'Pithy and provoking, spiced with the personal' Hilary Mantel

Lynsey Hanley grew up part of the 'respectable working class'. At university, she discovered that social mobility is not all it seems. This book is about what it means to cross class divides, what we leave behind in order to get on, and how class affects all of us today.

'There is fury contained within the pages and between the lines of Respectable ... intelligent and important' Colin Grant, Guardian

'Honest, brave and moving' Kate Pickett, co-author of The Spirit Level

'Lynsey Hanley is such a crucial voice. When she writes about class, she is writing about lived experience' Owen Jones, New Statesman

'Hanley vividly describes the "risky, lonely journey" she undertook from one class to another ... She is tremendous at detailing her personal transition' Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday