Why did all of the Afghan people at the flea market stop and turn when Amir asks what Soraya is reading?

The Afghan people at the flea market stopped and turned when Amir asked what Soraya was reading because they were intrigued by the interaction between the two. Reading was seen as an intellectual and respectable activity in Afghan culture, so their interest likely stemmed from curiOSity about what Soraya was reading and what it revealed about her character.