9 Longform Stories We're Reading This Week: Peyton Manning And An American Deported

Mike Giglio writes about the phenomenon of children fathered by American soldiers in post-WWII Germany who, though raised in the U.S., have found themselves deported to a country they don't know. Read that and these other stories from around BuzzFeed and the web.

1. William Suess Thought He Was an American Until the Day He Was Deported — BuzzReads

Courtesy of Laura Suess

Born in Germany but raised in Missouri, “Wild Bill” Suess served in the Army, then did time for various crimes. But he didn’t know what prison really was until strict immigration laws left him to fend for himself at a grim shelter in a foreign country he was now forced to call home. Read it at BuzzReads.

2. Peyton Manning Almost Didn’t Make It Back — The Washington Post

Doug Pensinger / Getty Images

A revealing profile of the 37-year-old QB: "Cut by Indianapolis post-surgery, it seemed victory enough when Manning made it back to the field in a Broncos uniform last season and led them to a 13-3 record. But those closest to him say the feat was if anything underestimated." Read it at The Washington Post.

3. Chasing Molly — Playboy

Brian Killian / WireImage / Getty Images

An interesting look at the supposedly pure ecstasy now in vogue, and that killed two attendees at this year's Electric Zoo. Chemically testing molly bought in Miami and in New York City reveals — not shockingly — that most molly is anything but pure. Read it at Playboy.

4. Prisoners of Profit — The Huffington Post

Matt Houston / AP / Via projects.huffingtonpost.com

A staggeringly thorough investigation into a for-profit juvenile prison empire that's continued receiving contracts despite a paltry record of endangerment and abuse, thanks to strategic political donating. Read it at The Huffington Post.

5. Confessions of a Drone Warrior — GQ

Athar Hussain / Reuters

Matthew Power profiles Airman First Class Brandon Bryant, one of America's first — and best — drone pilots. He's one of the few with insider experience willing to draw the curtain back "on the program that has killed thousands on our behalf." Read it at GQ.

6. How to Write an Awesome Movie According to Some of Hollywood's Best Screenwriters — BuzzFeed

Justine Zwiebel / BuzzFeed

Hollywood pros like Paul Feig, Richard Linklater, and Diablo Cody give their best tips and insights for all you wannabe writers in this mega-interview compiled by Jordan Zakarin. Read it at BuzzFeed.

7. Rocked — Grantland

Richard Mackson / Sports Illustrated / Getty Images

A great oral history of the 1989 Battle of the Bay World Series that was dominated by the Oakland A's and interrupted by the 7.0 magnitude Loma Prieta earthquake. It starts the day of the quake — including one expert's prediction that a big one was about to hit. Read it at Grantland.

8. The Internet Owes Its Sense of Humor to this Man — Wired

Brent Humphreys for Wired

A profile of Bob Odenkirk, of Breaking Bad, but more importantly, of the influential Mr. Show. The latter, Brian Raftery writes, "wasn’t a hit when it aired, but over the years the series accrued the kind of brainiac-maniac following usually reserved for gloomy-puss novelists or obscure Chapel Hill rock bands." Read it at Wired.

9. Son of Pong — Medium

Steven Smith for Medium.

In this memoir, John DeVore discusses both his alcoholism — and decision to become sober — and his father's life, death, and love of video games. Read it at Medium.