A Body Made of Shadows: A Collection of Philosophical Fragments is a thought-provoking poetry collection by Joseph Miguel. Lust and love can't coexist while they continue to battle each other for supremacy. Oblivion awaits everyone everywhere, even those who would rather ignore it. Cities burn, economies collapse, hysteria takes the reins, and paranoia spreads everywhere. Freedom is different for everyone, even though it lies within each individual and many of us have chosen to surrender it. The world is broken and flawed, but we must learn to embrace the duality of extremes to survive. The time has come to choose between the greed of the egomaniacs and the future of our next generations. Embrace change with humility and adapt to the ever-evolving world. Control is meaningless in a world run by computers.

A Body Made of Shadows is the kind of book that really makes you rethink how you see the world around you. It's both introspective and philosophical. Joseph Miguel has some hard-hitting social commentary in this book. Personally, I found myself agreeing with most of his observations. The poems about life's unpredictable nature and the rapidly changing world of technology particularly had an effect on me. While some of the poems felt intimate, most of them are about the human experience in the modern age. This is why I think all readers will resonate with this book. Miguel also complements his poems with fascinating sketches that will definitely please art aficionados. All in all, the book itself is a work of art. Highly recommended.

A Body Made of Shadows: A Collection of Philosophical Fragments by Joseph Miguel is a thought-provoking read. All sixteen poems in this anthology incite self-reflection. ‘Lust Paradox’ examines the differences between genuine love and insatiable lust. ‘People Everywhere’ forces us to grapple with death and challenges us to evolve. ‘1/9/25’ questions the motives behind disasters. Are incidents like the LA fires unfortunate, unforeseen events or distractions engineered to shift our focus from the economic climate? ‘Apparition’ calls us to wake up and seek true freedom. What does complete freedom look like? ‘Duality’ inspires hope that good people can still exist in a broken world. The remaining poems also evoke a myriad of emotions depending on the reader’s outlook on life. Everyone who reads this book will have a unique experience.

I highly recommend A Body Made of Shadows to all readers, especially poetry enthusiasts. Joseph Miguel does a great job with his word choices. I like that while some poems have simple rhymes, every word seems chosen to convey deep meaning. The formatting is also very interesting. For example, I appreciated the several intriguing sketches Miguel drew and scattered throughout the book. As a poet who prefers to write free-form poetry, I was impressed with Miguel’s creativity using this form. I especially liked ‘Passion’ being formatted as two columns. My favorite poem in the collection has to be ‘KIDS’ as I can relate to everything that it addresses. It made me contemplate the type of strength needed to write and publish your work. This collection actually helped me to consider all areas of life.