word.

Most enjoyable book on Texas history I ever encountered was Smithwick, The Evolution of a State, or, Recollections of Old Texas Days. It gives you a real human insight into the events of 1836 and thereabouts, and is frequently laugh-out-loud funny.