I spent much of my childhood like that. My Father died when was a bay, and My mother lived in NYC. She was crazy and abusive.
My first stepfather lived in miami, so I would stay with him sometimes. Rest of the time I lived with friends and hater families, or at boarding schools. Was able to get emancipated from them at 16.
If you think that things would be better with your father in NYC, then talk to him about it. NYC is a great place to grow up. Find out how he feels about it.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.