In "A Great Leap Forward," Alexander J. Field Ph.D. challenges the conventional narrative of U.S. economic history, presenting a compelling re-assessment of the Depression era as a period of significant innovation and advancement. With meticulous analysis, Field unveils how, amidst the despair of the 1930s, the United States laid the groundwork for its future economic dominance and military prowess. This pivotal time, often overshadowed by the harrowing tales of unemployment and economic downturn, was in fact a crucible of technological and organizational innovation. Field's argument rests on the maturation of a privately funded research and development system alongside the government's investment in the nation's infrastructure, particularly its surface roads, which together fueled an unprecedented increase in productive capacity. Field's exploration extends beyond mere economic indicators, weaving a narrative that repositions the Great Depression as a foundational period for the prosperity of the post-war era and the subsequent golden age of 1948-1973. "A Great Leap Forward" is not just a revisionist history but an invitation to reconsider the dynamics of productivity growth and its implications for our understanding of past and present economic landscapes. This significant contribution to the Yale Series in Economic and Financial History enriches the dialogue around the causes and consequences of productivity growth, challenging readers to rethink the legacies of the 1930s and their influence on the modern economic world.