Needed: suggestions for reading on World War II

Can anyone suggest a relatively simple book for an adult who wishes to learn the basics about World War II? This is someone who was bored by history in school, and so is lacking a knowledge even of such fundamentals as when the U.S. entered the war.

I would recommend anything by Stephen E. Ambrose because he is a great historian but his stuff is easy to follow and read. The titles by him I would recommend is Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest, Pegasus Bridge and D-Day, June 6, 1944 : the climactic battle of World War II.

One really, really comprehensive history about the Depression and World War II is David M. Kennedy's Freedom from fear : the American people in depression and war, 1929-1945 but it's very long so you may not want to start with that. However, it is a very interesting read. This book will definitely show you the American side of things.

If you are interested in the Holocaust as part of WWII, then I would recommend reading Anne Frank or Victor Klemperer. There are two books by Victor Klemperer entitled, I Will Bear Witness 1942-1945: A Diary of the Nazi Years and I Will Bear Witness: A Diary of the Nazi Years, 1933-1941 (Modern Library Paperbacks) Also, you could read Auschwitz and the Allies by Martin Gilbert.

I hope I have helped!! World War II is a very broad subject and many books have been written on it from the military perspective, to the social perspective, to the political perspective.

A fairly good short history is Michael Lyons, World War II: A Short History (I can't find it in the links section, so I haven't bracketed it). It's a basic textbook, but it's very concise and well-written, and you could read it in pieces at your leisure, since it's broken up into fairly manageable pieces. It's a good place for beginners. You could also read the books recommended by 2 above and use Lyons as a reference to look up their context.

You may also want to consider Writer's on World War II: An Anthology by Mordecai Richler.

The Penguin History of the Second World War by Peter Calvocoressi, A Short History of World War II by James L. Stokesbury, The Second World War by Martin Gilbert, are all good single volume histories.
Calvocoressi being the better write to me. LibraryThing also has a Second World War History group that might be worth looking at as well.