Hi there! I understand the title question might seem a little generic at first, but I'm really struggling with this.
The main reason why is that I can only find good history books that focus on one side of American history or on one perspective on it; what I' m looking for would be a generic US history such as those which I am assuming they use as textbooks in the US, but more in-depth and of course with a high reputation. Do you have any such book to recommend?
In grad school, most everyone relied heavily Eric Foner (ed) The New American History to prepare for major field exams. It contains chapter-length essays on various parts of US history and historiography, written by prominent scholars in that field. The book is just excellent, a precis of sorts for every textbook. One of my mentors gave it his highest compliment, calling it "quite useful."
The more current edition is called American History Now, edited by Foner and Lisa McGirr. It again contains lengthy review essays on various subjects and their historiographies. It is again outstanding.
FWIW, I think a copy of either of these should be on the bookshelf of anyone with even a passing interest in US history.