Armenian Weekly. If you have ever watched Lara Palanjian Silverman’s Armenian comedy skits on Instagram, you might assume she is effortlessly carefree. Her timing is impeccable, her humor is sharp and her skits often leave viewers in stitches. But behind the laughter lies a lifetime of heartache, which Lara channels into helping others find hope and joy—even amid suffering.
Her new memoir, Singing Through Fire, released today, explores exactly this: what it means to suffer, to love and to keep creating and laughing when life feels like it is burning down around you. Described as a “modern-day Job meets Lucille Ball,” the memoir blends humor, resilience and hope to inspire readers facing difficult circumstances.
Born in the Bay Area to a hardworking immigrant family, Lara grew up immersed in Armenian culture. Her father, a pharmacist, and her mother, a nurse, raised Lara and her older sister, Sevan, a high school English teacher, within the Calvary Armenian Congregational Church. Sundays were devoted to church, Bible study and learning Armenian traditions.
“We were fortunate enough to have parents who instilled Armenian culture in us,” Lara told the Weekly.
She attended UC Berkeley, majoring in Economics and Political Science, and discovered a passion for public speaking and advocacy. She went on to Stanford Law School, practiced litigation at a major law firm for five years and achieved her dream as a federal criminal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s office. But at the height of her career, Lara fell mysteriously ill with a rare neurological disease, leaving her largely bedridden for the past eight years, able to move only for brief periods of the day.
Lara and Matt’s one-year anniversary party, two months before he passed away
“God has sustained me,” she said.
During this period, Lara also met the love of her life, Matthew Silverman, whose father was Jewish and whose mother was Armenian. He had embraced Christ at Armenian Camp AREV and attended Lara’s church. Their bond deepened over the years of visits during her illness. Tragically, Matthew, who had survived cancer as a child, passed away from a second type of cancer just one year after their marriage.
Turning grief into creativity, Lara began producing 30-second comedy sketches, often featuring her father. These sketches became both a personal outlet and a source of joy for viewers, showing the family’s natural comedic flair.
“I had to turn lemons into lemonade,” Lara explained. “I focused on comedy sketches, jazz singing and channeling my grief into acting. I wanted to use my love for performing to help people see that they can have joy in their suffering and keep fighting, no matter what losses they face.”
Singing Through Fire has already received praise. “An unforgettable memoir. It is like a love letter to life, even when life breaks you. This book changed the way I see suffering,” wrote reviewer Miriam Burnett.
The memoir is now available for purchase through Amazon and other retailers.
All photos are courtesy of Lara Palanjian Silverman
Talar Keoseyan
