Leggy Blonde: A Memoir

Aviva Drescher, the REAL Housewife of New York City, born and bred in Manhattan, shares her REAL story in this tell-all memoir.

She’s blond, beautiful, and brazenly honest— one of the boldest cast members of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New York City and most talked-about stars of reality TV. From the moment Aviva Drescher stepped her prosthetic leg into the spotlight, she sparked controversy and ratings. Now, for the first time, the native New Yorker stands on her own two feet to speak out on her fascinating life.

With true courage, Aviva tells the story of how she lost her foot in a barn accident at the age of six and the numerous—sometimes bizarre— attempts to reattach it. After a trip to India to be “cured” by a famous mystic, young Aviva learned to use fashion and style to draw attention away from her prosthesis. She fled to Paris in her early twenties, where she transformed herself into a wild club chick and danced on tables with the crème de la crème of the big-hair supermodel era.

Through a series of tumultuous relationships, Aviva had four children by two husbands, changed religions, got a law degree, and became an entrepreneur. All the while, she wrestled with chronic panic attacks and phobias (it’s not easy being terrified of elevators in Manhattan), and a few savage Law & Order–worthy civil courtroom dramas. The real terror of Aviva’s life, though, was her mother’s debilitating alcoholism. Thanks to her loving husband, Reid Drescher, Aviva came to terms with her mother’s early death, got a grip on her anxieties, and found the strength to show the world who she really is.

In this no-holds-barred memoir, Aviva bravely exposes the truth about her many medical and elective surgeries, and what really happens behind the scenes of reality TV. She also answers many frequently asked questions about amputees: How much does your prosthesis cost? How often do you replace it? Do you have sex with the leg on or off?

Filled with Aviva’s trademark wit, wisdom, and no-nonsense candor, Leggy Blonde is a story that stands all on its own.