Reddit mentions of Thomas Jefferson: Author of America (Eminent Lives)

In related news, Thomas Paine is something of a hero to Christopher Hitchens. Hitch did a book about Paine's "Rights of Man" a while back. Amazon link. As well as another on Jefferson.

Christopher Hitchens also wrote a [short] biography on Thomas Jefferson.

I would highly recommend Thomas Jefferson: Author of America by Christopher Hitchens. Hitchens was a journalist and essayist, heavily influenced by George Orwell, Thomas Jefferson, and Leon Trotsky. He's one of the few people I can think of who described himself as a "socialist" of sorts who also admired the American Revolution. An interesting source, but he's a person who hugely admired Jefferson and was also willing to criticize his failings. Basically, you will get the general story that most Americans know, but Hitchens also writes about the more troubling/controversial aspects of Jefferson such as his ownership of slaves and his fathering of children with them.

Anyway, that's Jefferson. For general American history I would suggest reading both A People's History of the United States and A Patriot's History of the United States. Those books will provide general knowledge from two very distinct perspectives. People's is very critical of the country's past, while Patriot's is...well, patriotic.