Lost in Space A Fathers Journey There & Back Again

The essays in Lost in Space are focused on an array of child-rearing topics including sleep, discipline, first haircuts, deceased parents/grandparents and illness, and the inherent challenges and humor that coincide with, and are intrinsically tied-into, these stages of life. The essays also recognize the ongoing presence of the author's dead father in his life even as he seeks to parent without his father's guidance or advice.

— Jillian Lauren, NY Times bestselling author of Some Girls: My Life in a Harem and Pretty

"In Lost in Space, Tanzer manages to be both heartbreaking and funny, producing a book of beauty and truth about the complexity, the fear, pain, and primal love that being a parent entails. Tanzer raises the bar with this memoir, insisting that writers be truly honest, not make excuses for their feelings, to stare deep inside themselves, and still be entertaining, if not enlightening."

— Paula Bomer, author of Nine Months and Baby

"Ben Tanzer has that ever elusive elixir, that ability to be both funny and poignant simultaneously. These essays have that requisite gallows humor about being a parent, but there's tenderness oozing from the page, too, a kind of trickling empathy."

— Joshua Mohr, author of Fight Song, Termite Parade, Some Things That Meant the World to Me and Damascus

"They said it couldnt be done. They said, “nobody dunks on Bill Cosby in the basketball court of dad-lit.” And then Ben Tanzers Lost in Space arrived. Funnier, more honest and a million times more relevant than the writing of JELL-Os favorite son, this tight little collection cuts to the soul of fathering children like nothing else."

— Patrick Wensink, Bestselling author of Broken Piano for President

"Ben Tanzers Lost In Space will have you vacillating between laughter and despair, all the while reveling in the beauty of his razor-sharp prose and candid, witty observations on fatherhood, sleep deprivation, Patrick Ewing, and family life. Buy this book, yo. And prepare to be astonished.

— Jennifer Banash, author of White Lines and Silent Alarm

"Ben Tanzer combines part Nick Hornsby, part Neal Pollack, and part good ole' fashioned Midwestern."—Gina Frangello, author of Slut Lullabies and My Sister's Continent

Lost in Space is an essay collection about fathers, sons, pop culture, death, and sex—because sex sells, even if you're focused on parenting and the cultural impact of Star Wars.

Ben Tanzer is the author of the novels My Father's House, You Can Make Him Like You, and the forthcoming Orphans, among others. He is the curator of This Zine Will Change Your Life and This Blog Will Change Your Life.

Steven Lafler: Steven Lafler is a cartoonist and illustrator who has done work for clients in the music industry, such as Sony Music and Bill Graham Presents, creating promotional materials for clients such as Leonard Cohen and Mike Watt. He has published graphic novels and comic books with the leading independents, including Top Shelf Productions (BugHouse, Baja, Scalawag), Manx Media (40 Hour Man, El Vocho), Fantagraphics Books (Dog Boy and other titles) and more.