Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy Stimulus for Social Change in Sweden

It was a crisp winter night and standing by one of the many bridges that bring Sweden's capital together, my brother and I clunked our cans of Stockholm's finest lager, mixed with a flurry of white flakes, to celebrate the new year. As I gazed across the frozen waters of Lake Malaren from the peaceful City Hall, I wondered how our fellow drinkers in line at the state-controlled liquor store were faring this evening.

Just a day or two earlier we joined a queue for the Systembolaget  (the only outlet of alcohol above 3.5%), in which we recognized the deeply ingrained Scandinavian and socialis...