Are you a social climber? Chances are high, as there are many people who cross class boundaries. They embark on a long journey filled with adventures and obstacles, confusion and discoveries. This brings them into a new world with different social codes, yet also one with (intellectual) freedom and new friends, even as they never completely lose their ties to home. Social climbers thus navigate two worlds, where they feel more or less at home.

In this engaging book, Lenette Schuijt takes you through the journey that transclass individuals undertake and how it shapes them as a person. She draws from her own life experiences, from dozens of interviews with social climbers about their unique life stories, and from literary narratives. Through a study of sociological, philosophical, and psychological analyses of social mobility, she found answers to many questions. What do social risers need to leave behind, and how do they carve out their own place in a different environment? How do they ensure that, while climbing the social ladder, they remain true to themselves? How does their contact with their family background change? These life stories of social climbers illustrate that class is still very much alive in our society. Get acquainted with a fascinating but hidden phenomenon for many.

10% of the royalties from this book go to the Big Brother, Big Sister Foundation, which provides children from low-income families with social and cultural resources through a mentoring program.