After the Spike
After the Spike by Dean Spears and Michael Gerusoby Dean Spears and Mike Geruso
Shares rank 129 of 152 nonfiction books by recommenders
Readers recommend it for its honest, perspective-giving look at falling birth rates, and for ending with open questions rather than false certainty.
Readers recommend it for its honest, perspective-giving look at falling birth rates, and for ending with open questions rather than false certainty.
2 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 2
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 2 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Ends with questions, not false certainty
“The thing that made the book a true 5/5 for me is that they end with questions, not false certainty.”
Comment from 6 Jun 2026 in “India's surprise baby bust is a warning to the world” Puts falling birth rates in perspective
“which put a lot of this in perspective which made the thought of having kids less daunting somehow”
Comment from 31 Dec 2025 in “Tell HN: Happy New Year” Makes having kids feel less daunting
“which put a lot of this in perspective which made the thought of having kids less daunting somehow”
Comment from 31 Dec 2025 in “Tell HN: Happy New Year”
Other nonfiction books people recommend
The four most recommended other nonfiction books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Cuckoo's Eggby Clifford Stoll | 40 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Amusing Ourselves to Deathby Neil Postman | 36 | 0 | 100% | 9 | 1 yr3 owners | Approved |
| The Anxious Generationby Jonathan Haidt | 24 | 12 | 67% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Bullshit Jobsby David Graeber | 20 | 12 | 63% | 8 | — | — |
| After the Spikeby Dean Spears and Mike GerusoThis page | 2 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
All 2 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“The thing that made the book a true 5/5 for me is that they end with questions, not false certainty.”
“which put a lot of this in perspective which made the thought of having kids less daunting somehow”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.