Friendship
Friendship is perhaps the most important theme in Jackie and Me. Because she is a kind woman who gets along with virtually everyone she meets, Jackie Kennedy makes friends with almost everyone that she meets. The friendship which is at the heart of Jackie and Me is between Jackie Kennedy and a closeted gay man named Lem Billings. Through their friendship, Jackie gains more confidence in herself and in her love of the enigmatic congressman named Jack Kennedy. Their friendship also enriches Lem's life too. He gained a friend in whom he could confide in and with whom he could enjoy life. Friendship, Bayard's book shows, is one of the most important things a person can have in their life.
Love
Love is another complex and significant theme in Jackie and Me. Much of Bayard's novel focuses on Jackie and Jack as the two court each other. It also focuses on their love story: Jackie expressing tremendous love and interest in Jack, but Jack growing more and more isolated. Unlike many others, the Kennedy's love story was complicated and messy and sometimes strange. Ignoring all of the mess and complications, however, one fact remained: they loved each other. And their love was deep and abiding until Jack's assassination in November of 1963.
Hiding who you truly are
One of the most significant themes in Jackie and Me is hiding who you truly are, which Jackie's friend Lem Billings had to do because he was gay. During the 1950s and 1960s (and for many decades after), being gay was not only frowned upon, but it was also illegal in many instances. Because of this, Lem had to hide the fact that he was gay from most of the people in his life—including close friends, most of whom seemingly would not have cared about Lem's sexual orientation. Not being who you truly are, Bayard argues through his inclusion of Lem, is one of the worst things in the world.
