The first case against big tobacco was filed on September 22, 1999. After 6 years of litigation, 9 months of trial, hundreds of depositions and thousands of exhibits, on August 17, 2006 U.S. District Court Judge Gladys Kessler ruled that the Government had proven its case and found that the tobacco company defendants guilty. This specific trial opened the door for people to sue tobacco companies, and they are winning.
There are currently quite a few cases against the tobacco companies. I would probably do a lot of research, collect your moms medical records, and see if I can't find a class action suit against them that you can jump into, because the tobacco companies have a lot of money to spend on attorneys. There are also new lawsuits against cigarette companies for light cigarettes, which you said mom smoked.
Hope this helps Sorry for the loss of your mom.
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.